Un-plated Pot Still

[Westshine]

I have a new 4" x 4 plate column with 100L boiler, I think I've ironed out the kinks enough now to produce a reasonable neutral. I'm stock piling it now until I get about 30L x 92% ABV, then will water down to 40% and put back in the boiler about. 70L in the boiler should be enough to keep the heating element covered by the time I finish.

I'm planning on doing a gin run, London dry style. Putting my botanicals into a cloth bag, soaking for 24hr. Taking the plates out of the still and not running the RC. Just use the column like a pot still and controlling by varying the power to one element (only need one element when its up to temp).

Are there any lessons learned doing this? Will the glass panes cause any problems? Do I need to remove the RC section or just not run water through it?

Thanks in advance.

[hillzabilly]

Have ya read thru http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=6277 for some extra info.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Cheersbigears]

If you are worried about the elements, when I started. I fill the boiler with water only at least 50mm over the elements measuring as I go. Than pour in what ever, making sure the calculations were correct on the way up. So it was never over 35% too start and I still dont go over 35% but that's just me. My boiler is 90Lt and it's just over 30 Lts of alcohol to do a full run. I done it once and never again 90lts of 35% wash was about 14-15 hours as I was running it slow at 1.8-2lts an hour. I had it set up as a neutralizer but if you take the plates out i would take the tees out as well. Than you could run it cooler again so less power. No use heating the tees up if nothing is in there is the way I see it. I have never done a gin so....yeah think about the full charge at 40% just on the time.

[Westshine]

Thanks Cheersbigears, I hadn't thought about the time factor will have to be an all day event. I don't have a replacement for the tees just yet so will have to leave them in. I could insulate the tees with a blanket to help on power consumption. I imagine all the additional surface area will ad to the passive reflux.

Another question for the bubbler guys, I have 2 elements one about 50mm the other about 200mm from the bottom of the boiler. When the bubbler is up to speed and I turn off one of the elements, which is preferred to keep on, the high or low element?

[rumsponge]

I keep the lower one running and switch off the upper element. Because you dont want to run it dry ...

[woodduck]

As long as you know your elements aren't going to run dry leave them both going for stripping. If your pot stilling a spirit run it will depend on how much power you need, that is of course if you have two different wattages, my guess would be about 2400w with a power controller.

Have you thought about reconfiguring your bubbler to a pot by using the empty packed section as the riser then the 4"-2" reducer then pc? No plates that way.

[Westshine]

I wasn't sure if there was a thermal benefit from using lower or higher element. By my calcs I should be ok using either element with 70ltr @ 40% my average takeoff from experience on other stills is ~70ish% ABV. So should leave enough over either element.

This will be a spirit run, I've been stockpiling TPW and FFV's through the bubbler plates and making cuts. I usually discard the first couple of cups that come off and make a tails cut around 40 - 35% ABV, then run tails down to 20%.

I'm running 2 x 3000w elements with a control box, plenty of power. I like the no plates idea and am toying with the idea of buying a whiskey dome and 4" straight section just for pot runs.

[RC Al]

Elements don't heat very far below them, the heat travels up very quickly. I have read of someone being able to touch the bottom of the boiler with a high placed element