StillSmart

well hows it goin guys,not much response on this site,seems as if no one really pops in very much,but seems im new here il add a little sumthin,just thought up a mod to do with my air still,i figured that if i could watch the temp while im destilling,i can be more spot on with throwing out the first 50 or so ml,i got one of those engal temp sensors,cut off the plastic protector on the end of the sensor probe and wired it on the condensor on the still,hopfully thats a pretty acurate temp spot,im about to find out anyway cause its running now,even better it has a wireless receiver hehe,so far at 46.7c

i got a chart in front of me with the following details...

acetone-56.5

methanol-64.7

ethyl acetate-77.1

ETHYL ALCOHOL-78.3...the good stuff:P

propyl alcohol-97.2

water boiling point -100.0

so now i might be able to study the alcohole flow a bit better,and see were these stills actually sit at

i took sum pics tho stuff knows how to add them,ill keep trying

ill post sum updates soon

okie dokie heres a link to the pics
http://yfrog.com/53pict4529jx

Might be of interest to know if it\'s working at the temperature the manufacturers specify but as temperature is\'nt adjustable not much benefit. Secondly is the important temperature that of the fluid in the vessel not in the condenser as it\'s starting to cool when it hits the condenser.
Opus 27

excellent theory though, just got to work out how to get the probe in the pot?

i suppose when it hits 97.2 you just turn it off?

sorry i bin a while had a few complications with the idea,i had to change a few things i shoulda taken sum pics but anyway,i pulled the plastic housing apart,then unscrewed the fan from the housing wich let me get between the underside and the top piece,so like when ya take ya lid off and see were the steem goes in that little hole,iv got the temp sensor straight on the oposite side of the steel,now im guesing that im not getting the max temp reading,but be prety close i rkn,if you have a probe Hangover,you will be able to drill a hole through the still plate,then seal it up with sum heat proof silicon,i used sum gasket high temp red,saying this i didnt use a probe,and also didnt drill any holes,and dont think i have a perfect reading,which i rekon you could acheive by doing this,anyways im tryling it now,and well throwing the first 50ml is outa my theory now,cause it gets to like 72\'c(give or take because of the mounting spot of the sensor)then starts dripping and sits on that same temp the whole way through the 700ml mark,even so i collected a aditional 200ml also staying at the same temp,it moved about 1\'c ,so i mean why throw the first 50ml?in this case this means i would have to throw the lot and have nothing left,no what i mean? so i think these stills must sit on nearly the exact temp range for just distilling the alcohole content thats needed,..but still would be even more acurate using i probe

yer so it doesnt get to 97.2 ay, i rkn if ya put a probe in the water the reading would be in the 78 mark ay,wich is were it needs to be,its pretty kool im glad i did it ay.just watchen it agan now,ill see if it goes to the same temp:)

yep back to the same temp,72c and starts drippin,and sits at that,saweet,hope this helps anyone:)