Need Advice, Please: Solar Coffee Roaster from Coffee Tech Israel

[sweetyarracoffee]

hi guys, i found an old thread about solar coffee roaster so i thought i start again as i have just bought an avirnaki for it. (smoke trapper)

i hope those who is using or ever used this particular roaster can help me as i am having a problem after installing the avirnaki

I used the roaster in our garage but due to recent complain of odor and smoke from neighbor i have to get this avirnaki unit or smoke trapper. lucky got one second hand in great shape.

now i am having a problem. The avirnaki unit has an exhaust system where it sucks the smoke from the roaster with its adjustable exhaust fan. when the solar blower goes on automatically in interval for few seconds, some of roasting beans get sucked up into the chaff collector. There is no wire mesh comes with the solar roaster when i got it to prevent green beans get blown up into exhaust pipe. or should there be one? bought the solar roaster second hand as well and the guy who sold it to me bought it brand new.

also since the avirnaki sucks up smoke it also sucks up the heat from the roaster, so when the final stage kicks in and all heat elements shut down, the roaster doesnt finish its roast properly as the temperature goes down fast.

for example, if i dont use this avirnaki unit as i did before the complain started, my setting for honduras coffee is 170 preheat and 188 final stage and that makes the roast to 205*C so it goes to 188 then it goes to final stage then i dump in 205*c but with the avirnaki, the roast goes to 188 then up 189 then temp goes down as the avirnakis sucks the heat up.

i can increase the final temp but before i try this maybe i can ask some opinions from others whos been using this roaster and avirnaki. as the roaster ended in a very light roast and way different than when i didnt use the avirnaki.

for anote, the avirnaki blower or fan control is just a tad on not even in its lowest setting.

if i have to adjust the temp any suggestion or more importantly is there anyone experiencing this problem with their avirnaki and solar roaster?


thanks in advance

 

[peterjschmidt]

Please explain 'avirnaki'.

Is that anything like a doohickey?

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "Sweetarracoffee"

While you're waiting for a reply to your questions, you may want to do a Google search to explore the Coffee Tech Avirnaki smokeless roasting filter system. I'm sure you're not the only person who has experienced these types of problems, but it may be difficult to find someone who is using the same type of roaster that you're using.

Rose

 

[sweetyarracoffee]

hello
avirnaki is a product named after their smoke trapping machine. this enables the roaste to be used indoor.

i have used the searched function and google thats why i found this website as there was a discussion about this roaster before here but the discussion didnt suggest problems that i experience especially with the use of avirnaki system.

 

[JumpinJakJava]

If you have not already, you can download the info here:Avirnaki | Coffee-Tech Engineering

You may have to contact them in Israel. They may have some American distributors.
Sorry I could not help more.

 

[seeingcoffee]

If it sucks beans in addition to smoke, it is overkill for your application. A simple CPU fan connected to a 12V DC power source is all you need to remove smoke from such a small device. You can make a relatively cheap electrostatic precipitator and solve your problem.

 

[sweetyarracoffee]

If it sucks beans in addition to smoke, it is overkill for your application. A simple CPU fan connected to a 12V DC power source is all you need to remove smoke from such a small device. You can make a relatively cheap electrostatic precipitator and solve your problem.

oh wow, how can i do that? thanks for this interesting idea

 

[Seb]

I have a Solar Roaster and Avirnaki since a year and no problem at all. The smoke i get from the Solar on a 2kg batch is quite important and as i am also in a residential area i needed to filter most of it. The Avirnaki do it perfectly, it remove about 95+% of the smoke and smell. My setting on my Avirnaki is exactly mid way. I have to say i never use my Solar roaster without the Avirnaki (in fact only once) so i do not know if it influence the roast as you mention but it is easy to adjust either the blower speed of the Avirnaki or your settings on the roaster.

When the blower of the roaster is active during the roast (few seconds every X minutes) it also can blow sometimes a bean or two but usually it is smaller bean or just a fractionnated bean. No worry, at least in my case. This blower is quite powerful. So o think you should just adjust your settings to get back to where you want with the Avirnaki in function.

Note: Take care to clean frequently your Avirnaki as if the filter are too dirty it won't work anymore. I use Simple Green dilute in warm water and let the filter units for few hours in this solution and it does a great job. I clean every 50 roasts cycle in average.

You can send me an email if you have any specific questions: [email protected]

Séb

 

[CoffeeMac]

Hi Sweetyarra...

I don't mean to "kidnap" your thread I hope you don't mind me asking something

I have just bought a Solar I am not getting the “baked bread” stage it seems to run almost all the way to C1 on grass-wet - high acidity notes and then the “smokiness” starts. I feel as though there is moisture in the beans that the roaster is struggling to get rid of. I run a batch of Colmb Agustino forest the other day, charge temp 165C /329F end temp 205C 401F I let it run till well after what I thought was C1 and yet whenever I pull the tryer out there is still this smell of wet grass as if we are in the pre yellow stage. I am baffled….. I dropped at 16:30 min’ unfortunately I didn’t record the drum temp only beans temp (prob is in the door) it was 171C though drum was well into the three minutes after 205C so I assume 210-215.

would appreciate any suggestions ..



Many thanks for a fabulous forum

Dave

 

[sweetyarracoffee]

Hi Sweetyarra...

I don't mean to "kidnap" your thread I hope you don't mind me asking something

I have just bought a Solar I am not getting the “baked bread” stage it seems to run almost all the way to C1 on grass-wet - high acidity notes and then the “smokiness” starts. I feel as though there is moisture in the beans that the roaster is struggling to get rid of. I run a batch of Colmb Agustino forest the other day, charge temp 165C /329F end temp 205C 401F I let it run till well after what I thought was C1 and yet whenever I pull the tryer out there is still this smell of wet grass as if we are in the pre yellow stage. I am baffled….. I dropped at 16:30 min’ unfortunately I didn’t record the drum temp only beans temp (prob is in the door) it was 171C though drum was well into the three minutes after 205C so I assume 210-215.

would appreciate any suggestions ..



