Nutrimill question

Horseyrider · #1 10/24/12, 11:20 AM

I'm looking to hear from other Nutrimill owners about their experience with the little spongy filters that go on the flour bin.

I've had my mill for about two years and have never had a problem with it. I grind wheat almost exclusively, with the odd batch of corn for bread now and again. I had just gotten done grinding some popcorn for cornbread and the next day set it back to the setting I use for wheat, and went to it. When I was done, I found little fragments of the sponge everywhere, the sponge with a nice neat hole directly through the middle, and my flour was ruined.

The mill comes with two filters, so I put the other one in, and replaced that flour with a nice batch and made some hamburger buns. This morning I ground some wheat for zucchini bread and and again the filter was chewed.

I had noticed recently that there was a wee bit of flour spraying across the counter from the air hole where the left side of the flour bin meets the body of the mill, and nothing on the right side. To me that would suggest that the bin hole might not be meeting perfectly with the mill hole, but it's such a small amount (not even an eighth of a teaspoon) that I had dismissed it.

Today I decided to pull out the filter and use it without. I don't understand the function of it or the cup underneath; they aren't connected to moving parts, and while I initially thought it was for air intake, the air at the left and right of the flour bin clearly blow outward.

The mill's not old, and while it wasn't expensive, it wasn't cheap, either. I've really loved the flour I get and don't want to consider Nutrimills as disposable mills, so I was hoping someone here might be able to share their experience with this.

Anybody go through this besides me?

mammabooh · #2 10/24/12, 12:26 PM

I haven't had any trouble with mine, but I've never ground anything but wheat. I do, however, despise that cup. I've never had any trouble with flour blowing out either. You are pushing the bin into the right line, right?

okiemomof3 · #3 10/24/12, 12:36 PM

i am guessing you are not putting the bin all the way in..in jostling or something, something might have gotten tightened up and won't allow the bin to go too far. twist that little knobby thing on the back and make sure your bin goes past the lines on the bottom front.........another thing, do you take and rinse out the filter after use? i was told to do so and i do, i just run it under the sink and squeese it out and stick it back in.

the ONLY time i had flour spew was when the lid was not twisted on the bin correctly (i had somehow gone over the lippy things instead of under them, surprised i didn't break the plastic) and it was not pushed in far enough...

as a last resort, just call up nutrimill or pleasant hill grain and ask them. this is the first i have heard of an issue of this sort.

mammabooh · #4 11/02/12, 03:38 PM

Did you ever figure out what was going on?

Horseyrider · #5 11/03/12, 06:11 AM

Thanks for asking, mammabooh. This is really odd. I contacted the factory's repair desk and they were flabbergasted. Never heard of this and can't figure why this is happening. They told me it's okay to run it without the filter, that it won't hurt the machine, but offered to send me a new filter anyhow. It's function is to reduce or eliminate flour particles in the air. Since running it without the filter is not going to hurt it, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Still, it was weird, and I have no idea what made the holes. They looked like sponge doughnuts.

oregon woodsmok · #6 11/03/12, 01:41 PM

I use mine outside because even with the filter, it throws out some fine dust.

I grind all sorts of things in mine and haven't had any problems with the filter. The filter doesn't seem to be all that close to the burrs, so I don't know how it would get chewed up. Are you pushing it in too far?

the foam might fall apart as it ages, but mine are a lot older than 2 years and not causing any problems. I wash with just clean water and make sure they dry well. In case that has anything to do with it.

Horseyrider · #7 11/03/12, 09:07 PM

I don't think I'm pushing it in too far; I was running it exactly as I had for the two years previous. The second filter was brand new, and it chewed it up too. Also, I never allowed anything to get wet. I brushed out the bin and cup very thoroughly after each use with a pastry brush, and shook out the sponge outside.

That's the weird thing; the sponge isn't close to any moving parts. But I'm not bothered by it, if it can be run without the filter. When I did that, I got no loose flour blowing out at all.

Go figure.