StillSmart

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-22T03:21:48+00:00

It\'s weird when that happens.
Before using the PC water cooling I thought my temperature sensors were a little bit out - the first run I did (with the s/s supplied \'analogue\' thermometer) the head sat at about 84 degrees. When I switched to the digital it sat at about 80 degrees, then the USB one sat at about 81 degrees..
With the digital and the USB probes I tested them with ice water and boiling water and they read the correct temps - when I ran the USB one with the PC water cooling it was about 2 degrees out (assuming the PC was right) but was supposedly correct at 100 degrees...
I just let the wash settle at whatever temp it wanted and monitored it for changes rather than making sure it was exactly 78.2 degrees.
90% though. Sweet

Statistics: Posted by MrCat — Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:21 am

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-22T01:42:39+00:00

See now I really don\'t get it. I\'ve still got it running, because I\'ve now got 4.5 litres @ 90 % and a litre and a half @ 88% it\'s just starting to drop off now and it (the still) is still sitting at 81.6 C.
So I really don\'t understand what\'s going on.......
Bloody weird.......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:42 am

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-21T20:59:36+00:00

Well, it\'s now running @ 81.4 degrees C giving about 85% ABV. Thats with everything turned up and mod valve open fully. So I\'ve increased water flow from the tap some (time honoured way of reducing temperature) but it\'s only dropped between 0.1 and 0.2 of a degree.
So I\'m just gonna let it run as is, for the time being.
Once I\'ve got some stainless scrubbers, I\'ll have another go at increasing the efficiency.....
But for now, the mods dont seem to be making a difference......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:59 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-21T20:28:47+00:00

Probably too late to ask but could you breathe through the packing ?
I normally packed the column, put my finger over the output from the bottom of the condenser and checked I could blow through the temperature bung hole.
If you can/could then possibly you had too much water flowing in the reflux jacket and too little power in the boiler.

Didn't check with the copper mesh (seemed to be sitting on the right temperature), but it wasn't running with the rashig rings either (before lunch), when I tried sucking on the spirit outlet, I got some through (switched it off during lunch as it still wasn\'t running with the raschig rings). So why it might be refluxing so much I don't know.
I fired it back up when we got back from lunch so I'm just gonna go down and check it now. I'll turn up the power controller to full and open the condenser output valve as well just to get it running (if it will do).....
{edit} still isn\'t running, but I\'ve made sure that everything is turned up full/valves open etc, so it\'s just wait and see for now{/edit}

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:28 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-21T20:03:28+00:00

Probably too late to ask but could you breathe through the packing ?
I normally packed the column, put my finger over the output from the bottom of the condenser and checked I could blow through the temperature bung hole.
If you can/could then possibly you had too much water flowing in the reflux jacket and too little power in the boiler.

Statistics: Posted by MrCat — Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:03 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-21T18:24:24+00:00

Ok, so impatience has got the better of me.
I\'ve just switched it all off and removed the copper mesh packing and changed it for rashig rings.
On checking the copper mesh, the smaller top piece was cold, as was the upper part of the longer piece. The lower part of the longer piece was warm and smelled strongly of spirit.
So at the moment, I can only conclude that I must have had it packed too tightly and that is the source of my problem.
I\'m now waiting for it to restabilise to see if that\'s gonna start running spirit........
Another thing that I\'ve noticed, is that I do get swings in temperature of up to 1 degree so I don\'t know if thats got any baring on whats going on or not.......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:24 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-21T16:53:18+00:00

Well, it\'s running again.... this time with just a long piece of copper mesh and a short piece.
I left the water off until it was pretty much up to temp (actually, it was telling me 25C and in less than 10 minutes it was up to 81.9C which is when I put the water on).
Since putting the water on, I\'ve juggled the power controller output and the valve to make sure about back pressure - it\'s now sitting at about 79 degrees but what the hells actually going on inside the reflux chamber is anyones guess, because it\'s been over an hour and a half, and apart from the bit that came out before I put the water on, it\'s produced bugger all.
I\'ve got no way of checking the power controller draw yet as I\'m still waiting for the plug in power meter to arrive from Maplins (in back order).
The only other thing I can do would be to change to using the stainless steel scrubbers from tesco\'s....... I can always just chuck the copper mesh in the boiler itself......
If anyone who\'s applied the current batch of suggested mod\'s to a SS super reflux has any other ideas than I\'d be more than happy to hear them.
It\'s driving me up the bloody wall.......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Sun Nov 21, 2010 4:53 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-15T19:55:24+00:00

Gonna be taking the top pressure valve off the barrel for a measure up, as I found somewhere this morning that does, 2, 3 and 4 inch copper so I can start thinking about sizes, joints, valves and ductile pipe to wind a condenser now...
Plus I know a local welder for silver soldering.......
We\'ll have to wait and see.....

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Mon Nov 15, 2010 7:55 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-15T04:32:56+00:00

Bit near christmas now but been looking at welding up something in stainless after I\'ve sorted Father Christmas and the Granchildren
Opus.

Statistics: Posted by Opus 27 — Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:32 am

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-15T00:39:07+00:00

Â£350 is a lot of money! If I get bored enough I might try making a column for my super reflux

Well, I already had a half arsed go at that, plus I\'ve got a stainless barrel from a scrappie, and reckon on at least 150 quid for a column......
and yes, I\'m trying to work out a decent design....... any ideas (especially supplies of copper pipe/fittings larger than 54mm) ?

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:39 am

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-14T21:44:40+00:00

Â£350 is a lot of money! If I get bored enough I might try making a column for my super reflux
Opus

Statistics: Posted by Opus 27 — Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:44 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-14T21:00:22+00:00

Phantom, your running it off a lot faster than I do. I get 2250ML at 93% from a 14.8% wash in four and half hours. Not sure if that makes a difference.

Yes, I expected it to come off faster/higher quantity, as it\'s a spirit run of batches that have already been stripped (run the still with either nothing in the reflux chamber or the pipe taken off so it\'s just the condenser that\'s being cooled).
Hence this batch being 40% ABV at the start of the run. I\'ve got another 2 gallons to water down to 40% to run for a second time, but also 3 batches of straight wash still fermenting (should be done for next weekend), then I\'ll be able (once the power meter arrives, and I\'ve used exactly the same amount of packing in the reflux chamber) to make a comparison.
I\'d have been very pleased with 2250mls at 93% in 4 and a half hours, from a 14% wash (again, I should really measure the wash before fermentation to make sure what it\'s likely to work out at... historically I end up with about 14% or so....)
Ha! failing that (or any other possible mods), I might just have to order a T500 and then just use the super reflux for stripping/pot stilling......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:00 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-14T20:47:53+00:00

Phantom, your running it off a lot faster than I do. I get 2250ML at 93% from a 14.8% wash in four and half hours. Not sure if that makes a difference.
Opus 27

Statistics: Posted by Opus 27 — Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:47 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-14T20:21:00+00:00

Ok Opus, I\'ll have to go to tescos and get a pack of the scrubbers as well, then I can work out roughly how much I need to shove in the reflux chamber. It maybe that I\'ve never used enough and/or waited long enough for it to equalise, but then again, I\'ve also had it where it still comes out at about 85% or so but takes all bleedin\' day i.e. 12 hours or so just to get 4 litres of spirit.
We\'ve just got back from lunch, and there\'s about 4 litres now (which isn\'t surprising as the still charge was about 40% ABV anyway i.e. a distillation run). I just measured the stuff in the receiver and it\'s about 80%, so I\'m guessing that it might be that I\'ve gone from one extreme to another....
I might switch it off and put the small piece in then see what it measures up at......
regards
a still confused P......

Statistics: Posted by Phantom — Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:21 pm

SS reflux - cooling pipes mod.

2010-11-14T20:04:57+00:00

Hi Phantom,

I use three scrubbers and I don\'t bother unravelling them. I just stuffed them in with the handle of a wooden spoon untill the top surface was about 18-20mm below the feed tube to the condenser. I let the temperature hover around the mid to high 70s for about 45 mins with little or no output this I assume is the reflux sorting out it\'s stacking as eventually it gets to settle out around the 78-79 degrees and starts producing. I start saving when it stays consistently above 79 and below 82. Before and after these temps is either heads or tails which I throw. My wash averages 14.8 ABV. Just started a run this morning and had a slight drop in ABV to 92% not sure why. But as long as I can stay around the 90% mark I\'m happy.
Opus 27

Statistics: Posted by Opus 27 — Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:04 pm