First Run T500 Great Still Shame About The Owner!

[Luckyshot]

Hi All

Got the T500, put a t piece,stop cock,prv,and a washing mc connecter under the sink.Connected the needle valve with the 20mm adapter tightened it up turned the water on massive leak! took it off and put some pipe tape on the needle valve threads sorted!
The needle valve is not very robust and I only tightened it by hand,I think if you used pliers to nip it up you might damage it. Ran the still going like a dream for just over a hour then a leak at the base of the column, switched it off checked column for being over packed it was OK tightened the big nut with water pump pliers, started the still ran for 20 min another leak at the base of the column!
Then I got my brain into gear, the column was not central on the boiler top, and when you look at the big nut its narrow and chamford that is probably so that you can not over tighten it. Took it apart put some petroleum jelly on the O ring and on the threads on the big nut as they were a bit stiff, tightened by hand and made sure the column was evenly placed in the middle, fired it up success! ran like a dream after that what do they say, bad start good finish!

[vino-tinto]

Well done mate, I always use pet-jel on my T500 column O ring, found out like you when I first ran.

[Icefever]

The thing is luckyshot, it was your first time. I remember the first time I did an all grain brew years back, kin hell what a mess but I got through it. I sure when I get a reflux sorted soon I'll be a nervous wreak...watch this space..

[Icefever]

I sure when I get a reflux sorted soon I'll be a nervous wreak...watch this space..

How smegging true that prediction was... I had a leak on the temp probe but that got sort, a small drip on the tap fitting no problem hung a dishcloth over that
It was after the boiler came up to heat, I turned my back for a second and the temp shot from around 35c up to 70ish. I can't remember this morning if I'd turned the water on at the right time??
When it came to the needle valve..the slightest touch will send the temp soaring/dropping like hell
It was an interesting afternoon if I'm honest, I learnt a lot about how the big boys play

It's something of a comfort tho Lucky, to know that there are others out there going through the same....

ps..how many runs have you done now? and any tips?

[Luckyshot]

Hello Ice

I Have done more than ten runs on the T500, the plan is to build a stash of spirit up for the summer, I don't want to be indoors when the weathers good!

Tips? Don't over tighten the column nut, hand tight is good enough.

Make sure when you tighten the nut that the column looks central
on the top indentation

Use pet Jel on the O ring,pipe ends and temp probe.

Use a PRV.

I don't get anal about the temp,once it heats up and settles down
I run it between 50c-55c, If I tried to run it at one consistent temp
it would drive me nuts.


Make good cuts, I don't faff about to much, first 200mil down the sink
second 200mil heads jar,collect 200mil in a jar x3 then collect the
rest in a demijohn

Let it air for 24h, decide what to keep.

I am pleased I did not sell my Air Still I use that for distilled
water to dilute the spirit.

It works for me, remember " Perfection is the enemy of efficiency "
Run it,enjoy it,have some fun!

Regards Lucky.

[Icefever]

Thanks Lucky...all taken on board.. will search for a PRV on Ebay later (off out up the lottie now) It seems that a lot of guys add a column to run as a pot.

This is already in the noggin fermenting...

[John51]

Perfection is the enemy of efficiency

Oh I like that, Luckyshot.

I've had my T500 for almost a year and do a run most Sundays. I take advantage of the fact that the T500 is a one trick pony so all I want to produce is neutral. As easy and reliably as I can.

I don't try to squeeze every bit of alcohol from the wash. I don't recycle heads, well not in the still, the heads make a good household cleaner and an excellent deodorant.

Use a pressure relief valve, (mine is inline with the cooling tube) and make sure that there is some flour in the kitchen in case of leaks and you're set.

The needle valve is finicky. I adjust the kitchen tap to give just a bit too much flow with the needle valve fully open. Makes it easy to adjust after the 15 minutes of full reflux I do instead of stripping the column to clean it.

[Easydrinker]

[quote="John51"]Perfection is the enemy of efficiency

Oh I like that, Luckyshot.

I also like that John51,I also like the rest of your post,seems to make perfect sense.
Robert.

[Luckyshot]

I did a run last night,that little still is really easy to run. After it settled down I probably only touched the needle valve no more than 5 or 6 times in 3 hours.Yes it has its faults, its not built like a tank " I watched some American guy Knocking 7 bells out of his still with a rubber hammer " but its more than good enough for the home distiller.

I paid about £380 for it, so it probably came out of the factory between £35-£45.To replace some of the plastic parts with SS would cost a fortune in tooling costs alone,and add a lot to the retail price,just a mad guess say it retailed at between £1000- £1200 but with better parts, how many people could afford to buy it? definitely not me.Probably the worst thing about it is the time I spend watching it!

Regards Lucky.

[John51]

The biggest expense for any product, once the R&D has been done, is getting the thing into the hands of the end user.

As the saying goes, 'It's not what it costs, it's what it is worth.'

One thing I would like to see is a small pressure relief valve to fit inline with the inlet tube. Doesn't need to have a gauge, just be consistent. At present, each and every T500 owner has to spend an extra £20 or so to get a stable water supply.

Cooling management stills get dissed a lot on a certain American forum but once you've got stable water pressure, they're brilliant.

[Icefever]

Well informed posts there guys, I never wanted to spend £380 on a still, but I'm chuffed with it, and that's after only one run. Is it worth that price tag?? maybe, I could think of things that I would like to buy with the money.
I will learn a lot from running it, and taking on board what I read on here, the hints & tips from you guys are priceless.

[fuf]

Nice one BJ.
As a recent purchaser of the T500, I went for the £480 starter kit as I had no brewing gear at all. Recently I have purchased a PRV and an aquarium heater , they are great additions to my set up, well worth the money.

[Mr Four Square]

Another thing that I like about the T500 is the boiler size. 20-25 litres is about the most you want to be hauling about. Its great stilling in big barrels but when it comes to lifting, syphoning and trying to fit the thing into a fridge, 25 is about as big as you'd want. And just how thirsty can one man be??

[Icefever]

Nice one BJ.
As a recent purchaser of the T500, I went for the £480 starter kit as I had no brewing gear at all. Recently I have purchased a PRV and an aquarium heater , they are great additions to my set up, well worth the money.

I have a load of brewing gear as I've been AG brewing for years, I need to order a PRV asap, as I've started another lentil wash last Sunday.

I have used a water bath in the past, but a couple of years back I built a fermentation fridge, best thing I ever done. I use it for my brews, but now I can bang a wash in and forget it for a week...

Another thing that I like about the T500 is the boiler size. 20-25 litres is about the most you want to be hauling about. And just how thirsty can one man be??

Spot on Four Square...I've always done a 23/25 lts brews, when finished 19 lts went into a Corrnie keg with the odd few lts bottled, so it just makes sense to do the same with a wash. I will take a leaf out of AM's book and start to keep my liqueur in a corrni while building up a stock.

I need to make it while I can as the lottie will be getting under way soon, we've got to move our old shed to make room for a new one this Sat, so no time to run a still this weekend.