Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

This is the discussion thread for this thread.

Any discussion can take place here and if you think we can add something to the original post in the newbie corner you can make suggestions here :handgestures-thumbupleft:

One thing I will add is that increasing the boiling rate will only effect vapour speed which can be a good thing when stripping as long as your product condenser can handle it but can be a bad thing on a spirit run if your reflux condenser can't handle it, or your using a pot and it causes smearing.

Maybe also mention good old Ohm's law.
Heating elements are resistive loads, so voltage applied = current x resistance.
Resistance is a constant for each specific element (e.g. 24 ohms for a 2400 W element rated at 240V, which will require 10 Amps).

Because Power (watts) = current x voltage, one can also directly calculate the power output of any heating element at any given voltage.

Power (watts) = Voltage^2 / resistance

Cheers, RS

Yep good idea :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I will add in ideas tonight so keep them coming :D

I run 2 + 2.500 watt elements flat out product starts at boiler temp of 88 deg
Then by adjusting rc flow and pc flow I get 92 % no problems when it goes to 92 deg I just put it in pot still mode and strip the rest that goes into the next run
Been doing that for 4 years why change
A mate is so fu;'ing anel measures every thing to the last gram sterilisers his fermenters he keeps every thing except the first 100 mill my product shines over his every time :teasing-neener:

Sounds like you need to educate your mate on cuts.

Wow did not expect this to become a stickied post but cool.

Umm, yeah ohms law stuff is always good.
Vapour speed is also probably worth a mention.

Then more heat you generate with your elements the more bubbles will form and the more violent the boil will be.
Its like boiling a kettle for your morning coffee, initially the steam starts slowly as the temp rises, water starts to evapourate before the 100°c boiling point.
This is the phase that is most like our spirit runs we want it to gently boil so that all of the different liquids in the mix have a chance to boil off at their own temps (foreshots and heads) and we are left with ethanol (hearts) and other higher boiling point compounds (tails).
So we use the power controller to maintain the gentle boil by supplying the element with less power.

But once the kettle gets a good boil happening towards the end this is basically how you do a strip run.
Full noise just pumping out vapour and collecting it all, no need to worry about smearing as it will all be distilled again slowly to allow for easier cuts.
You do not drink a strip run.

HI Scythe,
I am relatively new to this i have a t500 , which i am converting over so i can pot still with it i have a alembic for it, i have made a controller & monitor to alter element watts .
My question is on a pot still run what is a rough guideline to watts to the boiler , there is many conflicting answers to this online from various forums.

Regards Baz :text-thankyoublue:

Strip run flat out, spirit run wind the voltage down till you get drips, then increase voltage till you get a steady stream :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hey Mate ,
Cheers for that cant wait to give it a try next week , how long do you age your rum whiskey etc before you decide to drink it ?

Regards Baz

3months is when the good flavour starts. 6-12m is a fair bit better though..

Baznkez:
Can your t500 function as a pot still?
As far as i was aware they could not unless modified, it would overheat the plastic and deform, leading to leaks.
....*re-reads your post*...
Oh ok you are converting it.
It all depends on the %ABV you are chasing, faster the output the lower it will be.
Fast is fine for strip runs as you just want the ethanol out of the wash, slow is ideal for spirit runs as you want the highest %ABV you can get.

The exact amount of watts required to achieve this is irrelevant as it will differ still to still.
In the same ball park but hardly ever exactly the same.

Interesting thread, thankyou all for the hints and tips :handgestures-thumbupleft:

If your pumping more power than required into the still is it going to increase the reflux if your knocking it down with an RC?
Is there a point where over powering it is achieving nothing?

Pumping too much power is only going to make the wash boil violently, this will increase smearing. You want a slow simmer. Most guys will go 100% power for heat up then drop to 50% - 60% for collection.

B-Man wrote:If your pumping more power than required into the still is it going to increase the reflux if your knocking it down with an RC?
Is there a point where over powering it is achieving nothing?

With a bubbler if you push it too hard you are just going to push everything up the column and smear it even if the RC is knocking it down.

You want the plates to be balanced.