Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Professor Green wrote:You said you're doing a cleaning run, are you running a sacrificial wash or vinegar? If you're running vinegar I'm not sure you'll get it to fully reflux.

Cheers,
Prof,Green.

:text-+1:
We didn't... vinegar runs very different to sea and other runs!!

Also make sure you have the rc plumbed up properly, water in at the bottom and hot water out from the top.

Thank you for the replies. The wash is heads and tails at 40%. The plumbing is all good going in the bottom and out the top. I am thinking the issue might be where I am getting the water. I get it from a fish pond and cycle it through that. It is a very big fish pond but water is cool not cold. With these hot days maybe it is all just a bit much. I know it was about 45 in the shed at the time.

Have you checked that you don't have any blockages in your plumbing that could be restricting the flow of water?
What sort of pump are you using?
How far away from the still is the pond?

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

Professor Green wrote:Have you checked that you don't have any blockages in your plumbing that could be restricting the flow of water?
What sort of pump are you using?
How far away from the still is the pond?

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

:text-+1: and how big is your pump? is pond in full sun?

Thanks again for the replies. Deafently no blockages. Pump is a large submersible one with a 19mm hose to the still and then branches into two one for the rc and one for pc. I am not stressed it is so close to full reflux I am sure in cooler weather it will be.
I will post video of setup.

Those submersible pumps generally have a limitation on how how high and how far they can pump, it could be that it just can't push the water at the rate you need it to where you need it.

The pond being in full sun might have a bearing I supposed, depends on how big it is.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

So you can see flow. On the Rv the gate is on out flow.
And of course this is only water as it would be wrong to do anything else. :naughty: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

looks good. as mentioned by others before the intake temperature may be an issue, but if the fish in your pond are happy, its probably not too bad. i personally have run from a recirculating tank anywhere between 25-35 C and it was fine for refluxing (similar flow rates). how much heating power do you use when refluxing ?

Thanks for the reply.
I am running 2400w on bottom element. I am thinking I might put a bit of copper mesh in the rc holes.
Failing that I will build a power controler.

sounds like a good idea. 2400W could be too much (I assume you are running a 50L boiler) and may overpower the RC. I normally reflux at 1000-1500 W after boiling (50L insulated boiler and voltage controller).
cheers, RS

I have the same still as you recirculating through water tanks

Hagrid wrote:I am not stressed it is so close to full reflux I am sure in cooler weather it will be.

Before I had my controller and in summer my still wouldn't hold full reflux at 2400w.
but it was always just the fores that come off then full reflux.

So i have stuffed some ss scrubbers into the holes and that seems to of done the trick.
Thank you all for the support. I think i might make my next project a controller. As my brew room is near complete all i have to do is clean up.
Thanks again all.

Hagrid wrote:So i have stuffed some ss scrubbers into the holes and that seems to of done the trick.
Thank you all for the support. I think i might make my next project a controller. As my brew room is near complete all i have to do is clean up.
Thanks again all.

Just going back over your posts, you mention 2400W heating element, do you only have/use 1?

I run 2 x 2400W heating elements in our 50 Keg boiler, I use both to get it to the boil then with the top one off and use only 1 to keep the temp up. My control comes from RC control... and we have no issues dealing with the 2400W element!
I am using a 300mm RC... and one element wont overpower it IF we have cool water, which, in summer, can be an issue... 45-55 degree summer temps... :obscene-drinkingchug:

I am using a 300mm RC

I am certain the Mac 4 SSG doesnt come standard with a 300mm RC, more like 150-200mm, so everything else being the same (# of inner tubes, coolant flow, etc ), Hagrid's RC will have lower knockdown power than yours.
cheers, RS

Can you tell me the name of the braided hose manufacturer? They make an excellent looking set up. Not sure you can buy them in the USA

Thanks for your help

Mike

They are just a braided hose found in our "big box" hardware store, in the bathroom plumbing section.
They come in assorted lenghts.

Hi,
I have all the pieces for the FSd eliminator cooling system.I have the power circuit run today -30 amp - twin 15 amp power points. i have the sac wash and the 2 x 25l TPW one younger than the other. My first born Turbo wash is clear as clear as it is over 4 weeks old but smells a little different from the TPW.

Just need the FSD Eliminator to arrive.

How much will the condensors to stay in reflux on one 2,4kw element? I am thinking of just using watering system while early days.

So tap water in to keep the return water from the condensors with a little back pressure to ensure condensors stay full and supply from the bottom of condensors.

Is this correct?

The water should never STOP going through completely, ever, should it. Just adjusting the supply valves on CC and PC.as per Macs Bubble operating thread.

and run full water while cooling down.?

Yurugaboy wrote:How much will the condensors to stay in reflux on one 2,4kw element? I am thinking of just using watering system while early days.

Your PC should knock down everything with 2.4kw though depending on water temp I sometime have the fores get through

Yurugaboy wrote:So tap water in to keep the return water from the condensors with a little back pressure to ensure condensors stay full and supply from the bottom of condensors.
Is this correct?

Yes from the bottom

Yurugaboy wrote:The water should never STOP going through completely, ever, should it. Just adjusting the supply valves on CC and PC.as per Macs Bubble operating thread.

Water should ALWAYS be running through your product condenser, you can turn off your reflux condenser and you will be running like a pot.
I do this when stripping

What a score :happy-partydance: I have been looking at a cooling system for a while now. The house has a rain tank same as the last one but it had a 18-1900w pump so I thought this would be similar I was about to get 600w pump from Bunnings tomorrow after this run but in between cuts had a look and it's a 0.37 NW4066 pump smaller but a better pump than I was going to get so in the next cut I changed the hose over to the other side of the house. Now I have a cooling system just need a flow meter in the system so I can see it's still pumping. If no wind I can hear the pump. I will save some money until I wear this one out than get a pump so landlord is not replacing them :laughing-rolling: