StillSmart

Just wondering if any of you T500 guys have used the Stainless saddles available for the T500?

I come across them here

http://www.lovebrewing.co.uk/t500-stain ... l-saddles/

They're quite expensive at £19.99 for 500 grams, I'm just wondering if they would be better than SS Scrubbies or ceramic Rachig rings for my packed section.

@Anavrin: No, I have not used SS saddles.

Its all about surface area. SS scrubbers give you a far greater surface area than saddles. I use restaurant grade SS scrubbers. They are not expensive, I have not changed them since I started using them several years ago. They are easy to clean. Perfect.

Try them.

Whats best way to clean ss scrubbers ?

Tasturbo wrote:Whats best way to clean ss scrubbers ?

A 100% reflux for 30 minutes will clean them. So if you do this everytime you do a run, they will never need any attention and all the lighter alcohols will be at the top ready to take off first.

I didn't think too much of them, they're probably an upgrade to the standard ceramic saddles in the T500 but like you guys say, probably not as good a SS Scrubbies, and they're very expensive, I'd need about £100 worth to fill my packed section.

vino-tinto wrote:

Tasturbo wrote:Whats best way to clean ss scrubbers ?

A 100% reflux for 30 minutes will clean them. .

Just for clarification that is turning water up so nothing comes out production line.

This would be pointless after a run as i would have acohol out by then ?

Flushing with hose after a run and then 100% reflux at start of run would suffice.

Newbie

Tasturbo wrote:

vino-tinto wrote:

Tasturbo wrote:Whats best way to clean ss scrubbers ?

A 100% reflux for 30 minutes will clean them. .

Just for clarification that is turning water up so nothing comes out production line.

Yes, at the start of every run, I find it the best way to run a reflux still.

We bought a T500 in September last year from Love Brewing and the S/S saddles came included and fitted into the condenser, they recommend removing them after every 5 runs and soaking them in Coke and they come up as good as new.

I was in Lovebrewing a week or two ago, I was looking at the new stainless packing but I couldn't work how much I needed and there was still a chance my SPP would turn up from Poland, lucky for me It did turn up the day or two after.

I think I'll try the coke idea to clean my SPP

In my opinion stainless steel is non absorbent, not like the grey ceramic saddles that were.
If you reflux at 100% for the first 15 minutes of every run @ 78C the alcohol acts as a cleaner, that is all you need.
In the restaurant business it is often practice to soak SS cutlery in clear spirit to clean and disinfect them.

Coke works well as a metal cleaner because it contains phosphoric acid.


Isn't it amazing what some people are prepared to drink.

GrunthosTheFlatulent wrote:Coke works well as a metal cleaner because it contains phosphoric acid.


Isn't it amazing what some people are prepared to drink.

You have it there,GTF, but vt appears again as a font of knowledge...

Robert.

So this weekend I'm excited to be trying out the stainless steel saddles for the first time.

My T500 column is the copper version but it came pre-packed with ceramic saddles. When I saw the stainless steel saddles available I thought I must try them - they sounded like a sensible upgrade to a novice numpty like me. But my concern was that the 500g bag was designed mainly for the stainless steel column which I believe has a mixture of copper and ceramic saddles.

So when I ordered the stainless steel saddles, I also ordered a 100g bag of copper saddles as I thought 500g of stainless steel might not fully pack the column and I didn't want to bulk it out with ceramic.

Would it be best to put the copper saddles at the top of the column and then fill up with the stainless steel, or should I just mix the copper throughout the column?

I'll also be running my first dextrose wash this weekend so excited to see how that turns out too.

Thanks guys.

Its just an idea but have you concidered just putting the copper saddles directly into the boiler?

Copper packing has two main uses.

You can put it just above the boiler and over time it gets horrid, needs to be removed for cleaning, and occasionaly replaced.

Or you can put it right at the top, in the vapour path above the reflux condenser(in a CM) as a catalyst.

I remember some time back that Odin was discussing uses for a full copper packed column but can't remember what it was. Generally better with stainless and save the copper for specific functions.

I have a 3" roll of copper mesh inside the column connector at the botton of my column so I can remove it for cleaning without disturbing the packed column.

I hadn't considered that Myles but certainly am now. I only use the supplied ceramic raschig rings with SS conditioner in the boiler at the moment but I've read lots on here about the benefits of using 1p and 2p non magnetic coins. I can never seem to find nin magnetic ones!!

So that's what I'll do.

Gutted that I've gotta go out today now and won't be in a fit state to run a still when I get back so now gonna have to wait until tomorrow. D'oh!

Thank you.