Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Reflux still design and discussion

Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby RC Al » Mon Dec 23, 2019 8:36 pm

:text-lol: its funny the things we miss when starting something new

Are you using a voltage controller? sounds like you needed more juice for the last of the tails (which you can probably just skip for the next run)

As you have already done a cut spirt run (as opposed to a faster & smeared strip) you have a couple of options
a. just drink the hearts
b. do the rest of the wash as a faster stripping run and then run both through for another spirts run - optionally you could not re-run the worst of the heads n tails
c. do a 1.5 run where you put what you just made in with most of the rest of your wash and do cuts again, also optionally not using the worst of the heads n tails

There is a thing called stacking where you add heads n tails back in to increase the amount of nasty stuff that will come off in each "separation" this can give you easier to define cuts and let you recover a bit more hearts out of your washes. Its done more with flavoured washes for extra esters n stuff to make a flavour profile, but can work in neutrals too if not done too heavily, but it will take more time to run
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby Doubleuj » Mon Dec 23, 2019 8:47 pm

Tiprat67 wrote:
Doubleuj wrote:I’m confused, sounds like you had a perfect run.
12 cut jars @ 200ml each is 2.4L, which is bang on all the alcohol available in the wash.
Jar 12 should smell putrid, it’s pure tails.
15L out of the boiler is just your Dunder, tip it down the drain.
Remember the wash you put in is only 9% alcohol or there about, the rest is mainly water which won’t boil off.
Temps sound perfect
Take off rate sounds perfect
I think you nailed it.


Doubleuj thanks heaps bro for helping me out !

So your saying that having 15 litres left in the boiler is cool ?

I thought the bugger had to be empty ??

Please feel free to take the piss out of me cause i can take it lol

No worries mate, that’s what we’re here for, no one will take the piss when you’re learning, once you know what you’re doing and fuck up then that’s a different story :laughing-rolling:
As for the amount left, in layman’s terms, remember we’re only separating the alcohol from the water, so there will always be something left in the boiler.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby Tiprat67 » Mon Dec 23, 2019 8:59 pm

Doubleuj wrote:
Tiprat67 wrote:
Doubleuj wrote:I’m confused, sounds like you had a perfect run.
12 cut jars @ 200ml each is 2.4L, which is bang on all the alcohol available in the wash.
Jar 12 should smell putrid, it’s pure tails.
15L out of the boiler is just your Dunder, tip it down the drain.
Remember the wash you put in is only 9% alcohol or there about, the rest is mainly water which won’t boil off.
Temps sound perfect
Take off rate sounds perfect
I think you nailed it.


Doubleuj thanks heaps bro for helping me out !

So your saying that having 15 litres left in the boiler is cool ?

I thought the bugger had to be empty ??

Please feel free to take the piss out of me cause i can take it lol

No worries mate, that’s what we’re here for, no one will take the piss when you’re learning, once you know what you’re doing and fuck up then that’s a different story :laughing-rolling:
As for the amount left, in layman’s terms, remember we’re only separating the alcohol from the water, so there will always be something left in the boiler.



I am back in the game !!

Learnt a very important one today...

Thanks again mate i really appreciate it.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby Tiprat67 » Mon Dec 23, 2019 9:02 pm

RC Al wrote::text-lol: its funny the things we miss when starting something new

Are you using a voltage controller? sounds like you needed more juice for the last of the tails (which you can probably just skip for the next run)

As you have already done a cut spirt run (as opposed to a faster & smeared strip) you have a couple of options
a. just drink the hearts
b. do the rest of the wash as a faster stripping run and then run both through for another spirts run - optionally you could not re-run the worst of the heads n tails
c. do a 1.5 run where you put what you just made in with most of the rest of your wash and do cuts again, also optionally not using the worst of the heads n tails

There is a thing called stacking where you add heads n tails back in to increase the amount of nasty stuff that will come off in each "separation" this can give you easier to define cuts and let you recover a bit more hearts out of your washes. Its done more with flavoured washes for extra esters n stuff to make a flavour profile, but can work in neutrals too if not done too heavily, but it will take more time to run



Hey RC Al,

Thanks heaps for the reply mate....some very interesting reading in what you said and i will do abit more research into into that !

