A question about cuts..

[DairyStu]

So im considering making a move to a thump keg, worm box at the end of my still rather than the inline condenser as its a bit naff frankly, however if im a bit concerned about doing this and have a couple of questions:

As i only have a heating element (which i cant adjust power to) will this mean ill lose control of the evaporating alcohol temperature and make it difficult to make cuts? Or am i right in thinking that as different stuff evaporates at different temperatures ill still be able to make the cuts?

Also, with this setup i'm guessing its not possible to 'slow down' the still to bring up the alcohol content? I hear a lot of talk of 'run it hard and fast' during a stripping run and 'slow' on a distilling run but i cant see how i can do that here.

Sorry, lots of questions, i'm off to town tomorrow to start buying kit to make the build so i was hoping for a bit of guidance first!

Cheers

[Andy]

pot stills are known to "smear" meaning that some heads are throughout the run, some tails are throughout the run.

that being said, i would suspect that a large portion of forum members do not have controllers on their pots, me being one of them. it just makes cuts a bit harder, there is not a real HERE is where the hearts start, and right here is where tails start. they sort of just start showing up (if is different depending on what you make).

i have found it easier on large runs- when you have saved up 40L of low wines and run through, compared to a 40L dwwg recipe or something else that you can single run.

without power control there is no real effective way to speed up or slow down runs- unless you have 2 elements in the boiler and can run them separately.

[SBB]

Andy is pretty right on this ....there is no clear cut off point between fractions with a pot. The different fractions do tend to smear into each other a bit. Heads will have a tiny bit of Fores in it, Hearts will have a little bit of Fores in it and so forth. Its not a distinct cut off point. The percentage of each fraction just increases or diminishes as the run goes on. Bubblers and Reflux stills are a bit more precise in that regard. If you have a look at the diagrams in "Kiwi's Guide To Cuts" in the beginners section you will get a good idea of what I mean.
Ive not had a lot of experience with Pots, nor have i ever run a Thumper, but my understanding of them is that they should define the cuts better if anything, regardless of you chosen heat input.

[bt1]

Nothing lame about an inline condenser? Easy to build far less lag for cuts that a coil, reduced hassles and bulk.

A power controller would definitely help matters, if it's quality your chasing this is where I'd be investing time....

bt1