StillSmart

Ok i have 4 litres of already distilled spirit at approx 40% made froma few batches..
Can i run the whole four litres through in one go, without stopping it??

Will it switch itself off ??

Will the whole lot come out at still on 40% - any cleaner ??

Is it too dangerous that way, as it is like heating petrol?

cheers guys!

Now - as luck has it I have just done the same thing,
Heres what I did, I put the distillate in the still & ran it through, The first 800ml came out at 80% and then every 800ml after came out a bit more weak untill I was getting only 20%, thats when I stopped. In the pot was a clear liquid that was almost like water. So it made my alcohol more pure.
Now what your on about doing I think will just give you a 40% wash with the added benefit of going though the carbon again, and thats about it as all the water will just end up going back in the the clear jug.
There was no fire, and it started to work and run much faster.
Regards
Ian..

The more you leave in the still, the purer (and stronger) the alcohol will be in the collection vessel. The best way is to use the calculator, but you can have a rough guess at it and think 'well I'm putting in 4 litres at 40% so I want to end up with about 40 - 50% of what I put in, i.e. 2 litres or so at the other end'.
Running the whole lot through is pretty pointless - it will switch off when it boils dry, but you won't have any benefit as you've put it all through, and you'll actually lose some alcohol from evaporation.
It isn't dangerous to heat it as it is quite gentle, but you don't want to be doing it near any open flames or sparks, just in case.