The Backyard Bubbler run #1

[BackyardBrewer]

Well this morning was the first run of the 5 plate bubbler. I got very lucky with about 45 litres of fig wash that needed minimum filtering thanks to having sat so long it had cleared up to an almost clear wine-like consistency. I sacrificed a good 5 litres out of each fermenter because I couldn't be arsed filtering it given how clear the top 3/4 of the wash was.

So I fired up my 2 x 2400 w elements (without a controller - pay attention this part is important in what happened next). It hit temp very quickly, a bit less than 45 minutes and it was pumping...actually pumping a little too much! With a copy of Mac's instructions on the Easy Way to run a bubbler in hand I was starting to panic when without having closed the reflux condenser valve at all I had product pissing out of the still into my collection jug :scared-eek: ~x( .

Mac had generously said "if you need help call me"...well I wasn't going to need help - I have had a reflux still for almost 13 months now. Surely I wouldn't need help? With barely a year under my belt surely I was a guru expert? :oops: Wasn't I? Yeah.. no. Not so much. :wtf: I realised I had no idea what was going on :angry-banghead: so I sucked it up and called Mac... (who took a call on Good Friday by the way, I better get him something good for the Xmas stocking eh?)

Within about 25 seconds he'd put his finger on the problem...Too much heat. I powered one element off and waited for the plates to load...but no...now not ENOUGH heat. :crying-blue: So with no gas available and either too much heat or not enough Backyard Bubbler Run #1 was no longer a bubbler run. Thank good god almighty I didn't waste the apricot wash I have sitting in cubes still.

I was crushed. "What can I do? Can I just ramp up the water flow?? Or maybe alternate with 2 elements on and off?" Mac (again) hit the nail on the head and said "well you can keep guessing at what you might do or I can tell you what you have to do". :violence-stickwhack:

His wise advice was "this is now a pot still run. treat it as a strip, but run one element, go low and slow and aim for some good hearts maybe".

Run #1 has just wrapped up and it was humbling and made me realise that compared to the experts in our midst I had one skill set with brewing and a fledgling skill set with one kind of still and one kind of spirit run. Talk about a learning curve!

So I learned a lot about the still today. The whole way through the product coming out smelt like rubbish. Might be the methanol from the fruit, might be that figs are truly awful as many seem to think or it might be that they just need a spirit run.

I tinkered with the water flow from the garden tap going in, I tinkered with the reflux valve, and I even fired up the other element again. (I did NOT touch the product condensor valve from the half way on/off position though - Mac was very clear not to touch that and given his expertise it was going to be a cold day in hell before I did!)

What was awesome was that at this point after about an hour of run time when I decided to put two elements on again it actually started to look kind of like a bubbler. The top plate was seriously close to flooded, but the 2nd and 3rd plates down actually looked like bubblers. The 4th plate had a few splutters, but poor old plate #5 had nothing. Temps were obviously very uneven in the column but I knew this run wasn't ever going to be drinkable without more processing, so why not have a play and get to know the new still? I found the barest nudge of the reflux valve made big difference in column temp and in output. No wonder the advice is not to mess with it until you turn it off completely near the end of the run.

So the plusses:
I really got to know the still well, it was as simple as Mac had written it up. If I could have controlled the temp then this run would have been pretty close to flawless.
I got a little lesson in humility that my experience to date is barely a drop in the ocean. I also loved playing with this as a toy and not stressing about the end product too much. That took a lot of pressure off that I could say "Ahh well...ya lives and ya learns"!

The minuses:
The fig wash - I'm still not 100% certain will make a great drink no matter what still it goes through- more to post in the Fig thread on that later, but as a cheap source of sugar (free from my backyard) maybe it will make a good neutral if all else fails.
Cork gaskets on sight glasses. There are two small but annoying leaks on two of the sight glasses. These will have to go and be replaced by silicon at some point.
The need for a parrot. Not being able to see a real time ABV was annoying and would also have been really useful. Temp was not so useful as a guide like it is in an Ultra or a t500.

Another big thank you to Mac ^:)^ for his charitable, wise and invaluable advice and to Mr-E for this astonishingly beautiful piece of copper.

Sorry for the wall of text, I hope it gives some of you some entertainment. I really needed to vent and to say :text-thankyoublue: to Mac and Mr-E and Sam and Empty for their contributions to this rig.

In closing - what else could have gone wrong today? Well having to measure ABV constantly by hand with no parrot I have smashed what I think is my 11th alcometer...That's almost one a month since I started stilling last year!

[Sam.]

Sounds like you had a great learning experience there, but one thing....there was only one picture and it was a broken piece!

WHERE'S THE PICS!!!!!

[BackyardBrewer]

Sounds like you had a great learning experience there, but one thing....there was only one picture and it was a broken piece!

WHERE'S THE PICS!!!!!

