Puffing

[AussieDistiller1989]

I'm doing my first ever cleaning run of my pot still with thumper and
I was wondering I have a feel of air coming out ofmy liebieg with distillet also coming out it
This normal

[AussieDistiller1989]

Forgot to add this is my first cleaning run
It's a rum was and smells great

[Brendan]

If you've got it, throw some copper packing or SS scrubbie up the condenser as far as you can reach :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[AussieDistiller1989]

Cheers mate and would it be alcohol vapor. And I should get the longest build award it's only take me a year and
A half haha

[Urrazeb]

I got this with my pot.. its not alc vapours, just the air being knocked out of the alc vapour.

As Brendan said stiff some stripped leccy wire up there or copper mesh rolled into a tight coil, or you could reduce the flow to the condenser if at all possible, the cooling is too much for the heat input (distillate output)

The condenser needs to be hot to touch at the business end and warm at the boiler end

[AussieDistiller1989]

Yeah the end of my liebieg was stone cold. I'm going to run it all again for another cleaning
And practice run will do it so the condenser is a bit warmer it's I have a flow
Restrictor neare by on it as I'm using water straight from the tap atm as I haunt got my
Pump from my other house yet. Moving house is such a pain lol

As far as I now run went well I opened it up late and notice I puked a bit
Was running it a but hard tho so I washed that off and give it all another go tomorrow

[Urrazeb]

I never noticed a difference in speed nor abv or quality but it gave me the shits, no need gor a re run if all went well except the huffing IMO

[SBB]

I have a feel of air coming out of my liebieg with distillet also coming out it

Aussie the problem you have is what is referred to as "Huffing"
My understanding of it is that it is caused by the alcohol vapors collapsing to fast when they hit the cold condenser.
You will probably find that at the beginning of a run its not so bad or none existent, but as the run progresses it gets worse.
As the others have suggested a small amount of copper mesh or stainless scrubber stuffed up the inner tube of the condenser should help.

The condenser needs to be hot to touch at the business end and warm at the boiler end

Gotta disagree here .....your condenser should be warm to hottish at the top and cool to cold at the bottom. Your trying to get a temperature gradient, so that the vapors don't collapse so suddenly. You can do this pretty easily by playing around with the water flow to the condenser.

[Brendan]

I have a feel of air coming out of my liebieg with distillet also coming out it

Aussie the problem you have is what is referred to as "Huffing"
My understanding of it is that it is caused by the alcohol vapors collapsing to fast when they hit the cold condenser.
You will probably find that at the beginning of a run its not so bad or none existent, but as the run progresses it gets worse.
As the others have suggested a small amount of copper mesh or stainless scrubber stuffed up the inner tube of the condenser should help.

The condenser needs to be hot to touch at the business end and warm at the boiler end

Gotta disagree here .....your condenser should be warm to hottish at the top and cool to cold at the bottom. Your trying to get a temperature gradient, so that the vapors don't collapse so suddenly. You can do this pretty easily by playing around with the water flow to the condenser.

:text-+1: I think that's right about the collapsing vapour where there is too steep of a temperature gradient, want a smooth change down the condenser. But I did have it back in the day on my big Liebig, and the copper mesh sorted it out.

I agree with SBB here, but I know some people run them hot. I've always run my product condensers so they are cool at the output end. Obviously reflux condensers are another story and have to be run very hot!

[AussieDistiller1989]

Cheers lads very help full. Has have yous ever herd of anyone distilling
Hard lemonade before I jeep getting truck loads of lemons dropped off
To me at work so I'm going to make a big batch and keep some as lemonAden
And distill the rest :)

[Urrazeb]

The condenser needs to be hot to touch at the business end and warm at the boiler end

Gotta disagree here .....your condenser should be warm to hottish at the top and cool to cold at the bottom. Your trying to get a temperature gradient, so that the vapors don't collapse so suddenly. You can do this pretty easily by playing around with the water flow to the condenser.

Yeah pretty much what I was trying to say re temp difference from end to end but explained properly 8-}

[spit'n'shine]

I have a feel of air coming out of my liebieg with distillet also coming out it

Aussie the problem you have is what is referred to as "Huffing"
My understanding of it is that it is caused by the alcohol vapors collapsing to fast when they hit the cold condenser.
You will probably find that at the beginning of a run its not so bad or none existent, but as the run progresses it gets worse.
As the others have suggested a small amount of copper mesh or stainless scrubber stuffed up the inner tube of the condenser should help.

The condenser needs to be hot to touch at the business end and warm at the boiler end

Gotta disagree here .....your condenser should be warm to hottish at the top and cool to cold at the bottom. Your trying to get a temperature gradient, so that the vapors don't collapse so suddenly. You can do this pretty easily by playing around with the water flow to the condenser.

:text-+1: I think that's right about the collapsing vapour where there is too steep of a temperature gradient, want a smooth change down the condenser. But I did have it back in the day on my big Liebig, and the copper mesh sorted it out.

I agree with SBB here, but I know some people run them hot. I've always run my product condensers so they are cool at the output end. Obviously reflux condensers are another story and have to be run very hot!

:text-+1: I concur.. I was having a bad day with huffing once, all I did was turn down the flow to the liebig.. The water was freezing that morning and I only needed a trickle for it to do its job. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Urrazeb]

I got the ends mixed up 8-} cold at the product end hot at boiler end.

Cheers SBB

[SBB]

I got the ends mixed up 8-} cold at the product end hot at boiler end.

Cheers SBB

No problem mate, :handgestures-thumbupleft: I knew what you meant, was just clarifying it to stop confusion.