pot still mod questions

Pot still design and discussion

pot still mod questions

Postby Fed » Tue May 06, 2014 2:36 pm

Hi all,

this is my pot still, nothing great but works for me. I want to modify it slightly. It's a off the rack job, column is 230mm high and I want to extend it. I use a 1200 watt 25l boiler. The HBS where I bought from told me I am unable to extend the column as the steam would not reach the Lynn arm. Seems dubious to me as during a cleaning run I take the thermometer out and the steam pours out. The column screws onto the lid. I reckon I extend it using a SS column with the same thread on the bottom, use the copper head on top and pack with SS on the bottom and copper on the top. Will this work?

Not sure what I want to do to the Lynn arm yet, but I want to extend it later, baby steps first.

Cheers,
Fed
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Kimbo » Tue May 06, 2014 3:31 pm

Hi Fed, I cant see how extending it will be of any benefit. It would be different if it were a reflux still. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby sp0rk » Tue May 06, 2014 3:40 pm

Also no point in packing it
I'm guessing this is one of the BTE units from Country Brewer?
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby APR » Tue May 06, 2014 4:07 pm

Fed wrote:Hi all,

this is my pot still, nothing great but works for me. I want to modify it slightly.

Cheers,
Fed


I guess the question, Fed, is what do you hope the still will do after modification that it is not doing for you now? Higher purity, faster distillation, better cuts? You might be just as well off to build something from scratch that will do exactly what you feel you want.
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby SBB » Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm

Fed wrote:The HBS where I bought from told me I am unable to extend the column as the steam would not reach the Lynn arm.

Another example of why not to listen to the bloke at the home brew shop, Im sure there is the odd one who may have some idea about distilling, but most of them...... :handgestures-thumbdown:
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Fed » Tue May 06, 2014 6:16 pm

I guess the question, Fed, is what do you hope the still will do after modification that it is not doing for you now? Higher purity, faster distillation, better cuts? You might be just as well off to build something from scratch that will do exactly what you feel you want.


I was hoping for a cleaner spirit, what i've read the higher the column, the more packing the cleaner the spirit which equals less hang overs. As for the Lynn arm, was thinking about a thumper but that may be beyond my abilities. Extending this was basically the easy option. I might just cut it off the Arm and then rebuild from there, that way i don't have re do the join at the lid.
Last edited by Sam. on Tue May 06, 2014 10:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Fixed quote
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Fed » Tue May 06, 2014 6:19 pm

sp0rk wrote:Also no point in packing it
I'm guessing this is one of the BTE units from Country Brewer?


Hi sp0rk, yes bought from the country brewer. Not sure what you mean no point in packing it, i thought al pot/reflux stills required packing
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby SBB » Tue May 06, 2014 6:36 pm

With a rig of that nature you might be better off trying to control the heat input, a possible solution would be some sort of voltage controller, being able to control the power input will let you run slower and that in turn should make the cuts more defined. That in turn should produce a smoother spirit , provided you get your cuts right.

Fed wrote: i thought al pot/reflux stills required packing

Pot stills don't require packing, reflux stills do.

Fed wrote:less hang overs.

Good tight cuts is the way to go here.
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Re: pot still mod questions throwing this thing out

Postby Fed » Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:22 pm

Ok, over the last few weeks I've run three differnt gens of rum using 3l dunder, 5kg sugar, 4l of molasses in a 25l wash. Put 12l of wah in the boiler with olive oil and/or dist conditioner. Each runs pukes. After each run, i have to boilt the head with citric acid to clean it. Can't remember the name but it apears the lynne arm is dirty and produces horrible, foul tasting rum. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: Boiler is 30l with 1200 w elemnt under which does not touch the wash. How do i stop the puking? Will replacing the head with a much taller column, say 500mm with an onion to catch the puke. Really bad still which I would not recommend to anyone. At this point all I am doing is making expensive neutral from it instead of noice rum and drinking hbs mixers instead.

Pretty much done with this bleeding thing, any suggestions?
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Yummyrum » Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:06 pm

You shouldn't have to do a citric acid wash after a puke ...just a rinse with water will clean it out .

