Hello from the western side of the country.
Been reading lots and haven't really needed to sign up to ask any questions - coz the info is already out there.
But thought i might as well to say thanks to those that provide all the great info for noobs.
I bought a still few weeks ago - a guy at work explained his airstill, and after a little bit of reading i one-upped him and got the T500 (before i knew the difference between pot and reflux - luckily i like my vodka)
Cleaning/test runs found the vapour path blocked with silicon sealant, and the seal between the lid and column was leaking - such shoddy workmanship and lame quality control - never spending a further cent and any Still Spirits products ever - i would recommend any other new started do the same and avoid Still Spirits completely
Thankfully it's all working well now. (and the SS rep never replied to me after his first email - crap customer service too)
I've since insulated the column, thickened the column seal ring with PTFE and will head to Reece on the weekend and hopefully get some copper pipe to replace the collection tube.
For future runs I plan to use a water pump from our 3000L water tank for the coolant - with separate lines for condenser and column.
The turbo wash from the "starter pack" has been run - it's certainly not the best, but it's drinkable - however i'm definitely looking forward to running a 50L TPW that's just settling now. Also started a WPOSW on the weekend.
Gonna see how crap my soldering skills are and try to build a parrot :p