Looks like the problem is sorted....was no problem i just had no idea that i was finished and yes the boiler can still be over half full.

Learning on the run and loving it !

no temp controller mate...
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby nudder12 » Tue Dec 24, 2019 9:45 pm

Tiprat67 wrote:
Hey RC Al,

Thanks heaps for the reply mate....some very interesting reading in what you said and i will do abit more research into into that !

Looks like the problem is sorted....was no problem i just had no idea that i was finished and yes the boiler can still be over half full.

Learning on the run and loving it !

no temp controller mate...

Everything seems to have gone well.
I know you said the last jar was really smelly. Just wondering how the rest were? Any smells?
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby Tiprat67 » Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:59 am

nudder12 wrote:
Tiprat67 wrote:
Hey RC Al,

Thanks heaps for the reply mate....some very interesting reading in what you said and i will do abit more research into into that !

Looks like the problem is sorted....was no problem i just had no idea that i was finished and yes the boiler can still be over half full.

Learning on the run and loving it !

no temp controller mate...

Everything seems to have gone well.
I know you said the last jar was really smelly. Just wondering how the rest were? Any smells?

Hey Nudder

As it was my first time doing this it really wasn't till second batch that I really concentrated on taste and having water handy to wash out mouth after each taste..

Too be honest between jar 3 to jar 10 wasn't really much difference but to me I could smell the sweetest and on a couple of jars even a milky pleasant smell.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby nudder12 » Thu Jan 09, 2020 12:32 am

freebeertomorrow wrote:Hi,

I have packed my column as per the advice in this thread using 5 of the same size scrubbers.

My copper saddles jiggle around a little at the top, just wanted to know whether this is an issue? Do the copper saddles all need to be pushed and held tightly at the very top by the scrubbers?

Thanks


Hey everyone. Sorry for the noob question, but....I've read this thread about a hundred times and I'm still not clear on this.....
Packing....
My T500 is the stainless type. Came filled with some copper saddles and mostly ceramic saddles. So....the copper goes in first, and then the rest of the column is filled with ceramics.Which fill the entire column.
When re-packing as suggested (with stainless scrubbers)....the stainless scrubbers will only go as far as the internal copper coils which begin roughly 12cm from the top, but the copper saddles only fill a couple of centimeters above that. Which would leave an air space of several centimeters at the top of the column, including some around the internal copper coils.
Is that OK? Or do I need to add a heap more copper saddles to fill that gap?

Supplementary question (while I'm here LOL)....I thoroughly cleaned the copper saddles before my last run, but they've come out looking disgustingly filthy again. Should I just clean them again, or is a new set recommended?
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby scythe » Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:01 am

Now I don have a t500 so I may be way off base here,

Keep using the current copper saddles till they litterally dissolve in your cleaning solution.

As far as packing, fill it as much as you want, copper needs to be in the vapour path, up to you how clean you want you spirit to be.
Fill it up until just below the vapour outlet but just watch / listen for flooding.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby EternalApprentice » Fri Jun 19, 2020 10:29 pm

1st up, Great thread.
_HEAPS_ of info :scared-eek:

a few noobish questions,

1) is it worth replacing the stainless saddles that came with the reflux head for copper mesh ? or stainless mesh for that matter .
( increased surface area ? better reflux interaction)

2) Stripping run, can we ? is it worth it ? does it require de-tuning ?
2a) if so how ?
( in regards to detuning - remove all packing and run as if in distilled water mode ? )

Thank you in advance.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby Doubleuj » Fri Jun 19, 2020 10:41 pm

Simple answers are
1. No
2. No

The ss saddles would be perfect and the small amount of copper saddles are enough to remove sulphides.
There may be a minuscule improvement by using ss scrubbers or copper mesh but it would be so minimal on such a small rig that it’s not worth thinking about.

