Newbie advice please

by **geordie** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:12 pm

Hi all, like the forum and got a few questions to ask!
There is a fair bit of talk about \"modified\" stills, mine says it is 320 watts,is this the modified version?
The still takes a while to warm the wash, can i pre warm it before i put it in?
I would like to set it using a timer, but if i am not present then i can\'t discard the initial run off, is there a way round this?
I just got my still a few days ago, ran 6 litres (3 at a time) home brew beer (bitter) through it which was around 5% strong to start with. I discarded the first 50ml of each batch as i understand this is the \"bad\" alcohol.
This gave me 1L of clear liquid at about 22% (using the calculator at homedstiller.org)
I put that through again until i had 700ml at about 35% alcohol
Do i need to discard the first part of the second run or is that safe?
As a comparison i put a little shop bought vodka (40%)on a plate and tried to light it, it burns but only just and very weakly.My own spirit burned much more readily, is it possible that its much stronger than i think?
I will be diluting it with water until i think it is safe to drink.
Cheers!

by **optic** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:58 pm

Geordie yes you have got the modified version,you can preheat the wash in a electric kettle 2ltrs at a time heating it up to 60 celcius stirring all the time,i often do this if i am in a hurry,also you can fill the still up with boiling water while you are warming up the wash to preheat the still,this way you will find the run starts about 20 min after switch on,using a timer is fine thats what i do now its timed to finish about when im due home from work then its just a case of empty the still fill up and fire it up again that way its not a problem doing 2 or 3 runs of an evening,as for discarding heads i dont bother when using sugar washes,i should think with your beer you ran considering the small ammount you run there wont be to much bad stuff there,you only need to discard the heads on the final run if you are running twice.

by **geordie** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:08 pm

Thanks for the quick reply, i have to admit i love my new toy and can\'t wait to play with it!

by **optic** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:14 am

Yes its a fantastic hobby,and i know what you mean we where all desperate to have a go when we first get the gear and no doubt you will be the same as the rest of us and do a run when the wash isnt really clear enough lol,but now i normally give the wash about a week to clear before its run as IMO the clearer it is the smoother the run is and you are not so worried about the still blowing the lid,not had it happen yet,touch wood! but the runs where the wash hasnt been quite as clear as it could have been the run is noisy with the ceramic rings dancing about in the still,also the output from the condenser is erratic,like drip drip stop trickle stop drip.

by **umpa** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:59 pm

Same here, I run a timer but always put a cap full of conditioner in just to make sure it does not blow it\'s top. I also do not worry about heads either, chances are I will double distill and will take the heads out there.
I have to disagree on pre-heating wash tho, the cost of heating the wash to 60C in a kettle (which I bet is 3KW) is not cost efective & if your doing it on a timer it\'s not possible anyway.
I know the reason behind it is to save time, but a run start to finish is only about 2.5 hrs. When using the SRefluxS I leave it on all night, mind you it is doing a 5 gallon batch lol.

by **optic** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:39 am

The kettle i use is 2.3kw and costs 37.5p per hour to run and takes about 4 mins to heat the wash so costs 2.5p,where as the still costs 5.2p per hour so yes it is costly,but im an impatient bugger..lol

cost of electricity

cost per unit / wattage of appliance x 1000 = cost per hour to run

by **blackmoor** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:48 am

I have just finished distilling fourth batch of wash wth my toy. I have the unmodified version, which I use with triac to adjust the heater elements temperature.
From the first batch i have taken 3,6 liters of wash in kettle, let it warm up to almost boiling point (can see little bubbles coming from under the wash) and dump it to the distiller. I put one smashed coffee cup in, and away we go. Not once has the still blown up. Even when I used unclear wash, that started fermenting again after i took out 6 liters of wash to distill

Drippping tarts at 20 minutes, collect 40 ml and throw away. 800 ml in hour and a half. then tails in 2 hours 10 minutes. I end up collecting 6 litres of 60% ABV.
As for filter, I have 5 cm diameter 1 meter pipe, which has a funnel. fill it almost to the top with carbon. Run the stuff through twice. end up with almost odorless and tasteless spirit.
Have to think of someway to filter with covering the funnel AND collection bowl. When I run it though two times, it takes 10 hours, and it has lost some of the alcohol due to the vaporing. any ideas or advices would be nice

by **maverick50** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:39 pm

Do you cut your spirit down to 40% before filtering, if not you should, will go through carbon far better and you should\'nt loose anything.

by **trelliS** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:57 pm

Does anyone use the small aquarium heaters to keep their wash at a constant temperature because at the moment i am struggling to keep my cupboard temp above 16oc at the moment i am using my skinks heat mat and a fleece but the heat mat is just a little bit too small to heat all the base of my wash bucket.I am thinking about purchasing 2, 50 watt ones and wondered if they are suitable for the purpose.
Cheers trelliS

by **jeff5may** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:51 am

trellis, you can indeed use aquarium heaters to warm your fermenting wash. Just remember not to use the cheap plastic ones and to seal the cord airtight thru the lid. I use the steel immersion ones myself. IMHO, they are cheap insurance against cold weather.

good luck,

jeff

by **HangOver** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:54 pm

bloody hell you geordies get every where !

you from newcastle

I used to live in south shields

by **HangOver** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 6:10 pm

btw tht was meant as a freindly welcome, after i re-read it it doesnt really sound like that

by **Phantom** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:03 pm

trellis\'s comment about temperatures......
I ferment all my wash in our dining room, in the corner, but I have one of those garden type thermometers that gives you minimum and maximum temps.
It usually stays around 19 C, but if I see it getting to close to 18 C I use a brewing belt round the bucket, which seems to keep it at about 22 C
It doesn\'t ferment it any quicker, but it does keep it comfortable enough to finish, rather than getting close to sticking.....