scythe wrote:Why do you have 78 going to the PC?
It does soud like flooding of the top plate.
But if %ABV tops out and your starting with a wash in the boiler then you have either found the max your still is capable of (unlikely) or you are not running it with enough reflux and at the correct take off rate.
:think:
You don't mention the output rate.
Bubblers need reflux and they need to get to an equilibrium before you start getting output.
How fast you let product come out governs the %ABV.
If you are not getting the %ABV you want at the output you want then you need to add more plates.
What size are your downcomers?
1/2" or 3/4"?
General consensus for bubblers starting with a wash is 2L/Hr, low wines you can acheive higher rates as you have more ethanol to start with in the boiler and it needs less separating from water.
:text-+1: Setting temp at the RC of 78'c does not guarantee the correct amount of reflux,use ya sight glasses to verify the correct reflux,I remember being told to do it 15yrs ago like that ,stills and practical experience have come a long way since then,but a lot of out dated info remains on the intermaweb.Set your power and adjust output speed to between 1.5-2lt /hr,then check ABV,slow down collection to increase ABV,speed up collection to decrease ABV.A pic or two of the set up could be helpful to.The packing could be too loose or tight,I played around with my packing 3-4times befor it hit the 95% mark ,for these stills to function at their best everything needs to be working well,so do not think that its just going ta happen without you having ta fine tune a few details.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft: