Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

That’s better :laughing-rolling:

Ned wrote:

dans.brew wrote:Hey Ned.. sounds like it should be right.
Whats your output at the 85% and is the Abv dropping or sitting at the 85%?
My only thought was whether or not you've got a bit of flooding in your packed section from it being too tight? :think:

Hey Dan, Its was steady at 85%, but after the foreshots I have been able to get it to 90% and its pretty stable at that.

I reckon your right. I might have bumped the 500ml packed section when putting it on after the stripping run.
Output is about 2.5 litres a minute (drip drip dribble) for the foreshots and 2.7 litres for Heads etc (pencil line)

Wow 2.5L/minute! :scared-eek:

All in readiness for my first formal run tomorrow.
I even have my collection point on a pet project. My dad purchased this for more mum when they were dating and no one else wanted it and I thought it still had some life left in it with a bit of love.
I just need to find a lemon to suck on to try and get rid of the smile on my face

Wellsy wrote:I just need to find a lemon to suck on to try and get rid of the smile on my face

Its booze making time! :laughing-rolling:
Wait until your hanging onto your first bottle.. :D

If you think your happy now just wait till you start adding plates and RC and the little baby starts to grow up

Ned wrote:

dans.brew wrote:Hey Ned.. sounds like it should be right.
Whats your output at the 85% and is the Abv dropping or sitting at the 85%?
My only thought was whether or not you've got a bit of flooding in your packed section from it being too tight? :think:

Hey Dan, Its was steady at 85%, but after the foreshots I have been able to get it to 90% and its pretty stable at that.

I reckon your right. I might have bumped the 500ml packed section when putting it on after the stripping run.
Output is about 2.5 litres a minute (drip drip dribble) for the foreshots and 2.7 litres for Heads etc (pencil line)

Glad your getting it sorted.. try slowing down to 2l/hr or below, you might get Abv a touch higher. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

The Stig wrote:If you think your happy now just wait till you start adding plates and RC and the little baby starts to grow up

Let me get a few litres of pot stilling before I do. The upgrade mate.
Sitting here sipping on a Canadian crown so many flavour profiles to experiment with.

Not that I am counting down but it is now only 12 hours until I start my first ever strip run.
Wooohoo

Has Santa been yet ??

What about now, what aBout now

Soon grasshopper :ugeek:

dans.brew wrote:

Ned wrote:

dans.brew wrote:Hey Ned.. sounds like it should be right.
Whats your output at the 85% and is the Abv dropping or sitting at the 85%?
My only thought was whether or not you've got a bit of flooding in your packed section from it being too tight? :think:

Hey Dan, Its was steady at 85%, but after the foreshots I have been able to get it to 90% and its pretty stable at that.

I reckon your right. I might have bumped the 500ml packed section when putting it on after the stripping run.
Output is about 2.5 litres a minute (drip drip dribble) for the foreshots and 2.7 litres for Heads etc (pencil line)

Glad your getting it sorted.. try slowing down to 2l/hr or below, you might get Abv a touch higher. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks Dan
Yeah I did slow it down, but did not make any difference.
Its funny as I have always run at that speed,
6 mins for 250ml cuts (heads) drip drip dribble (2.5)
8 mins for 350ml cuts (Hearts) and pencil line from the parrot and a double pencil line from the RC water outlet. (2.7)
Right from the start got 93%.
I reckon I bumped the packed section and perhaps compressed the scoria a bit much.
I will pull it down and have a captain cook

Ned maybe when you re pack it, put all the scoria at the bottom? this would help you achieve a better temp gradient in the column and it would be one less change of speed for the vapour, which would help with efficiency

I realise your most likely using the mesh as a retainer for the rocks, but i recon it would be worth your time to make that change possible

gawd i need a new keyboard, my r is shot

RC Al wrote:Ned maybe when you re pack it, put all the scoria at the bottom? this would help you achieve a better temp gradient in the column and it would be one less change of speed for the vapour, which would help with efficiency

I realise your most likely using the mesh as a retainer for the rocks, but i recon it would be worth your time to make that change possible

gawd i need a new keyboard, my r is shot

:text-thankyoublue:

Its frustrating as I have never over the past 2 years had an issue reaching 93%
I have just repacked the packed column. Gave the copper mesh a clean and also the scoria.
You cannot really compact the scoria anyway.

Just doing a run using feints at the moment. Still on 85% pencil dribble so about 2.7 which has been okay in the past.

Its also funny that it slowly creeps up to about 88% and in the hearts run yesterday got to 90%
I am controlling my heat and water flow and both are very consistant no flucuations

RC AL Dont need the copper mesh for holding the scoria in.
I have 1kg in the bottom and 500grams in the top.

So your suggesting the scoria at the bottom and the two lots of copper mesh at the top ? Because I still need copper mesh I think and I only have a 4 plater.

