StillSmart

Evening folks

I was just wondering, before I upgrade to one. Do any of you wish that you had bought a something different if you could rewind the clock?

Matt

Hi MattN

I built my own still but on several occasions I thought, "I'm sure buying a T500 would have been easier" but I'm happy I didnt, for under £300 you could convert a 50lt keg into a boiler and build a nice column that you could use for both strip runs and spirit runs, the drawback with the T500 is it has a small ish boiler and you can't run it as a pot still for stripping/flavoured spirits without paying some more £££ for the pot still top, because of the plastic bits in the standards reflux column.

I will not be buying one.

I prefer to run my stills unattended and I really don't like the water waste.

Yes, I could imagine building one... but sadly that is when reality quickly kicks in. When it comes to anything of a DIY nature I remember that my hands are made from doughnuts and my fingers from sausages.... So that is not an option.

Matt

the thing about the T500 is you can't leave it alone. if you have done the reading about it you'll be ok. i'm in the same boat i couldn't build one, i dont regret my T500 but having a pot would be nice to try the whiskey and rum. So i think i will have to buy the pot head for my still.if you want to run a still unattended then the T 500 isn't the one for you

You really shouldn't run any still unatended unless you have full automation and multiple layers of safety features.

As for the T500 itself - well there are other options available. Its up to you in the end and you should write a list and compare the options.

Thanks for the reply's. What other option are out there? I have seen some Chinese versions on Ebay as well as some from Poland. The T500 seems to be the only ready to use one that I can see in the UK.

Matt

Myles wrote:As for the T500 itself - well there are other options available. Its up to you in the end and you should write a list and compare the options.

The unattended caught my eye in this thread.
Certainly in the earlier days of this site,people were posting of running strip runs on an electrical timer,with the Air still family of stills,which I can see working,
I do not see how any other unattended run would work.
With any still.
And would not recommend.
I usually run the same neutral washes,and can leave alone for ten minutes,sometimes a little longer,on a big brother version of an air still,any more time I would consider foolish/irresponsible/dangerous.
Quite what some respondents to this thread are running,I cannot guess at,to speak of unattended runs.
Stay safe people.You are a short time here,and a long time gone.
I,for one,would like to see you all stay around.
And as always,I am ready to be corrected.My knowledge of this craft is a blend of my experience and that of others kind enough to share.

Robert.

I noticed that at well and was wondering what he was running. Riku's book has some interesting ideas on automatic stills (not pot stills!). And I think that Odin's iStill can run automatically, but it is computer controlled. So I will concede that it is possible in specific cases but seems highly risky in most.

Mashy wrote:I prefer to run my stills unattended and I really don't like the water waste.

please replace "unattended" with "without continuous attention"

MattN wrote:Thanks for the reply's. What other option are out there? I have seen some Chinese versions on Ebay as well as some from Poland. The T500 seems to be the only ready to use one that I can see in the UK.

Matt

Myles wrote:As for the T500 itself - well there are other options available. Its up to you in the end and you should write a list and compare the options.

Depends how much work you wish to do. You can get an SD Milk Can boiler for less than the price of a T500. Of course you then need to get / make / or have made, a column to go with it. Or you can go down the keg boiler route.

30 litre stove top boiler is an option. 30 litre keg on an electric hotplate is another. Gas or electric (I recommend electric for ease of use)

MattN wrote:What other option are out there? I have seen some Chinese versions on Ebay as well as some from Poland.
Matt

i wouldn't buy a still unless i knew something about how they operate or how others rated them. For me the T500 works not to big or small, i only have space for 2 25l fermenters. So being able to run the 25l all at once is good but i've noticed we always want a larger still 50l or 100l. I work out of the kitchen(which if truth be told) my wife hates. if you get one the temperature sender will leak buy PTFE tape and read everything about T500 first it will help you
good luck on your choice
jag

I don't regret buying my T500 because I didn't have the skills or workshop to build my own. It was a nice assist to get me into this hobby as it has been for lots of people. A set of training wheels. I like the 25 litre size. It keeps the barrels and the ingredients at a reasonable scale. Everything gets a lot bigger and heavier when you are filling 50 litres.

The T500 is a bit tricky to drive on account of the the cooling travelling halfway down the column. When you start adjusting water flow the cooling quickly affects the reflux in the whole column and it fluctuates up and down until equilibrium is re established.

Plus you might find you want to use a pot still option early on for stripping or making whiskey, fruit brands and rums. The boiler on the T500 is nearly 2000 watts so you would also need a voltage controller to run it as a pot still.

If I was going to do it all again (buy stuff) I'd buy this companies pot boiler and reflux.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/home-living/lifestyle/home-brewing/distillation-equipment/auction-901632053.htm

They used to manufacture the Still Spirits gear and have made a lot of improvements to the T500.
Double skinned boiler. Double element for pot and reflux running. No plastic top section. Water enters at the head so temperature adjustment is more positive. Lots more copper.

I don't know what the shipping costs would do to the price but they retail here for less than the T500 as they sell direct from the factory.

@Jaggie, best reason for the bigger boiler (such as the 100 litre keg mentioned) isn't due to a bigger boiler charge.

Its actually for headspace. It would be very reasonable to put 50 litres of molasses based wash in a 100 litre boiler on a strip run because it can cause a lot of foam.

It can be confusing because most folks selling boilers don't quote actual volume, instead it is typical for them to quote a boiler charge volume. That may be fine for a spirit run but with some washes you have to charge a lot less on a strip run.

25 litre fermenter into a 50 litre keg works just fine. 2 x 25 litre fermenters is probably 3 boiler charges (or more) in a 25 litre boiler. Both scenarios work - just the time duration that is different.

Mr Four Square wrote:
If I was going to do it all again (buy stuff) I'd buy this companies pot boiler and reflux.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/home-living/lifestyle/home-brewing/distillation-equipment/auction-901632053.htm

They used to manufacture the Still Spirits gear and have made a lot of improvements to the T500.
Double skinned boiler. Double element for pot and reflux running. No plastic top section. Water enters at the head so temperature adjustment is more positive. Lots more copper.

I don't know what the shipping costs would do to the price but they retail here for less than the T500 as they sell direct from the factory.

This looks like a great setup. I think that I will contact them re shipping costs.

Thanks

Matt