Keggomax CM reflux

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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WalterWhite » Sun Oct 18, 2015 12:05 pm

I have made some improvements to the keggomax CM.
Firstly I have added a 510mm packed section.
Secondly I have added a power controller.
This is the result ....
image.jpg

A shout out to Rowey for making me the parrot!! :text-thankyoublue:
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby Rowey » Sun Oct 18, 2015 2:57 pm

Good stuff Benny!!
You have got yourself a good set up there. You will be building yourself a bubbler in no time !
Start picking up pieces here and there because you will need them in the future.

How is the parrot performing for ya?
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WalterWhite » Sun Oct 18, 2015 3:52 pm

At 1.5L/hr it works a treat mate!! So much easier than measuring each jar and its looks cool seeing how good that shit is coming out in real time :dance:
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby ISOTHERMICRAY » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:37 pm

Hi Ben
Good to see you have had success with your Keggomax
I also have one of these
This morning I started a strip run with just the pc running
I noticed the temp gauge in the top of the column was reading the 85 deg C
I finished this run at 70%
Just to see if the temps would come down I piped up the still as per instructions that came with it
Fired the boiler up, turned on the water at 50 deg C .
Took off the 200ml foreshots
Again the temp went way past the stated 78 Deg C and still climbed up to 83 Deg C
This time the run finished 85%
Did you have these temps at the top of the still ?
Have a good day

Ray
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby hoochlover » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:18 pm

Nearly 96% that's pretty good Benny. Have you tasted this latest batch yet?
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WalterWhite » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:21 pm

Hi Ray,
That is perfectly normal with a stripping run.
As you progress though the run the temp will steadily climb and you will be in the 90's by the end.
Just make sure you are putting sufficient flow of cooling water in to the PC to convert all of the vapour back. When I am stripping I do not connect hoses to the RC, I collect at about 5L/hr right down to about 25%.
Glad you are doing stripping runs mate, you're obviously on the right track :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WalterWhite » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:26 pm

Hey hooch.
Did my cuts earlier today ...
2.4L of heads ... 5.1L of hearts and 2.6L of tails. I stripped hard as soon as I detected tails and shut the still off at about 50% as not fussed collecting below that on a spirit run.
The product is by far the most neutral I have smelled or tasted. The majority of the hearts has no smell at all and only a slight vodka taste but has a nice burn going down the throat :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby hoochlover » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:51 pm

BennyHiggo wrote:Hey hooch.
Did my cuts earlier today ...
2.4L of heads ... 5.1L of hearts and 2.6L of tails. I stripped hard as soon as I detected tails and shut the still off at about 50% as not fussed collecting below that on a spirit run.
The product is by far the most neutral I have smelled or tasted. The majority of the hearts has no smell at all and only a slight vodka taste but has a nice burn going down the throat :handgestures-thumbupleft:


When you say it has no smell do you mean besides the usual alcohol "Punch in the face" you get? Even stuff I was reading at 96% on my second run , right in the middle of the run, has just that alcoholic kick to it. It's not really a smell more like a reaction. I don't really know how to describe that "smell" than just say it smells like alcohol. Burning all my nose hairs off or something. ;) Maybe that just means my hearts is smeared with something if you literally can't smell anything when it's pure, like distilled water? I'm pretty new to sniffing near pure alcohol in case you can't tell.

I mixed one of my copper still "near tails" batches the other day and even though it wasn't cloudy it went cloudy mixed with water. It actually smells worse in water, not sure how that is possible. Smelt pretty decent full strength, but I knew it had some tails in it due to where it came out on the run and it had a slight hint of it. I'm trying charcoal filtering for the first time on that to see if it can salvage it. But my hearts on my 4th run when mixed down smell exactly like Absolut which I don't think is the purest of the pure but it's pretty decent. It'll be interesting to see what the 1M packed section can do.
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WalterWhite » Tue Oct 20, 2015 7:02 pm

I'm new as well mate. I find the tails smell is far more obvious when you dilute.
That kick in the face smell .... I associate that with heads. I suppose there is some initial smell to my hearts but after a 'swish' I would say it disappears.
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby hoochlover » Tue Oct 20, 2015 7:24 pm

BennyHiggo wrote:I'm new as well mate. I find the tails smell is far more obvious when you dilute.
That kick in the face smell .... I associate that with heads. I suppose there is some initial smell to my hearts but after a 'swish' I would say it disappears.


Yeah heads has a "I don't want to sniff that ever again" , usually acetone type smell. My hearts smell nothing like that, but it's got a kick to it more than smelling water does for instance. Maybe my copper still is just smearing heads and tails all over the place, guess I'll wait and see. I thought heads and tails was very easy for me to determine but you probably need a fair amount of experience to know it. It's kinda funny to think about some distillers tasting their spirit like those wine guys do. Rinsing it around their mouth, big inhalations. Yeahhhh, "what did you get up to on the weekend" - "just sniffing alcohol a lot".
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby ISOTHERMICRAY » Tue Oct 20, 2015 7:55 pm

Ok Ben thanks for the reply
Have just finished my power controller
May be this will help in slowing down the temp climbs and improve the product % ABV
I have about 7 Lt low wines for a spirit run.
Will revert back to separate controls on the RC and PC water flows
Done my practice cuts while doing the strip run,
Jars 1 through to 20 have very noticeable changes in smell.
Thanks for the confirmation on the temps
Its just that when you do it the fist time you second guess on what your told and what actually happens

Thanks again
Great site Great people on it :text-thankyoublue:
Ray
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WalterWhite » Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:05 pm

Mate any 'instructions' can probably be discounted.
No need for power control, reflux or packing on the strip run just strip hard and fast. Don't worry about the ABV rates too much either. The strip run is for just that ... Stripping.
Get enough low wines saved up to dilute to 40% and then do a nice slow spirit run. The cuts will then be far more obvious.
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby ISOTHERMICRAY » Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:23 pm

Doing the spirit run this week end
Will post the results
Have a good night

Ray :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby ISOTHERMICRAY » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:37 pm

Hi Guys
Pulled 5 rolls of stainless steel wool out of the column but left the copper wool in place
I the poured 500 grams of ceramic next to the copper wool and replaced the S/S wool don't know if this will improve things with more surface area to help refluxing
Started the boiler at 9.00
Fore shots into the jar at 9.50
Piped up the P/C and R/C separate
Installed a temp probe in the reflux outlet cooling water and controlled this temp at 50 Deg C
Got 93% at the start of the spirit run and stoped at 50%
Had the power down to 50% on the dial, would not have a clue what that is in amps but the run took me 4.5 hrs at a quick drip in the collection jar
May be to slow

2X 450 ml jars of definite heads
20 X 200ml jars of spirit
All on the window sill with the lids off
Will try the sniff test tomorrow to sort out the keepers
Next on the list is a parrot
Have a good night
Ray :-D
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby WTDist » Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:04 pm

think i saw somewhere amps is watts/volts so 2400W/240V=10A but dont take my word for it
i assume a T500 is 8.33A being 2000W/240V
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Re: Keggomax CM reflux

Postby poompy » Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:30 pm

Voltage (V) = Current (I) x Resistance (R)
Power (Watts W) = Voltage(V) x Current(I)

So the t500 running at 2000w would be pulling 8.33A since 2000/240=8.33..... ( thats if u are getting 240 and not 230)

So you are definitely right mate :D
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