Yeah it was all so fraught I took no pix until my "how's your luck?" moment at the end. This is the copper just before it all got set up with hoses:

[1 2many]

Good read mate , sounded like an ineresting arvo but the Plus side is on the next run you will be better prepared from the learning of that experience .Maybe Macstill should stock the alcho meters ,every one seems to bust em up :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[BackyardBrewer]

Thanks 1 2many. You know what? It really was both interesting and whilst stressful to start with I got a lot out of the process of sucking on many levels. Whilst this was a right off I do feel the bubbler is a step away from awesome as a unit.

I don't think it will get better gradually, after this run I'm aiming for damn near perfect next run....or..maybe the run after that? ;-) well definitely the run after that...surely?
:-)

[Linny]

I think you will ,,, Im only on my third run on it ,,, and i think ive nearly got it down pact... can i ask why use the figs on your first run ??? why not a cheap sacrifical like TPW ?

[BackyardBrewer]

Hi Linny, two reasons. I only have about 26L of TPW and I wanted the keg close to full. MR-E's advice was don't run it under 80% full.

As I've been waiting until I had all my ducks lined up to run this I have 7 fermenters full, 4 racking cubes full and nothing to batch up another TPW.

Secondly have ya seen my fig tree brother? :-)

That thing shits fantastic high sugar delish figs from late Jan until mid April. I have literally TONNES of them at almost no effort other than picking them up. No fertiliser no water no bother.

Wish I got that yield off my pears or apricots!

[Linny]

Ahh i see,,,,

[Sam.]

Looks awesome mate!

Don't worry you will be smashing out some awesome cot juice real soon!

[MacStill]

Yeah pretty obvious that the perfs in your rig are going to like a little more heat to keep the liquid on the plates, I doubt it would be much more than 2400w & possibly not even 3000w so you're going to need a controller to get the best out of your rig.

Finding that sweet spot with the reflux and heat input is probably the most important part of every run, it'll change every time too with different ABV wash, ambient temps of your coolant supply etc etc.

Once you've nailed it the first time everything becomes obvious & you'll be saying how easy these rigs are to run.

Playing with the valve on the PC depending how your rig is plumbed can interfere with the pressure feeding the RC, that's why I recommend all noobs with these rigs dont touch the coolant on the PC and even suggest removing the valve from it so it just acts as a relief line when you fiddle with the RC.

Oh did I mention I never have any of these dramas with bubble cap plates retaining a liquid pool ? hmmmmm :-p :wave: :whistle:

[googe]

Good stuff mate, was wondering what happened to your bubbler, hadn't heard anything about it :shock: . Wise idea doing something shit for your first run and having a play :smile: . I'm sure.it won't take you long to get the hang of it :handgestures-thumbupleft: . Good luck with the next run.

[BackyardBrewer]

Oh did I mention I never have any of these dramas with bubble cap plates retaining a liquid pool ? hmmmmm :-p :wave: :whistle:

Indeed you did! Perf plates would seem slower but easier to make if you have patience and a drill press but I can't imagine they'll ever beat a bubble cap for avoiding bypass and for faster loading of the plates.

[SBB]

BB im just wondering how tight you got those plates in the column, could it be they are a bit loose??

[BackyardBrewer]

Good question SBB. I suspect they are tight, but would have to check with MR-E - he's been running this rig for quite a while so the plates is not my first worry.

[SBB]

Ok no Problem, was just wondering.

[emptyglass]

I agree with Mac, you are going to want more than 2400w, but not much more.
You could possibly get away with 3600w, but its going to run hard. Just saying, as you may be able to swap one of your elements for a 3600watt as a stop gap till you get a controller.

Then you'll see the magic of perf plates when it just stops at the tails. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Well done on the first run BB, the first of many.

[BackyardBrewer]

I agree with Mac, you are going to want more than 2400w, but not much more.
You could possibly get away with 3600w, but its going to run hard. Just saying, as you may be able to swap one of your elements for a 3600watt as a stop gap till you get a controller.

Then you'll see the magic of perf plates when it just stops at the tails. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Well done on the first run BB, the first of many.

Thanks empty. It was amazing seeing plates load and bubble and deliver spirit just like in your videos. As you watch it refluxing and redistlling and rising and falling its almost hypnotic. You really appreciate the journey the spirit takes.

Many times I nodded and went "oh that's good!".

[emptyglass]

I've tasted some fig rakia. I wouldn't blame the still for it tasting bad.

[BackyardBrewer]

I've tasted some fig rakia. I wouldn't blame the still for it tasting bad.

Yeah I can't quite place it. Far earthier than any grappa I've had - and I've had some rotgut grappa from my Italian neighbour so I do suspect that while it delivers high sugar wash that maybe it's better as jam than wine!

[MacStill]

Then you'll see the magic of perf plates when it just stops at the tails. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Caps do the same thing pretty much ;-)