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Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 10:18 pm
by Jono
Ok peeps...lay it on me. I've got a 2 inch Boka which is bloody tops :handgestures-thumbupleft: but soooo slow :handgestures-thumbdown: . I'm in the process of building a product cooler or shell and tube cooler for stripping or pot stilling. Now, I've just been helping my groomsman build a 4 inch bubbler (which looks really cool by the way :happy-partydance: ) and my mistress of finance is asking why the bubble caps? Why 4 plates? Why is it better than a Boka or a pot still? How come they're the holy grail of still on the forum? Well anyway I just said that they're way quicker than a Boka and other than that I didn't know what else? Flavour carry over? Why are they better than a traditional pot? Is it the compaction of foreshots and heads before the hearts run? Less smearing during cuts? Why the bubble caps instead of some other design? Anyway I'm sure some others have had this conversation with their better half and have had to try and explain! :romance-kisscheek: Thanks in advance and links are welcome! :think: :think: :think:

Cheers,

Jono.

Re: Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:16 pm
by Zak Griffin
High speed single runs, high ABV, full flavour, excellent compression of fractions, they look cool, they're versatile, they can be run without a power controller. etc etc etc.

4 plates is the generally accepted happy medium between stripping too much flavour, and not enough. Plenty of people run 3, or 5, or 6, or different configurations for different spirits. Start with 4 and work from there.

Build one. Best thing I've ever done. I love mine.

Re: Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:17 am
by southern45
Time. Beforehand with the pot still I had to do three stripping runs, store the low wines, then do a slow spirit run. A single run of my 4" bubbler is done before lunch.

Versatility. Four plates to bring flavour across on a single run. Add a packed section and/or more plates for neutrals. Break it down and run as a pot if you feel the need.

Ease of use. Don't be intimidated by the look of them, once you get to know how they run they're a breeze to operate.

There are downsides though. Cost is one, they're not cheap. They also use a more water (set up a dedicated tank and pump, more cost involved). Depending on your current setup, a bubbler may take up a lot more space.

But screw it, just buy (or build) one already!

Re: Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:39 am
by Zak Griffin
As far as water goes, I use a 250L wheelie bin and a $50 submersible pump from Bunnings... You don't need to spend much.

Re: Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:32 am
by Jono
Hey thanks for the info! I'm looking forward to doing more research into the bubblers vs seives too. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:37 am
by Zak Griffin
There's arguments for and against caps and perforated plates, I personally would rather cut a few slots with a grinder than drill hundreds of tiny holes so I went with single 2" caps.

Re: Bubble plate reasons/explanation...

PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 5:48 pm
by db1979
I went with for my 2" bubbler but found cleaning it was a bit annoying, as it's modular it always retains a bath after the run is finished. I could have drilled a small hole in each plate and each downcomer but I didn't.

My 4" is sieve plate to overcome this issue, plus I figured it wasn't too bad drilling all the holes, and it actually didn't take all that long. Only problem I have is if I need to walk away from the still I shut it down and I lose my bath on each plate.