The Heart of Gold

[woodduck]

Congrats on the build mate, she is an absolute ripper. Love the sight glasses. It must be good to finally have that bubbler you've always dreamed of.

Sounds like the first run went well. Just a observation, I recon you should be able to pull a little higher abv than that. Was that the % you were aiming for? How fast was your output?

[Zak Griffin]

Cheers woody :handgestures-thumbupleft:

After the run I worked out that my wash had only fermented to about 7% (it stalled at about 1020 and I run it anyway)

Not sure about takeoff rate either, ill time it next run.

Definitely room for improvement but it's only the first run. Didn't want to fuck with it too much to give me some sort of baseline.

[woodduck]

Yer nah that's all good just checking. I've been playing around with mine and now find I'm taking off at around 3ltr per hour at 93-94%. I've also found that as soon as the alcometer moves my run is done and I strip the rest. There just a few things I've found, might give you an idea of what to look for but all rigs are different I guess.

Have fun with finding her sweet spot. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Zak Griffin]

How much power are you throwing at it? I've only got 2400W to play with...

My gen 2 CFW will be ready to roll next weekend, I'll play some More then :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[woodduck]

Ahh yer that might be the difference. I run 3600 minimum nowdays but when I did run just the 2400 I was pulling 94% at 2.5 lph so you should be able too aswell. It's all about trial and error and finding what works on your rig.

[hillzabilly]

Was just thinkin about were ya collection height is,when I helped set up my bro's still it was at about the same height as yours wich was a bit aukward,as we are both 6ft plus tall ,so we made up a 18mm plywood box ta sit the boiler on ,with the height measurements being so that the parrot was at the right height ta suit his bench,made it easier to observe sight glasses and manage the still as well,and when he does neutral with a packed section the box is removed .cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Zak Griffin]

Good plan Billy, I'm 191cm myself so a bit more height would be good. Once I get my carter head done I'll probably leave it on at all times, which adds 300mm to the collection height.

I might knock something up tomorrow to lift it a bit.

[1 2many]

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BUBBLES!

:happy-partydance: :music-deathmetal: :happy-partydance:

Just a vinegar run this arvo. No leaks, except a little crack in the solder on the PC, and the drain valve still leaks.

I need to sort the cooling lines out properly, just couldn't wait today :O)

Dude you finaly did it and top job, :music-deathmetal:

[RuddyCrazy]

Eh Zac if you need some copper just let me know as I now have a workmate who works with copper.

Cheers Bryan

[Zak Griffin]

Picked up a 1/4" SS ball valve the other day for the carter head drain :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Just need to drill a hole and solder it onto the bottom of the sightglass, glue the rest of the pieces together and the carter head is done!

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[Professor Green]

Top notch Zak. That's going to look fantastic when in-situ.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

[Lowie]

Hey Zak,
Any reason you blokes put a small section between the Tee and the keg connection? Why can't you connect the first Tee to the keg (if you had a 4" tri clamp ferule welded to the keg like I have)?

[Zak Griffin]

No real reason mate, if I didn't already have the 3" ferrule on my keg and a spare 3"-4" reducer I would've gone 4" on the keg and the first plate straight on.

[Bobsyauncle]

I definitely need another element, she's pretty slow to warm up on one...

Nice work Zak. Looks the goods too!

How long did she take to heat up 45L?

[Zak Griffin]

Cheers.

I didn't time it... too long though.

[Zak Griffin]

Got a bit done on the Infinite Improbability Drive AKA Carter head today

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It almost seals around the glass... better than I was expecting. Will take a bit of tightening up and maybe some thread tape.

[Zak Griffin]

Cracked the shits with a couple of little leaks after the run today, so I pulled the still down for its first clean and rebuild since gettin it running.

Then I accidentally picked up a piece of sandpaper...

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I am NOT pulling the sightglasses apart, because I'm not going to risk stripping any of the copper threads... but I'll clean the tees up as much as I can and give them a squirt of clear :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Professor Green]

Nice! Looking forward to seeing back together and all shiny.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

[copperhead road]

Looks mighty fine Zak you will get a coppersmith statis with work like that, that's if you aren't a full time coppersmith already "sensational job buddy"

I do love the natural patina colour though :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Zak Griffin]

Definitely not a coppersmith mate, just a bloke with a few basic tools and a willingness to have a crack :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Yeah I like the patina look too, but I did say that I was going to clean this one up and I think it deserves to look pretty :O)