StillSmart

Just damn

Didnt think far enough ahead

Wash cleared, but needed to move it to siphon its now not clear anymore, it will settle back down again wont it?

LOL - been there, done that !!

Yep - just leave it for a couple of days somewhere cool if you can and it will clear again. If you can't leave it somewhere cool then go old school and put a cloth soaked in water around the fermenter - as the water evaporates it will take some heat from the fermenter and keep the temp down.

I use an autosiphon http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/auto-siphon-for-25-litre/ as I have 50+ litre fermenters. As the fermenters are so heavy when full they have to go on the floor so I can't rely on air pressure to rack the wash off.

It actually wasnt as bad as first feared, and settled well, so have siphoned, but will def go auto I think when I get my own stuff

Thanks for the reassurance, spent the last few hours in a bit of a blind panic till it settled

I am not sure that it even matters if it clears. In his book Making Pure Corn Whiskey, Ian Smiley says that the wash should be run within 24 hours (IIRC) of the end of primary fermentation. That is about 3-5 days from when the yeast is pitched. That is NOT going to be a clear wash. His contention is that the flavour of the whiskey suffers if the wash is allowed to sit. I have not yet tried this as I run an Airstill and this is not very practical for me. I have run cloudy washes and not noticed that the result was any worse. Unlike beer and wine makers, perhaps we fret too much about running clear washes.


Chuck

In a vessel as small as the Air/Easy Still, surge boiling and puking are a real possibility and a danger that we should never ignore and always take steps to prevent.

1. Use boil enhancers such as Rashig Rings or Ceramic Saddles,
2. Run the wash as clear as possible,
3. Add Distiller's Conditioner to the wash. (optional)

IMHO,
No 1 above is essential and should never be omitted.
No 2 will ensure you never get scalded by flying hot wash from a puking still and
No 3 is a 'Belt and Braces' solution that will prevent puking and flooding in these small stills.

I've heard some people here say "I don't think it's necessary to clear the wash before running" and, as the old story goes, you won't have any problems until something goes wrong - then you're in trouble!

No 1 & 2 above cost nothing but a little time. No 3 costs very little - literally a few pence per wash. In running my Airstill I've always employed these 3 things and have never experienced flooding or puking from the still.

Being safe doesn't always cost money but it does always require common sense.

AM

Three good rules.

I don't understand why the air still doesn't have clamps on it, like any good still should. The rubber gasket only is asking for failure.

Saying that I have only had one puking incident. Funny thing is it was on a spirit run, using crystal clear stripped wash diluted with filtered water.

Since then I have found an ideal object that fits tight inbetween the air still and the underside of my kitchen cupboard pelmet without obscuring the fan.

I still follow Adrian's three golden rules, but I do it with another failsafe installed.

Also the good stuff in / good stuff out rule applies to cleared wash. The cloudier it is, the greater the chance of carrying stuff you don't want into your spirit.

Doesn't have clamps to stop it turning into a big bomb if the pipe gets blocked! Although realistically, how likely that would be I don't know. It is debatable whether this 'safety feature' is actually any safer when it is firing boiling wash around the kitchen and onto your electrical sockets...

When I had mine, I took to standing it in an empty plastic box like this one:



That way if it did spill anything, it would be contained. Sod's law meant of course it never did it when it was in the box, lol.