As for stripping runs, answer is practically no, do not “detune” the t500, it’ll over heat and warp the plastic top.
You can run her a bit harder, I think I used to push it to 60 ish degrees if I ever tried to do a strip run.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby EternalApprentice » Sun Jun 21, 2020 1:04 am

Doubleuj wrote:1. No
2. No


Thank You Doubleuj for that clarification.
:handgestures-thumbupleft: Well that was a lot simpler than i was expecting, sweet.
:text-thankyoublue: for the quick response ^:)^

Doubleuj wrote:I think I used to push it to 60 ish degrees if I ever tried to do a strip run.


After watching a you tube vid from Still Spirits (howto t500 reflux) saying run it (the outlet cooling water temp) between 55 deg C and 65 deg C,
I felt from my own personal preference ( and I knew i was running turbo poo ) that I wanted as clean as I could make it (before I even found this forum) that 50 deg C already sounded like a much better idea not realising that 45 deg C or even full reflux was even an option.
60 ish for a strip run for my last turbo batch (which is crash cooling outside now) sounds like a good test , I mean it can't make it any worse right ? and double distill (watering it down for the spirit run of course) can only make it cleaner, if not good practice.

I also have a TPW currently sitting at SG of 1.002 and i'm thinking it's just about ready , (still getting a blurp from the airlock once every 8 seconds or so .... hasn't fully settled but pinkish not red sitting on 28 deg C starting SG was 1.080) time to learn cuts and blends.

edit
re-reading the original post on topic condensed the confirmation i was looking for (OMG SOO MUCH READING ... and where's the 'eyes bleeding' emoji ?)
/edit

Thank You again guys,
Continue to be awesome!
Last edited by EternalApprentice on Sun Jun 21, 2020 1:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby northerner » Sun Sep 13, 2020 6:16 pm

OK so just done first sacrificial run on my new T500.

Seemed to go well. just under 3l of 'product' at around 93%. I reduced water flow towards the end so outlet temp was around mid-high 60's. Does that sound about right?

Slow but no problems.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby Guyross » Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:39 pm

northerner wrote:OK so just done first sacrificial run on my new T500.

Seemed to go well. just under 3l of 'product' at around 93%. I reduced water flow towards the end so outlet temp was around mid-high 60's. Does that sound about right?

Slow but no problems.


That temp will reduce the ABV. If you were into tails, and wanted to speed along, all good. But if you were still in hearts, maybe not so good. If this is a stripping run, it does not matter really at all. For spirit run, and to help get good cuts and reduce smearing, I would run slow all the way until you are sure you are into tails.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby spudie » Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:27 am

Hi All.
Maybe I have missed something here, if so can someone point me in the right direction.
T500 in tripping run mode.
I can see anywhere that suggest what I need to do to do this.
Have seen in my research elsewhere that all I have to do is remove saddles etc and run the still without changing anything else.
Temp should be monitored to achieve normal DDS (drip-drip-spurt).
Any help gratefully accepted. :D

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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby The Stig » Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:53 am

DO NOT remove packing and try to do a stripping run .
You will kill the T500, the plastic top cap will melt and leak like a bastard.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby spudie » Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:05 pm

The Stig wrote:DO NOT remove packing and try to do a stripping run .
You will kill the T500, the plastic top cap will melt and leak like a bastard.


Thanks for reply, so how do others do the stripping run.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby The Stig » Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:19 pm

I had a pot still that I put on the boiler .
Others will just do a “fast” run then re-run a second time
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby The Dark Alchemist » Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:21 pm

The Stig wrote:Others will just do a “fast” run then re-run a second time

That's what I do.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby spudie » Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:59 pm

The Dark Alchemist wrote:
The Stig wrote:Others will just do a “fast” run then re-run a second time

That's what I do.


Ok many thanks, just leave it complete and run it full blast just to reduce volume as required.
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Re: Running a T500, the Proper Way - Discussion Thread

Postby The Stig » Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:54 pm

The outlet water should be around 50 - 55 deg for a spirit run
For a stripping run I used to push it to 65 - 68 deg
And yes collect everything down to around 20%
Then put it all back in, dilute to below 40% , I used to go to 30% and do a normal slow spirit run.
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