StillSmart

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-07-05T12:09:56+00:00

Yes just start of where you stopped

Statistics: Posted by Brewhunter — Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:09 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-07-05T00:38:16+00:00

is it possible to shut down and restart mid run ?

Statistics: Posted by NS man — Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:38 am

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-16T22:36:34+00:00

This post makes less sense the more that I try and read it.
Maybe it is me.

Robert.

Statistics: Posted by Easydrinker — Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:36 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-17T02:22:32+00:00

Curmudgeon wrote:
Ethers, methanol and other nasties that we dispose of or certainly don't drink have a lower boiling point than ethanol, which is obviously why they come out first.

I'd say your turbo yeast has produced a particularly impure brew with more stuff with a lower boiling point than usual.

Yeah, I understand that in theory but I don't think that's quite right in this case. The first wash I put through my T500 was a kale one which, the consensus seems to be, is a fairly pure one, yes? Why then, did my T500 perform in exactly the same way as domasj described?

I didn't worry too much about it and adjusted the output to a steady drip by adjusting the water flow. And there's the thing, the T500 thermometer reads purely the temperature of the cooling water not what's going on in the column. The SS instructions and temperature guide is there for a single run. I could be wrong but I reckon that during a spirit run the distillate is coming off at a much lower temperature and hence the cooling water temperature is less. There was nothing wrong, whatsoever, with the neutral I got. The same thing happened running a Vodka Star wash, and the results were fine with that too.

I wonder if other T500 users have found a similar thing going on during a spirit run? Or maybe my thermometer isn't working correctly either? Strange though, it reads correctly when stripping.

Statistics: Posted by Thunderbird — Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:27 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-16T07:03:48+00:00

Perhaps should have deleted to 110v bit.

220v is not always consistent. Working outside in a shed means lower ambeient temps.

Insulation makes a tremendous difference to heating times in big kettles. There is a surprising loss through the thin walls.

This affects the 'up to temp' time and the amount of leccy used on longer runs.

Not saying it will cure all ills, but I would certainly give it a go and its easy to try.

Statistics: Posted by Mash — Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:03 am

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-16T01:23:21+00:00

Yes seems unlikely that it would be producing at 40, try only putting the probe in lightly and not pushed right down.

Statistics: Posted by Brewhunter — Thu Mar 16, 2017 1:23 am

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-15T23:08:37+00:00

I do not understand the relevance of Mash's post, but as always, I am happy to stand corrected.
Might I suggest here that your thermo is cheap and at fault?
I do use some cheap thermo's, but batch buy and run side by side, looking for the one with a sweet spot that seems real.
Just another thought.

Robert.

Statistics: Posted by Easydrinker — Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:08 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-16T07:09:02+00:00

Aftica wrote:
The biggest issue is that we can't get a really strong boil with a ton of vapour coming off when using the 110V.

Insulation then. Tightly wrap a silver camp mat around it.

Statistics: Posted by Mash — Wed Mar 15, 2017 3:07 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-15T14:54:09+00:00

Ethers, methanol and other nasties that we dispose of or certainly don't drink have a lower boiling point than ethanol, which is obviously why they come out first.

I'd say your turbo yeast has produced a particularly impure brew with more stuff with a lower boiling point than usual.

Statistics: Posted by Curmudgeon — Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:54 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2017-03-14T06:43:15+00:00

Hi everyone,
I have a quick question. Did strip and spirit runs this weekend. And in manual it says that first drops should come out at 50c temp. I have new t500 with one termometer. Usualy it was starting to drop at 50c. But this time it started to drop at 40c on striping and spirit runs. I used turbo fast 24hours easts with carbon and 6kgs of sugar. Does anyone have a clue why?

Statistics: Posted by Leatherman — Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:43 am

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2015-02-15T15:40:59+00:00

Hi Malcolm;

I am glad to hear I am not the only one -

I wrote to Still Spirits and did get a response from their Sales Director for
North USA & Canada-

The cold water coupled with the 110V (vs the 220V) heating element does make things harder.

I'm in Oregon which is much warmer but still cold. It can take up to 7 hours for me to do a run. I also let the outlet water temp run high. Up to 72-74C.

It decreases your abv by a couple percentage points. So, you should be getting about 93% but I also end up getting 90%.

The biggest issue is that we can't get a really strong boil with a ton of vapour coming off when using the 110V.

The water flow regulator will definitely help though. Also, putting the hose ends into a bucket in which you add cold water slowly will bring the overall cooling water temperature up as the outlet water mixes back into the bucket of cold water. You'll have to babysit it more but the run will happen faster as well.

Hope that helps.

Statistics: Posted by Aftica — Sun Feb 15, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2015-02-04T07:21:15+00:00

Hi

I am experiencing a similar issue. My mains water is running at about 6 C so adjusting the flow is very delicate and I have to run with an output temp. of between 65 to 70 C to keep the run at any speed, but still getting 93 0/0 AVB

Malcolm

Statistics: Posted by Johns051 — Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:21 am

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2015-01-22T17:58:25+00:00

Don't worry about hi-jacking the thread the last post was back in 2013...and it's in line with the original Q.
You seem to be ok with your new hobby, you may want to reconsider your decision about a double distill...

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:58 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2015-01-22T16:45:45+00:00

Sorry for the delay in getting back and responding - Work always calls

Anavrin wrote:
You will need to reduce your cooling in order to increase your collection rate, try to get 1 litre/hour and check if your product is the %alc you expect

Yeah it took 2 hours to collect the 170ml of fores / heads keeping it at 55 to 65 degrees C. Once I threw out that portion I ended up running the still (Single thermometer) at between 72 to 80 degrees C which produced the semi steady stream the size of (or a little smaller) than the tiny point of a toothpick.. and then a few dribbles etc... It was very difficult to keep a steady temp - I think I will need to look into a pump device like the Still Spirits Water Flow Regulator if it is available in North America.

Once I stated getting that flow rate I was able to collect about 2600ml in just over 2 hours... I shut it down at that point - was getting late and had to work the next day.

Mt Water from the tap is quite cold. (I just checked it and it is 6 degrees C) I am on a deep drilled well. it probably gets even colder when running for a long time.

Icefever wrote:
one little point, are you sure your Hydrometer is calibrated at 60F?? most are 68f/20c. It's nothing to worry about, just it'll give you a slightly higher reading that's all.

Yep - I thought it was low compared to my Hydrometers for beer and wine but I double checked it - says Proof & Tralles scale for spirit U.S. custom House Temp 60 deg F. It is made by AllA in France.

I just poured out some into a test jar (I have not diluted it yet) to retest it. It is 66 degrees F and it measures 91 percent 181 proof. now if I read the chart that comes with the meter correctly it should be 179 proof or 90% after adjusted for temperature.

I would have liked it a little better but for my first try I am happy. There is no scent to the product. I don't think I will dilute back down to 30 percent and re-distill it.

Admiral Toad wrote:
Couple of other thoughts
If your water outlet temperature gauge is much above 65 degrees that's too hot with not enough reflux happening so abv and quality will drop markedly but with fast output

Yeah and this is where I am getting confused... cause like I said - at 65 I would get about 1 drop of product every 10 seconds.. and you read above the rate I was getting and percentage running at 75+ - so I wonder about the temp of the inlet water as Anavrin suggested and how it affects the operation of the column.

Admiral Toad wrote:
A few things to check you have got temperature gauge set to Celsius maybe one of them is faulty so check by putting both probes in some warm water and compare readings.
Also I found that if the probe isn't pushed in far enough then that can give a false reading

Yep it is definitely in C and I checked it against my electronic thermo pen - and they match within 1/2 a degree. I also checked it while it was operating by placing the thermopen into the outlet stream and again it matched the reading of the still's probe.

Admiral Toad wrote:
What wash did you have in the boiler ?

Oh and welcome to the forum

The wash was made with 21 litres of water, the Still Spirits Classic turbo yeast pack and the hideous black liquid carbon. It was made with 8.5 kilograms of dextrose monohydrate. It was cleared with the turbo clear packets. The boiler was filled to the Max line and took about 75 min to get to temperature.

And thanks for the welcomes. I think I may have hi-jacked this thread.. so if the moderators wish to move it - please accept my apologies.

Statistics: Posted by Aftica — Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:45 pm

Re: FAQ T500-water temp reads too low/run takes a very long

2015-01-19T13:05:40+00:00

Couple of other thoughts
If your water outlet temperature gauge is much above 65 degrees that's too hot with not enough reflux happening so abv and quality will drop markedly but with fast output

A few things to check you have got temperature gauge set to Celsius maybe one of them is faulty so check by putting both probes in some warm water and compare readings.
Also I found that if the probe isn't pushed in far enough then that can give a false reading
Finally give the top of the column a good few taps with a wooden spoon once set up to clear the reflux coil that always seemed to perk up output
What wash did you have in the boiler ?

Oh and welcome to the forum

Statistics: Posted by Admiral Toad — Mon Jan 19, 2015 1:05 pm