Mold? in my HT

[az erik]

How, why, how do I stop this:


This filter is 3 roasts old



So I'm wondering if this is moisture or a mold or the likes. This is the first time I opened the back in the 20'ish roasts I've owned this HT. It was all spotless when I got it. I noticed the filters getting this way right away. I have taken the black fabric filters and soaked them in hot water with soap. I'm not sure hot to proceed with getting this off the inside of the roaster and how to possibly stop this from happening. Possibly run a empty roast at the end of the day?

[Ascholten]

I do not own a HT so can't help in any respectable way but will offer this looking at my experience with other roasters.

Are you sure it is mold and perhaps not just reingested smoke from the roasting process settling out on parts?  They can get a bit 'sooty' for lack of a better word.

Aaron

[Ray T]

It is NOT mold just roast residue. I take mine apart yearly and clean it   

I use a vacuum on the filters then soak in Oxyclean, works great

[az erik]

I'll oxy them later. It looks fuzzy like certain kinds of mold, it's got to be from moisture and probably bean smoke. Wasn't sure if it spreads or just sticks. There is a lot of oils on the inside of the tube, not sure how ill get that out and keep it out.


Sent from my iPhone5 using Tapatalk so pardon my spelling.

[Ascholten]

yes az

Thats sticky oils,  smoke residue and very small particles of the chaff all sticking in the oils and smoke residue.

Aaron

[peter]

yes az

Thats sticky oils,  smoke residue and very small particles of the chaff all sticking in the oils and smoke residue.

Aaron

The scientific term for that residue is roastium.


 

[juker]

yes az

Thats sticky oils,  smoke residue and very small particles of the chaff all sticking in the oils and smoke residue.

Aaron

The scientific term for that residue is roastium.


 

I agree with Peter, it is roastium normalium. 

Your HT (and filter) looks exactly like mine and another one I've seen inside.

[John F]

To have mold you need a water source, food supply, and humid condition.

[milowebailey]

Mold in Chandler, AZ.... doubtful.  Looks like buildup to me.  What does it taste like?

[simmich]

Erik...the climate here in Palm Springs quite similar to yours. Oddly enough my Hottop and yours occasionally share the same interior appearance (ie:funky).   I frequently shop-vac and brush out the interior and soak everything soakable in JoeGlow. Cleans up PDQ. The thick dark compressed sawdusty type goo is (I think) just by-products of the roasting process (chaff etc). Roasting mostly for espresso creates more chaff and sometimes oils that tend to bind the chaff together into some sort of goo. Its not mold. I rotate 3 of the back filters to avoid suffocating the roaster.

[az erik]

It appeared to me like it was growing, i didn't think about it being roastrium blowing out of the chamber. I wiped it down, tasted like chaff and oils. Was thinking about making a tea out of it but decided not to On a good note Yakster's roast swap will be the first or second run in it after I totally cleaned it out. I had see kind of the same build up on the Bemhor but nothing like this. I would have to say it always smoked more than the B as well. But I'm happy with it and am happier knowing it's not a mold based 'product' and I don't have to clean it out every couple roasts. I had about 20 on the machine when I too that pic. Still messing around with fishing a TC probe in but where the current one is there is a big nut and beans keep getting hung up in it, trying to read up on where to put a K-type and pull the omega's out that are in there.

Thanks for the input all, including Yakster for reminding me about the dogs

[milowebailey]

To me the photos look like chaff dust.  It's a normal roast by-product.