There seems to be some confusion about the likely life of a Hottop smoke filter. There was even a suggestion that maybe the manual had been updated in this respect since I bought my machine.
Not so.
The manufacturer's recommendation for the life of a Hottop filter is 30 - 40 roasts. I have compared my original manual from February 2003 with one from a machine shipped from Taiwan very recently. The manual has been updated slightly to emphasise certain things (mostly to do with safety) that have assumed importance over the machine's production life.
However, the recommendation re the life of the filter remains unchanged.
To recap
- The filter supposedly lasts 30 - 40 roasts
- From memory the best I have ever achieved is around 34 roasts, the worst 29 roasts
- If you don't replace the filter soon enough, the airflow through the machine will be impeded and you may trigger the over-heating protection. You will certainly mess up the profile
- The black part of the filter element can be washed (although the manufacturer does not recommend this). I have tried this with some small success. Apparently the white part of the filter cannot be washed. I haven't tried this to check - but washing the white part is of less importance as most of the particulate matter is stopped by the black layer.
- You should not run the machine without the filter, as this significantly alters the air flow in the drum and messes with the profile. Some people (Randy Glass IIRC) have tried alternative filter materials with some success - but if you do this you're on your own, and I would recommend carefully comparing the characteristics of a roast achieved with a standard filter to those with any alternative material if you're going to do this. I haven't tried it. Life's too short.
Hope this helps the rapidly growing number of people out there enjoying roasting with Hottops.
Phil