How to pack my pot still with copper mesh

by **Robj** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:25 pm

Hi all, I'm brand new to this, I started with the reflux t500 but didn't realise that I wasn't going to perfect whiskey with this, I've since built a copper pot still head that fits on my t500 boiler, I've done a vinegar run and a few steam runs with the Liebig grafting, everything works well. I've fermented an AG mash and was pleased with the results, ran it but forgot to make the cuts, so ended up with about 2l @ 38 ABV, then I realised that I have no packing in at all. The flow of alcohol was much faster than the t500 but wen I tried to slow it down with the water flow it started to puff out steam ( I assumed this was dangerous). Here is a picture of my attempt.

the inner tube in the Liebig is crimped @ 90 deg angles every 40mm, I have some fine gauze copper mesh but don't know wether to squash it in or cut loads of circles.

by **Robj** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:26 pm

Sorry I was not meant to post that, I was gona say I'd b grateful for any input, cheers all

by **Andy** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:27 pm

water flow doesn't control anything with a pot still. the steam that was escaping was alcohol vapour.
i wouldnt bother packing it.

by **crow** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:35 pm

You increase the coolant flow to increase knock down of vapor (no steam) . The more water you have running through it the faster you can run it. with a pot still you will need to run it through twice , once to strip and then again for a spirit run so there is no need to do cuts when stripping :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Put this stuff aside until you run another wash the same and then you should have enough to do do a spirit run

by **SBB** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 7:00 pm

You might need to get a voltage controller or similar if you want to run spirit runs using the pot head on the T500 boiler, Otherwise its just going to run to fast, as you have kinda found. Nothing lost by having a go first though.

by **punchy21** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:53 pm

G'day Rob,

As others have already said, the run you ave just done is your stripping run so no need to control the heat input so long as your still can condense all the vapour. And no need to pack some copper mesh in your column either, some put some mesh up there condenser to prevent huffing.

Do you know what size element you have in your boiler? I thought those boilers were around 2200W so would be okay for a spirit run??

And how fast were you actually running? For the spirit run you want roughly a pencil lead sized stream so if that's what you were getting then you might be good for a spirit run - just a bit slow for a stripping run but not a problem at all... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **res** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:34 pm

Firstly welcome to the forum mate. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Unfortunately don't have a lot of fantastic technical advice to add to this post, I have done many a fine grain whisky with my little pot with the strip then spirit run approach. It tried and true.
The one nugget of info I can help with is dump the plastic funnel in your bottle there, go glass or metal. In this hobby plastic is the devil! :puke-huge:

by **Robj** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:56 am

Hi guys
Thanks for the input, really good stuff, makes sense how I wasn't getn very good ABV, suppose this is the low wines people talk about. I've only had foaming once but I got a tip to crush some 'windeze' (anti gas tablets) into the wash before I run it, seams to work, might just b a fluke. I have a temp control rigged up on the boiler for wen I'm mashing but I've I use it for the still I'll have to drill it into the stainless, not sure how to seal this really, the temp bung is metal aswel. I've tried to salvage the last run by adding some 90% smelly stuff I had of an AG mash run thru my t500 before I made the pot, it stinks of eggs but managed to get the ABV upto 40 and plenty of oak sorted it out, I realise that it was low wines from my first run, do you think this wud be best to go thru again with my smelly stuff and anything else I have? Gratefull for ur help like, got a 3.5l oak barrel waiting to b filled, needs to b good stuff in it tho ;-)

by **crow** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:42 am

If it stinks of rotten egg it is sulfur and the copper still should pull that out but no would run it separate if you are unsure if the finished quality will be any good, your call though :handgestures-thumbupleft:
+1 on losing the plastic funnel straight away ,ethanol is a solvent and plastic is soluble

by **Robj** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 4:37 pm

Cheers crow
I'm making a copper one today, one with the alcometer sitting in for wen I'm making the cuts, going to do 2 batches of grain and lme tonight son I can run them both next Sunday twice so shud end up with a few litres of some half decent stuff, cheers bud, take care