Got me beat...1200 watts and only half filling and conditioner ....should not puke at all .

Don't get too hung up on a rum puke though ,its only a stripping run and you will clean it up when you do the spirit Run .
Fresh Pot still Rum always tastes like shit ....guess you are doing Cuts yeah ? ...and oaking it for several months too ?
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Mr Four Square » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:32 pm

Is that boiler a standard T500? The element in one of those is around 1800 watts. That would explain the puking.

I've got the same set up ( T500 boiler with pot and reflux heads) I change heads depending on what spirit I want to make. It took me a year of boil overs and stuff ups before I understood that the boiler was running way too hot. If you have made the same mistake do as SBB suggests and get hold of a controller and all will be well...
:happy-partydance:
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Fed » Wed Nov 26, 2014 5:48 pm

Haven't used this in a while but thought fuck it, but a shiny new one and solve the problem
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Zak Griffin » Wed Nov 26, 2014 5:53 pm

What have you bought? :think:
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Urrazeb » Wed Nov 26, 2014 10:10 pm

An FSD NEUTRALISER!!!

:pray:
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Fed » Thu Nov 27, 2014 6:05 pm

Zak Griffin wrote:What have you bought? :think:

Just waiting on the xmas bonus and then it's one of macs :))
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby 1 2many » Thu Nov 27, 2014 6:11 pm

Fed wrote:
Zak Griffin wrote:What have you bought? :think:

Just waiting on the xmas bonus and then it's one of macs :))


One of Mac's what... :think: give us a hint... :D
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Fed » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:29 am

1 2many wrote:
Fed wrote:
Zak Griffin wrote:What have you bought? :think:

Just waiting on the xmas bonus and then it's one of macs :))


One of Mac's what... :think: give us a hint... :D

Depends on the size of the bonus and if the better half finds out :laughing-rolling:
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby mattcoffs » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:36 am

I have this exact same setup.

Really needs some temp control. The small condenser isn't really enough to cool properly at full power on the T500.

Best thing you can do with the equipment you have is slow it down (by adding an additional power attenuator/regulator - heaps of info on this site and the web) - this will make your cuts much cleaner in itself as there's much less smearing.

Packing the column is not at all useless.

This equipment slowed down & packed actually does quite a good job (for what it is) of adding some refluxing, in fact mine has surprised a couple of long time distillers with how well it refluxes (again, for what it is). Extending the column and packing it out would improve that, but you may find <$50 worth of electronics may also get you to where you want to be.
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby Muppet » Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:16 am

REFLUX: The condensation of vapour into liquid inside a column; the liquid of which is returned down the column to be "reboiled" into vapour once again. As the liquid travels down the column it exchanges heat with the up travelling vapour "boiling out" more volatile vapour, resulting in increasing ethanol purity as the vapour rises in the column. The purest vapour passes to the product condenser for collection as spirit.
This is directly from the glossary of terms here. Without a reflux condenser returning liquid back through the packing a potstill won't create much reflux. It is possible what you are noticing is caused by another reason, ie slowing down the vapour a bit more.
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Re: pot still mod questions

Postby mattcoffs » Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:22 am

Muppet wrote:REFLUX: The condensation of vapour into liquid inside a column; the liquid of which is returned down the column to be "reboiled" into vapour once again. As the liquid travels down the column it exchanges heat with the up travelling vapour "boiling out" more volatile vapour, resulting in increasing ethanol purity as the vapour rises in the column. The purest vapour passes to the product condenser for collection as spirit.
This is directly from the glossary of terms here. Without a reflux condenser returning liquid back through the packing a potstill won't create much reflux. It is possible what you are noticing is caused by another reason, ie slowing down the vapour a bit more.


A mate of mine has a packed column on his pot still made of lab glass.

I have watched it work, and i'm sorry but exactly what you described above happens, without a "reflux condenser."

You can see it, looks kind of like it's raining inside the column.

Might not be as efficient or effective as a dedicated reflux still, and note that I said "for what it is," but i assure you it's there and does make a difference.
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