I wish it would let me put up a video :sad:

:text-thankyoublue:

The weight of the scoria on the copper packing wouldn't be compressing the packing too much and causing your heartache? :think:

dans.brew wrote:The weight of the scoria on the copper packing wouldn't be compressing the packing too much and causing your heartache? :think:

Don't think so, as the scoria is very light.
Hasn't happened in the last 2 years.
Perhaps the copper packing is coming to the end of its life.
Perhaps its got the virus :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:
Its certainly giving me the sh**'s :text-lol:

I can possibly live with 85%, but its frustrating when I have never had an issue and I haven't changed anything.
I have done TFFV at 11.5% before for a stripping run and than put it through at 25% so even that hasn't changed.

Ned wrote:Perhaps its got the virus :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:
Its certainly giving me the sh**'s :text-lol:

I can possibly live with 85%, but its frustrating when I have never had an issue and I haven't changed anything.

Yeah blame the virus.. it seems to be the cause of all our problems atm, not the pollies. :laughing-rolling:

Yep, put all the copper at the top, it might stay a bit cleaner too

I can get 85% out of my 1" with 4" of scrubbie, try harder :))

dans.brew wrote:

Ned wrote:Perhaps its got the virus :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:
Its certainly giving me the sh**'s :text-lol:

I can possibly live with 85%, but its frustrating when I have never had an issue and I haven't changed anything.

Yeah blame the virus.. it seems to be the cause of all our problems atm, not the pollies. :laughing-rolling:

:text-+1:
Here is a thought. I broke my last Alcometer that I was getting 93% on and got a new one. plus two spares. One spare measures the same. Will test the other one.
Perhaps it was incorrectly give me 93% for the last 2 years ?
I noticed also wattage on the bottom element is down to 2200 watts (2400 watter) I only use the bottom one when doing a spirit run, not sure if this would make any difference,
might try putting the 2nd element on at 25% to see what happens

RC Al wrote:Yep, put all the copper at the top, it might stay a bit cleaner too

I can get 85% out of my 1" with 4" of scrubbie, try harder :))

:text-+1: :laughing-rolling:
I can be very trying at times. :text-lol:
Might try that.

Ned wrote:I noticed also wattage on the bottom element is down to 2200 watts (2400 watter) I only use the bottom one when doing a spirit run, not sure if this would make any difference,
might try putting the 2nd element on at 25% to see what happens

When i first built my bubbler i had trouble with a dropping Abv through a run, much like a pot still.
In the end it came down to not quite enough reflux and in part running it outside in the cold night air. Too much heat was getting lost. Needed more heat.
Now i run a 2400w element flat out and the other partially on with a volt controller.
Perhaps your element isnt doing you any favours here either?

dans.brew wrote:

Ned wrote:I noticed also wattage on the bottom element is down to 2200 watts (2400 watter) I only use the bottom one when doing a spirit run, not sure if this would make any difference,
might try putting the 2nd element on at 25% to see what happens

When i first built my bubbler i had trouble with a dropping Abv through a run, much like a pot still.
In the end it came down to not quite enough reflux and in part running it outside in the cold night air. Too much heat was getting lost. Needed more heat.
Now i run a 2400w element flat out and the other partially on with a volt controller.
Perhaps your element isnt doing you any favours here either?

Hey Dans.brew :text-+1:
Thats also been the train of thought as the element has lost 200 watts in punch, so might try the 2nd element at 25%. Just need to change one thing at a time otherwise you loose track of what the final result is. Couple of things to work on. Can't do much else until "Dan" opens up Victoria.

Ned wrote:

dans.brew wrote:

Ned wrote:I noticed also wattage on the bottom element is down to 2200 watts (2400 watter) I only use the bottom one when doing a spirit run, not sure if this would make any difference,
might try putting the 2nd element on at 25% to see what happens

When i first built my bubbler i had trouble with a dropping Abv through a run, much like a pot still.
In the end it came down to not quite enough reflux and in part running it outside in the cold night air. Too much heat was getting lost. Needed more heat.
Now i run a 2400w element flat out and the other partially on with a volt controller.
Perhaps your element isnt doing you any favours here either?

Hey Dans.brew :text-+1:
Thats also been the train of thought as the element has lost 200 watts in punch, so might try the 2nd element at 25%. Just need to change one thing at a time otherwise you loose track of what the final result is. Couple of things to work on. Can't do much else until "Dan" opens up Victoria.

:angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: 8-} :violence-smack:
Guess what. Looking at my notes. I see I put the 2nd element on when collecting the heads. (Yesterdays Run) Only at 25% and my ABV went from 85% to 90% it stayed at 90% until the tails came
So it is a heating issue.. More heat more reflux ratio and more ABV. Haven't in the past had to use the 2nd element on the heads etc. I think problem solved.