Essentia still help

[nanna]

We have had problems cooking the mash the last two that we have done.
We cant get the temp set on 77-78 it would not go below 81 not sure if its the new column packing or the temperature gauge causing the problem.

Even getting the water set has been a hassle.

Need help desperately got two more brews to cook.

[maheel]

whats the product like but ? what % ALC is it making

if it's a temp gauge issue it might not "matter"

when you say "mash" is it just a turbo wash like before or something else, a lower ABV wash could be making temps slightly different as well

[nanna]

The Alc was 89% we only got 1.8lt this time as we turned it off re packed the column and tried again but we could not get the temp set it was going up and down like a yoyo

just a turbo wash

We normally get 3.2lt at 90%

Could it be the new packing?

[maheel]

are you using tap water or using a tank and pump?

if pump is the water getting hotter and hotter as you go ?

do you test the wash with a hydro and it's at 990ish before hand ?

it's just the plug in SS bucket type still right ? you not cooking on a stove with a thermostat (surging power) are you ?

i would be thinking that the ferment was not finished properly

[QLD.Andy]

Could the packing be too tight?
Sounds like a similar thing that happened to me with the Turbo 500 a while back.

[nanna]

Using tap water
brew was at 900 and we had racked it of two days earlier
Not cooking on the stove it hs an electric element
We thought the packing was too tight so remove and re packed but how tight should it be???

Cheers

[maheel]

weird :think:

do a water run just to see what happens maybe ?

maybe then a half filled run ? as a test or rerun some of the current run?

go over everything, packing, water lines for kinks / blockages etc start
check the output tubes etc everything....

[MacStill]

If you can breath normally through the column your packing is ok, the essencia still has 3 scrubbers stuffed in it.

Is your water pressure consistent ?

[Icarus]

Hi nanna, I have one of these stills and encountered a similiar thing once in a while in the early days of using it.

To fix the cooling water control, I fitted a quater inch brass needle valve from Bearing Service in the cold water inlet supply line between the tap and the still inlet.
These valves give a very fine control of the flow. As I am on a pressure pump from a tank, I had to set up a constant pressure supply as any variation in the pump pressure affected the cooling water flow rate, regardless of control valve setting (a law of hydrodynamics). A flow variation effects the cooling rate and hence the reflux rate in the column.

What was the temperature of your cooling water? I have found that if the cooling water is above 29C, it can cause problems and also if it falls to 20c or lower. It effects the reflux rate in the column as these are CM (Cooling Management) stills.

I have replaced the orignal thermometer with a different, more responsive one and check it against two others I have to confirm it is reading correctly over several temps before I starts a run/runs.

When fitting new genuine packing, you can thourougly wash it and give it a clean with either warm to hot vinegar or citric acid solution first before packing the column. The alternative is to pack the column and then do a cleaning run with the still after fitting the new packing straight from the packet.

When fitting the packing, the first two packing wads should finish level with the bottom of the column water jacket, the third being a looser pack to fill the remainder. Always make sure the packing retainer at the top of the column is in the correct position and that no packing has squeezed past into the condenser outlet vapour space .

Also, overfilling the boiler with wash and not leaving sufficient headspace can heve detrimental effects.

I have found that it works better when the still is cleaned thoroughly after I finsih a run/runs before storing it, especially if it is not going to be used for some time.

Another thing that creates headaches is if there is any unfermented sugar or too much yeast left in the wash.

I am also assuming that your wash had an abv of between 15 and 18% and was fully fermented out.

Hope this helps

cheers, Icarus

[nanna]

Thanks yes we discovered it was the packing that was the problem.

[QLD.Andy]

YAY, I got something right :laughing-rolling: