Hello everyone.

I have been avoiding this cleaning thing for some time until I noticed that a strong smell of something being burnt started being emitted lately when I turn on the roaster (which I later discovered was because of a pile of burnt chaff below the drum). This made me decide to clean it especially that the signs of filth in different parts of the roaster were quite apparent (I must admit that I enjoyed not taking care of the roaster and roasting most the time, this was quite fun and I enjoyed doing it). However, the cleaning experience was an utter nightmare, that is to say, I am honestly terrified to roast again because of what I have seen in the cleaning process. It took me three whole hours to clean it, which was not even enough, so I simply stopped at the extent where it was simply impractical to go any further with the cleaning. The roaster was nearly fully taken apart, which I thought was totally "wrong". Therefore, I think that I must take precautions against it getting that dirty again because I am not going to do this madness again.

I used an instant oven cleaner spray to clean the metal plates and the metal parts that I was able to remove from the roaster, which was very effective (though quite harsh and irritating to eyes and hands so better be used with enough ventilation and using gloves and a mask). On the other hand, for the fan cavity, which was the only part of the machine that I did not disassemble (otherwise I would have fully disassembled the roaster), I used a piece of cloth, a good quantity of rubbing alcohol and an hour and a half of hard work using a tooth brush and too many cotton swabs.

This is also a good opportunity for the other members to have an insider look into this roaster, which is why I was generous with the photos.
















I don't know what caused this, and whether it was something I did. I have this change in colour only on one side, right below one of the two heating elements (the one to the right).






Arpi: this is the first time I disassemble this beast. I would like to share with you that the best way to put the drum back into place is with the front plate of the roaster is facing upward (as shown below), since you can easily see the joining of the shaft with the motor through the front door (which is shown opened), note that it is best to fasten the funnel only afterwards so that putting the drum back will not be a two-part puzzle of fitting the shaft and the tube in the same time. This took me much time to figure out.

The inside of my Hottop looks a hell of a lot worse than any of these photos. Coffee oil and other gunk gets everywhere when you're roasting, and it's rather pointless to expect a roaster to be shiny and clean internally. Isn't the drum SUPPOSED to have a layer of baked on coffee oils to season it?

I did not know that. Damn it, how am I going to get the sticky stuff back now...

Now seriously, the problem is not with the slight yellow coloration of the drum or the end plates of the drum (which I am seen cleaning with a tooth brush above). This coloration doesn't bother me and I don't consider it as filth. The problem in the case of this roaster comes from the long path the chaff has to travel through until it gets trapped in the colander basket near to the fan, not mentioning that this confined path is almost always saturated with moist vapours which causes the circulating chaff and the fine particles to stick to the inner walls along the path, thus forming a thick layer that I would call filth. Moreover, there is an issue with the chaff getting below the solid drum near to the heating elements and burning. Before cleaning the roaster, it was emitting a very strong smell of something burning without feeding any coffee beans in it. This smell was very strong which was the reason behind cleaning it.

Can you easily vacuum the chaff/ash out from around the elements without needing to take the thing apart? If so, that would be my main focus going forward. Oh, and I definitely wouldn't clean the inside of the drum. I spoke to a tech guy at Probat regarding this when I was looking at a second hand roaster that looked a little 'rusty' and he said never to clean it, just to let the beans take care of it (in that case, a few sacrificial loads). Cheers, Chris

I think you can. Like I said I did not know about that pile of ash before taking the roaster apart, but given my belief that it was what caused the smell in the first place, I think that I could simply vacuum the ash, which can easily be done from the air inlet (the hole shown in the first photo).

I wonder why is it that you can't clean the drum.

orwa wrote:I wonder why is it that you can't clean the drum.

I suspect that its twofold. Firstly to make sure no chemical tastes/smells remain. And secondly, as it requires seasoning, you would be taking a step backwards in that regard. I doubt it would actually damage anything though.

Hopefully vacuuming it will do the trick, with perhaps a good clean every couple of years, depending on usage, or if you feel the airflow is being compromised. This was the case in my roaster when I pulled it apart, the airflow tubing to the impeller (before the chaff collector) was almost entirely clogged with chaff. Obviously, I left it too long between a thorough clean.

Cheers, Chris

Hi Orwa.

Looks like you've been busy

Seems that this is the first time discussing the cleaning of the roaster. To clean the surfaces, I use a wet (water) tooth brush without any chemicals. Everything comes out with a glass of water (to dip the tooth brush) and a tooth brush. I also use a kitchen paper towel. The tooth brush can also go fully inside the top handle if you try from the back (filter side). It is also works to clean the blades of the fan. So all I've ever used is a glass a water and a tooth brush.

To clean the inside walls of the drum (never done this yet) without taking the drum apart, I could use the power switch of my variac to turn it momentarily. That way I can clean it through the door with the tooth brush.

To remove the drum (if you ever need to), all it takes is four screws. The whole assembly comes out. To put it back, look through the door to align the key of shaft with the motor.

I've been using mine every weekend and so far I've never took it apart for cleaning (I did for other reasons). But I understand that stuff sticks on the walls. I clean mine every ~ 5 roast and it takes my about 10 mins. I also have a small dedicated vacuum cleaner. After a year, I am planing to take the drum out for a thorough cleaning.

Cheers

Hi Orwa,

The ashes and burn marks you have in the heating chamber outside the drum probably means something fell into there, either a lot of chaff or a few beans. Is this something that is usual or was it a one time thing?

I'd say that the beans will not generally make it to the heating chamber below the drum. The clearance between the drum and the back/front plates is narrow enough not to let that happen, however, beans could get stuck in that clearance without falling down, thus (possibly) making a rubbing sound against the plate (the back plate in this case) when the drum rotates. I experienced this situation only once.

As for the chaff getting below the drum, the problem is simply due to the fact that the roaster relies solely on the airflow to collect the chaff. Note that the air is not circulated in this design, it enters the drum from the inlet hole seen above next to the pile of the burning chaff, and passes through the upper tube until it gets repelled out of the machine by the blower fan. Having said that, I roast with relatively low airflow, especially at times when the chaff is released from the bean and is able to fly away, this seems to have been resulting in most of the chaff falling to the heating chamber below the drum rather than being collected as per the original design. I noticed that a decent airflow is generally needed for the chaff-collection feature to be effective, otherwise considerable chaff ends below the drum. The amount of moisture in the circulation path is also highly correlated to the airflow (the lesser the airflow, the more moist the vapours confined in the path will be), therefore, both cleanliness and proper chaff collection are augmented when using sufficient airflow throughout the roasting process, whereas both are not very augmented when not doing so.

ADDITION: it is possible that the opportunity of beans falling to the area below the drum is higher than I imagine. In my case, it was an abundance of burnt chaff.