hi from moama

[ott]

Hi guys from moama nsw! Just starting this hobby with plans for a quality product at a good price. Interested in gin, bourbon and Dark Caribbean rum. Got a reflux still in the build at the moment, with a 50Lt keg and pid control with a pt100 rtd for heat control. and you guys have already sold me on a tpw instead of turbo yeast. Gonna put on a wash tonight so it has plenty of time to be done before I try to distill it. First question, and I did search, do the fermenters need to be sanitized before making the wash and pitching the yeast? Just planning on making some neutral for a start then hopefully a proper gin with a pot still and a ujsm to follow! Pictures when I have them cheers!

[BackyardBrewer]

Welcome mate, you won't be making any of the products you like to drink with a reflux ;-)

Look forward to the pix.

[Kimbo]

Hi ott,
welcome to the forum.
and yes, your fermenters do need to be sterilized :handgestures-thumbupleft: .

[ott]

Yeah the research part wasn't done very well at the start, welded it up before I found the forum and was just going off what mates told me, who are all doing rocket fuel with essences.that's ok, I'll just build another! What do you guys use to sanitize? Also just realised the pod control isn't used by you guys, is this because putting Power on and off the element instead of constantly affects the distillation?

[BackyardBrewer]

You want constant stable heat, not on and off. You can use generic home brand napisan to sterilise or I use the no rinse brewery sanitiser StarSan. You can get it at most home brew shops: http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=933

It will last you a lifetime. Hundreds of uses in a litre of this stuff. Plus you don't have to rinse!

[crow]

Welcome here bud yep you get a reflux and pot still happening and you'll have it all covered . A lot of ppl sanitise fermenters and that's dandy. I haven't done that since I made beer last yrs ago. Mine get hot water swished around and a hose out and that's if I'm changing washes but sterilising is probably better :ugeek:

[Dominator]

I am the same crow. I wash my fermenters with napisan and warm water then rinse with clean water and they are good to go. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Oh and welcome mate.

[tipsy]

G'day :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Sam.]

Welcome aboard mate, sounds like you have a plan to work to :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Bushy]

Hey ott, :greetings-waveyellow:
Welcome aboard mate. Good luck with it all. You will make some nice neutral with yr build. Then once the bugs bitten you can make a pot still and then yr talkin.
Re the sanitizing fermenters. It's not like beer in that if a stray hair drops in yr brew you get fungus. The spirit wash is a lot more forgiving due to the higher alcs. Personally have not sterilized a spirit fermenter. Hose out the gunk, scrub the gunk if you have to then away you go again. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Enjoy

[MacStill]

yeah I just hose em out then throw a jar of heads in and splash it about, tip it out and let it dry.... very rarely do I get a fermentation problem :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[ott]

Cheers guys sterilized anyway and put on 100l of tpw it's bubbling away like a champ. Temp is sitting round 18c though is this a bit low? Tried to put a pic up of still progress but can't resize on phone. Anyway I'm going the psr 25 route for control now, is one 3600 w gonna cut it for the 50 l keg? Or if I want to add a pot still later, and use for quick stripping runs,will I want more heat? Easier to build a dual setup with 2 relays now is all, cause I'm building it all modular with A 6 inch union on the keg for future upgrades

[SBB]

18c is a bit on the cool side, its gunna be slow at that, 28-30c would be better. I wouldn't panic about it though.

[Bushy]

3600w will be plenty. You will need that controller. You can run a bubbler with 2400.

[Dominator]

3600W will be fine, obviously more will give you quicker heat up times and will strip faster but it will cost more to set up. A 4" bubbler will run on about 2400w and I believe a 6" will run on around 3600w. You will only ever need one controller/relay. Even if you have two elements, say you have two 2400w elements, you can have one element on and adjust between 0 and 2400w, if you want more heat, you turn the second element on and adjust the first one, that way you have between 2400 and 4800w.

[MacStill]

I think 3600 would be the lower limit for a 6" plate still, you certainly wont be getting the most from it with that, I'd recommend 4800w or even 6000w with 2400w on a controller like mine.

But the rest of your post Dominator is spot on :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Dominator]

No worries mac, don't really have much experience with 6" bubblers, haha.