Flow Rate

[Shaun]

Sorry for all the questions, i setup and dtarted heating the still, i had water running, when i started getting a drop it just stayed a drip, i have a valve on the back just below the RC it was fully open, when i closed it off just a bit i started getting the normal flow, drip drip sqirt.

Would you say this is like controlling the amount of reflux i get with this valve?

[bluc]

Pot still water should be on full always. If you cut back water flow till liquid stops it means vapour is escaping into your shed = very bad :violence-stickwhack:

You adjust flow out a pot still with power to boiler not water flow :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Do you still have a pot still? Was looking at your sig or have you upgraded? If you have a pot still you dont have a rc you have a pc..

[Shaun]

No, this a reflux, home built, i bought this as is but have now ungraded the cooling to the drums.

[Shaun]

I am also only collecting at 85% abv the first run i did last week it was 93% with out this drama, hmmm, the only real difference is column packing, last week i had SS scrubbers top and bottom with glass balls in between, this week i have copper wool all the way up to condensor and some SS scrubbers the rest of the way.

[bluc]

Not sure of that design is it cm? I would have the rc and pc on seperate water loops so the rc can be controlled seperatly. someone more experienced with reflux still could prob help more then me..

[db1979]

Separate plumbing is probably not an issue unless you want the product to be at 20 degrees.

Could it be that the packing has voids? That is, it isn't packed properly. Could explain why you're not getting higher abv. Someone else with more experience of reflux columns might give better input, my experience is pretty much just on bubblers, with some recent experience with packed sections.

[Shaun]

I have a feeling it is the packing as i doubt changing my water system from one drum to 2 would make a difference apart from keeping the water cooler longer.

[bluc]

Which should push abv higher not lower must be packing..

[db1979]

Which should push abv higher not lower must be packing..

:text-+1:

[Shaun]

I repacked and now i am getting about 91% with a flow rate of about of about 100ml every 5.5 minutes, much better than yesterday.

Is 91% ok? I am guessing it is fine as a pot still would produce much less.

[db1979]

Is it temp corrected?

[Shaun]

No, i ad surprised it is pretty cool at only about 12oC

[db1979]

How did it get that cool in north Brisbane at this time of year? If that really is the temperature and your alcometer is accurate (not out of calibration) then your product is about 93.4 %. Which is good for a short reflux still.
Next thing is to check your alcometer, put it in tap water at 20 degrees and if it doesn't read 0 then any reading you get is unreliable.

[Shaun]

Forget the temp, just notice the glass on thermometer is cracked, lol, i will have to get another one, feels cool deffinetly below 30oC