StillSmart

I've just finished dismantling my VM after a successful run yesterday and the smell of the pipes is seriously woeful I've never had anything like that with my potstill.

Any of you reflux regulars got any tips on the best way to clean/decontaminate the column/head/packing etc. Even the coil smells bloody awful.

Is it best to remove all the column packing? - mine is all SS scrubbers.

AM

I had a simliar post a few weeks ago.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2539

Prior to this VM run I would have thought the cleaning would be more or less the same as cleaning my potstill but the column sections, scrubbers and coil are so skanky

In the interim I decided to clean the lot with a solution of water and Sodium Bicarb given the bicarbs usefulness in absorbing bad odours when in dry form. I was hoping not to have to unpack the column so I'm using a small aquarium pump to circulate the solution through the column sections and the product condenser.

I'll post if this proves to be effective.

AM

Is the copper discoloured or just nasty smelling? Is it concentrated tails clinging to it?

Interested in this one too... Lower column always smells

I back flush the column on my T500 after every run with hot water while the column is still hot same with the pot head
alan

I fill the column with a hot citric acid solution wait 30 to 40 mins for it to cool then flush with water,works a treat
Cheers

The Sodium Bicarb solution did about half the job so I pumped a brewing steriliser (Chemipro Oxi) through everything and it all smells lovely now

I'll know for future runs that when the temp shifts it's time to shut it down. Without thinking about it I let the still run on for about 45 minutes after I had decided the Hearts were coming to an end and switched to a larger collection jar to collect the Tails as I would with the Potstill

I am learning....really and I won't do it again...promise

AM