still problems

[alan]

Hi all im a newbi here, Can some one please tell me why the top keeps blowing off my new smart still i have added the rings but it still keeps doing it, i even put two stainless forks in just to try and help. Iam begining to regrett buying the thing

Ive been doing this hobby for a few years now,But since i moved to a warden controlled flat ive had to get a new still,i couldunt have my old one boiling away

regards alan

[Jimmy]

Hi Alan, welcome!
If the top keeps blowing off, then one of two things is happening. Either you're getting the 'superheating' thing, which should be taken care of by the rings/forks. The other option is a pressure buildup, which is usually caused by the hole in the lid becoming blocked. Give that a good blow through with an airline (or your own lung power if needs be!) both ways to make sure it's clear. This can happen when you're running something which isn't properly cleared, so make sure you've either let it settle in a cool place for a week or two and then syphoned it off, or else used something like Turbo Klar. What were you trying to run, a straight sugar wash?

[alan]

Hi jimmy, thanks for getting back to me ithink ive sorted the problem ive added two more forks bent double plus the rings and sofar allseems ok,ive done two runs today with out any trouble, When i posted yester day i was abit naffed off with the thing

boiling wash and barefeet dont go to well,ive been doing sugar washes for a couple of years now its easyer than a mash and less smell, Ive been making wines for over 30years

and use the oak chips from my wines to flavor my whisky

regards alan

[Jimmy]

I have to confess that I have had some strangeness with mine since I started doing tomato paste washes - I don't quite understand them as I can take some from my 25 litre fermenter, run it though fine, then take some more from the same fermenter and have no end of trouble with it. I never had any trouble with turbos so I did wonder if it was related to particles left in the brew (I didn't use any clearing agent, just time) but not sure. I might stick some more items in when I run the next lot, see if that helps as it seems to have done with yours.

[Phantom]

Alan,
I too have had a few "burps" with my smart still. When I was re-distilling some spirit that I'd distilled with my 25 ltr "super reflux" still that had come out cloudy and also when I'd been distilling a batch of "kit cider".
With the cloudy distillate I found 2 things - the properties of how fast boiling alcohol actually cools down, which was luck as I only ended up getting a "sun burn" type scald that wasn't too painful, didn't blister and went away in about 3 days, and that 85% alcohol is probably the best kitchen cleaner ever discovered.
Ok, enough irony.......
Right. I rang the bloke who imports them. He explained about the necessity of having to make sure that the wash is completely cleared before being run as it can exaggerate the super heating phenomena of where the heating of the still can cause 1 large bubble to rise, causing enough disruption of the liquid surface to lift the still top (note that it's handy that the electrical source is well enclosed as alcohol vapour/fumes are very, very flammable - think on the level of petrol).
His advice was basically that that's prevented with the ceramic rings, though you can also use the ceramic "saddles" that come with the super reflux still. A little research also showed me that this can be done with sanitised broken glass i.e. the sharp edges of the glass help to break up the large bubble - but it's the same principle as the ceramic rings........
He also said that you can use "distillers conditioner" in with the batch of wash being run. You need a couple of drops (apparently). Last time I asked about the distillers conditioner in the local HBS he didn't have any in stock but I'm gonna ring him again about it.

[alan]

Phantom, I was talking to a bloke on friday who has had a smartstill for 3 years he told me to sterilise the condenser coil every 3/4 runs with vwp cleaner/steriliser he said it has more or less stopped the pop off probilems he was having.
I did as he said and ive just done a run, not so much as a cough or burp its very quiet

even the rings arnt jumpin about. I ran the wash through my wine filter first which might have helped. will have to see how the next one goes

[Jimmy]

Yeah, it definitely seems to be a case of the following :
- Clear the wash as much as possible beforehand

- Run with something to break up the bubbles (rings, ceramics, glass, forks, etc)

- Make sure you clean the coil regularly
Keep posting your findings, this is all good experimentation that will help everyone!

[alan]

Im now cleaning the coil every 2nd run. and so far ive had no trouble.I will carry on filtering the wash as it seems to also help. I have just done a run with out any problem. just the odd burp.The last wash was a vodka star. after filtering its gin clear going in to the still. I also only 1/2 fill the still even so im still getting

almost 1ltr 45/50%

[Jimmy]

I've wondered whether that Vodka Star makes any difference - let us know what you think!

[Phantom]

Im now cleaning the coil every 2nd run. and so far ive had no trouble.I will carry on filtering the wash as it seems to also help. I have just done a run with out any problem. just the odd burp.The last wash was a vodka star. after filtering its gin clear going in to the still. I also only 1/2 fill the still even so im still getting

almost 1ltr 45/50%

I'm not familiar with the "vodka star" thing. Maybe you have a link for where you get it
As for cleaning the condenser, that's not such a bad idea, though I might have to find something that will squirt hot/boiling water through it or at least take the lid/cover/condenser apart to do that properly..
what do you reckon
p.s. Oh and I only found the burping thing because one batch of spirit from my super reflux still came out cloudy and I was re-running it to remove the cloudy bit in the table top still.
Plus it happened once with a cider batch that I hadn't cleared.
What strength is the "vodka star" wash before you distill it

[Jimmy]

"Alcotec Vodka Star is designed for extremely pure fermentations. It will produce 25 litres of 14% alcohol in 5 - 6 days."
It's the pure bit that interests me, I'm curious as to whether it makes any difference or is just hype - one of these days I'll buy some and report back!

[Phantom]

Ah, my local HBS does the "still spirits" range. They recommend the "triple distilled" yeast/carbon packs for running with the smart still, the idea being about purity.
I've only tried the alcotec stuff a couple of times, it's just less hassle to go down the local HBS and buy what he sells!