Many thanks for a fabulous forum

Dave

Hi Dave

can you check if all heating elements are on? How long does it take for you to go from 165" to 205"?

205" final stage seems very high but maybe you live in a very cold weather?

i am in Melbourne Australia and my highest final stage for a particular bean is 193-194" and most of other beans are 181-187

are you talking about the dump temp? My brazilian honey process bean dump temp is 213

 

[sweetyarracoffee]

I have a Solar Roaster and Avirnaki since a year and no problem at all. The smoke i get from the Solar on a 2kg batch is quite important and as i am also in a residential area i needed to filter most of it. The Avirnaki do it perfectly, it remove about 95+% of the smoke and smell. My setting on my Avirnaki is exactly mid way. I have to say i never use my Solar roaster without the Avirnaki (in fact only once) so i do not know if it influence the roast as you mention but it is easy to adjust either the blower speed of the Avirnaki or your settings on the roaster.

When the blower of the roaster is active during the roast (few seconds every X minutes) it also can blow sometimes a bean or two but usually it is smaller bean or just a fractionnated bean. No worry, at least in my case. This blower is quite powerful. So o think you should just adjust your settings to get back to where you want with the Avirnaki in function.

Note: Take care to clean frequently your Avirnaki as if the filter are too dirty it won't work anymore. I use Simple Green dilute in warm water and let the filter units for few hours in this solution and it does a great job. I clean every 50 roasts cycle in average.

You can send me an email if you have any specific questions: [email protected]

Séb

Hi Seb
Thanks for that and sorry for the late reply.
It is all good now, it turned out that we cant cover those little vents on avirnaki pipe. If we cover thoe vents, it will create a vacuuming effects and sucks some of the beans into the the exhaust pipe. I leave it at no 9 setting and it does a good job.
I also use simple green to clean the trapper, but I find it Jasol multi purpose cleaner is better in the sense of economical use. I only use 20 ml of jasol for 700 ml spray bottle.
I dont submerge the trapper into a tank of solution, but rather spray them with spray bottle both sides vigorously and leave it for 15 min then hose them off with garden hose on trigger (with strong angled setting)

I also found some of the thin wires missing in the field trapper, so I called coffee tech in israel to send me some, it's quite expensive for a wire ($14 each). The wires are necessary for the field trapper metal sheets to work. You might want to check yours as I bought the avirnaki with some wires missing. Although the smell is not completely gone, but it does a good job in eliminating the smoke.

 

[CoffeeMac]

Sweetyarracoffee

Thank you for your suggestion. I am not sure how I can check if all three element are on except for looking through the glass door during heating up time. It seemed to me that all were on. I have tested the voltage on the socket and I am getting a reading of between 289 293 voltage so something isn't right here. It takes about 16:45 min to get to 201. I did a batch this afternoon Colombian Manga Excel 155 - 181 in drum cooling C1 was at about16/17 min temp 198" well after the final stage had kicked in and almost at the end of it. Needless to say the batch is light and full of scorched beans...scratch my head I think we'll have to get the electrician in:-( , problem is the expenses keep piling up high. I am attaching two photos of the batch one with flash one without, taken with my BB Passport.

Will update once elec' has been.

 

[sweetyarracoffee]

Sweetyarracoffee

Thank you for your suggestion. I am not sure how I can check if all three element are on except for looking through the glass door during heating up time. It seemed to me that all were on. I have tested the voltage on the socket and I am getting a reading of between 289 293 voltage so something isn't right here. It takes about 16:45 min to get to 201. I did a batch this afternoon Colombian Manga Excel 155 - 181 in drum cooling C1 was at about16/17 min temp 198" well after the final stage had kicked in and almost at the end of it. Needless to say the batch is light and full of scorched beans...scratch my head I think we'll have to get the electrician in:-(View attachment 4314View attachment 4315, problem is the expenses keep piling up high. I am attaching two photos of the batch one with flash one without, taken with my BB Passport.

Will update once elec' has been.

Hi Dave

Where are you located? If you are in Australia, maybe you can give me your number and I can call you?
Anyway, colombia coffee (as well as honduras, guatemala or the like), in my opinion, as they are high grown and hard bean, they should be roasted with final stage in 185-187 mark. (188-190 for darker)What is your target profile on this coffee? If you are going into medium to medium dark roast (full city?)Try to aim for 205-207* dump temperature.
The second picture without flash does not look scroched, they just look light. 198* is a premature temp for dumping. That is why you are getting light roast.

Also try increase pre heat to 170*

 

[sweetyarracoffee]

just want to add, as solar does not allow in roast manual control, you need to make sure the heat is still there when you need it. If you have 181* final stage, there is a chance the coffees are not efficiently/perfectly developed when you get into 1st crack as the temp drop right before they get into first crack. You may still get into first crack but in cost of time which results in coffee undeveloped.

What I used to do when I get a new coffee, I have to waste 3-4 batches of 2 kg roast to determine the best profiling for this roaster. (its a pain i know but when you get the hang of it will serves you good). I set the final stage to around 194 for the first time and if your solar is modified with a probe connected to a roast profiling software you can determine the first crack at x temp. Then when you see what temp when the first crack happens, try to adjust the final stage temp around that temp to determine which is best. (requires cupping extensively) When you get the best profile for the coffee, then you will be sweet for the rest of your day roasting that coffee. Consistency with this roaster is unpararelled, even when you don't look at it.

 

[CoffeeMac]

thank you for your much appreciated comments I will try it out and let you know.