HELP First distill,reflux still,poor rate HELP

[finners]

Help, broke my still virginity today. Started with 40 litres 13% TPW, with the plan of making around 5 litres of 80%abv + neutral spirit, started to collect heads after about two hours, at about 1 drip per second.

Took forever to collect approx 200ml to discard, tried to crank it up to a faster rate to get into the hearts, but regardless of the coolant flow rate (all the way to full flow, with the hose on full pelt). I couldn't get it to collect more than one of two drips per second at around 78 degrees. After about 5 hours of collection at or around 78degrees, I'd only collected around one litre :scared-eek:

So, I had a choice, I'd figured out I should get about 5 litres out and at one litre every 5 hours I'd be distilling for the next 20 hours :o So, I bit the bullet and turned the heat up to low/mid 80's and collected 3 more litres over the next 2.5 hours. To give me a total of 200ml heads, discarded, 250ml heads/hearts (eventually discarded with the shits) and 4 litres of who knows??? The first two litres was approx 90% abv and the second two litres was approx 80% abv.

So who know's what final product I've ended up with???

Any ideas on what I've done wrong or how to improve my outcome???

I have since read that this style of still is less than ideal design and welcome any easy/quick fixes. Any help would be appreciated ~x(

[blond.chap]

Hey mate, first off, it'd be helpful to have your boiler power.

You're options for modifications (in my mind) are:
1. Re-route the coolant lines around the column, add a condenser coil at put a gate valve in the middle of the arm to the product condenser. Ta dah - VM still
2. Re-route the coolant lines around the column, remove the packing and you have a pot still

Also (and others can expand here), it might not be tall enough to get 95%.

[Sam.]

Either modify it or if you are going to run it as is about all you can do is run your coolant flat out then increase your power until you are getting a collection rate you are happy with. Do your cuts and see if it's acceptable.

What's this one packed with again?

[finners]

It's a 2400 watt hot water system element and is packed with stainless steel gauze (similar to scrubbers)

[blond.chap]

It's a 2400 watt hot water system element and is packed with stainless steel gauze (similar to scrubbers)

Might be obvious, but does the element have a built in thermostat? Cos that'd screw up the run

[finners]

Unsure. It is wired to a control box to regulate the power output.

[Sam.]

Have you checked your thermometer in boiling water to make sure it reads 100?

My rig similar to that used to like to sit on 79 with my thermo

[kiwikeg]

I can see what appears to be a grey lead running back to the control box from the probe at the top of the still, what does that do?

[finners]

Haven't checked the thermometer, it's a digital probe that runs an lcd display on the control box. That's what the grey cord is.
It might pay to check thermometer because the display was all up and down a couple of degrees the whole time. Might be snagged.
Also just pulled packing out of column to see how tightly packed. Doesn't seem too tight. I did notice though the condensor / outlet head is packed with stainless mesh as well. Is this normal?

[blond.chap]

Unsure. It is wired to a control box to regulate the power output.

If it was me I'd disconnect the controller, run at consistent power and control temperature with coolant flow rate. But I'm not all that familiar with these stills, worth a shot though.

[SBB]

Is this yet another one, Hell its the invasion of the antique reflux still.

but regardless of the coolant flow rate (all the way to full flow, with the hose on full pelt). I couldn't get it to collect more than one of two drips per second at around 78 degrees.

Sounds to me like your turning the tap the wrong way, more water means more reflux, more reflux means more goes back to the boiler, more back to the boiler means less comes out the business end.

[Brendan]

:text-+1: What about the coolant all the way down to a thin stream? ;-)

[finners]

I ran it at a steady temp with low coolant flow at the start. That was when I was collecting the drop per second. That led me to experiment with turning the element up higher and increasing coolant flow to try to speed up the collection.

Tried heaps of different variations of heat and coolant, but at 77/78deg all I could manage was a drip or two a second.

As mentioned, haven't check digital probe thermometer in boiling water but did remove it a few hours into it and replace it with cheap handheld one I use for beer and it appeared to be reading close to the same.

[Sam.]

If your temp was fluctuating through the run there is a problem.

You want it to sit steady in its "sweet spot" wether that be at 78.6 or 79 or whatever.

With this still it will be near impossible to get into full reflux the way I use to run mine was more controlled by power.

I ran to coolant flat out then increased the output of my burner to get the desired flow rate and temp.

Not ideal but work with what you got or modify it to bring it out of the 1960s!

[Aussiedownunder01]

I can see what appears to be a grey lead running back to the control box from the probe at the top of the still, what does that do?

Where do you see that photo

[Dominator]

From the sound of it the temp is controlled by a simple on/off thermostat. That's is a far from ideal setup for distilling. I would be leaving the thermometer as it is but replace the heating control with a voltage regulating solid state relay.

[Aussiedownunder01]

I can see what appears to be a grey lead running back to the control box from the probe at the top of the still, what does that do?

Where do you see that photo

Now i see the photo bloody slow internet :oops:

[SBB]

You know these stills far better than me Sam, I just mentioned the coolent thing because the only CM stills Ive had experience with have had a very fine line when it came to water flow. A very small adjustment could be the difference between product gushing out or nothing on the ones Ive used. None have been of that exact design though.

[SBB]

Hey Sam, just my curiosity here, wondering why the water flow on these has to be flat out, Is it because they have only the two reflux tubes so your kinda battling to get reflux without a ton of water going through them, Or is it that too low a water flow causes the PC to over heat?
From the way Im looking at it they seem to be the only CM that cant be controlled by Coolent flow. Should they infact be called an HM, Heat Management Still.

[Dominator]

I am pretty sure it's because they only have the two tubes through the main column so they naturally have very little reflux.