StillSmart

Sometimes you have to ask a question which shows you're a bit of an idiot ...never mind
I use the AirStill Carbon Cartridges - the little cylinders with a hole through the middle
I soak them in water over night. A while ago I put one in water in a bowl - the bowl in a cupboard - and forgot about it.
Now, three weeks later, I've just rediscovered it, still sitting in its bowl of water. Obviously, the thing has no value - but I'm curious to know whether it is still usable or not.

I regret to say that it never had any value in the first place - well, not as a filter for alcohol anyway!

It should be a prosecutable offence to pretend those things have any value for filtering distillate, the only drawback is that our hobby is illegal so they know we can't go after them - bastards!

OK! I know, calm down! But the manufacturers and sellers/promoters of those things get right up my nose!

Sorry guys, I'm OK now.

AM

Ive just got rid of mine..

They are absolutely useless and its the worst thing still spirits produce.
What makes things worse is that HB shops sell "loose" cartriges cheaper that are fish filter cartriges. THEY DO NOT WORK.
only buy the cartriges in genuine boxes \ wrapping if you must use them...
The genuine ones, I would run warm water hold them under the running water for a few mins...
These would filter OK at a blistering snails pace...
If youve left it for a while, i wouldnt bother using.

Ive brought an essencia 80quid filter today, got home tonight - opened it and the carbon cartrige is not in the box.

I am still smarting about it...

Rich

Look - thank you for your replies - but I was hoping for a reply to my question
I have never understood why on this forum - which is a Stillsmart forum after all - there are people who feel they have to lead a crusade against these products

I am sure that 'real' alcohol hobbyists get more pleasure from concocting their own recipes - but let me put on record why I use the still spirits produtcs about twice a month

I find that after distillation there remains a faint 'dirty' smell, once the alcohol is diluted to 40%
I run it through the carbon filter. It takes typically about a day - and yes - soaking over night in warm water is a good idea. The results are good. The odour disappears and the taste is pure alcohol with a slight overtone which is very agreeable

So look - we are all entitled to our opinion, but rubbishing the product like this is just ridiculous.
I'll throw the old one away and use a new one.
But for goodness sake - if someone asks a question about these products, let's have some real replies, not just negative advertising by the opposition
Thank you and good night !

Calm down calm down you'll end up turning to drink

It might be called 'Stillsmart' this here forum but believe me it's got nothing whatsoever to do with Still Spirits ! (unless jimmy's not telling us something) or indeed with any brand or manufacturer

That filter should work ok even after that time in water,when I first used them I think I ran about 3 bowls through before changing

The boys are right though they are crap compared to other ones I tried a Z filter after that much faster better but messy to fill and empty and eventually got rid because it tended to leak

I now use an essencia but refill cartridges myself dead easy quick and cheap after initial purchase

So nobody has any axes to grind on here only experience to share

Enjoy

Another Noobie here..heads down lol!

So more of a Hypothesis than putting it into practice:

I have read elsewhere you can "re-use" activated carbon if you boil it well and then stick it in the oven for some time (a friend with a T500 has used the same stuff for over a year ). This is obviously meant for the granulated sort (I have a question about that in a minute), but would the same thing THEORETICALLY work with these little cartridges? I know they are relatively cheap but every penny in HB adds appeal to the commercial stuff!

And as Admiral Toad so kindly mentioned his experience..How many bowls can you run through ne before they are even worse than normal lol!

Oh! and that question about granulated activated carbon??...I have plans for a small inline carbon filter..where is the best place in the UK to get the Right sort of Carbon (I've read fish carbon isnt appropriate)??

No need to duck here, stand up and be counted.

There are a few threads on carbon filters, here is one that may answer some of your questions.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1112

I did buy one packet of Carbon but never used it. I simply asked for it from the local HBS. They had to order it in and it took about 4 days to arrive.

Using activated carbon can be a dirty business and the stuff is so cheap I wouldn't bother trying to recycle it.

All that washing, rinsing, baking and drying, who's going to pay me for all that time?

I'm not sure what type of filter you're using but with the Essencia I just empty the carbon into a plastic bag, tie a knot in the top and bin it nice and neat. then just refill the cartridge

AM

OK I will probably get crucified for this, but I don't understand why you use carbon filters at all.

The way I understand it is this. In the beginning, someone designed a really basic still that did not separate any of the components. All it did was to remove some of the water.

Then they adapted a fuel grade yeast system to produce a yeast that almost could be relied on to be stressed to the point it produced bad flavours. The quick and easy answer was to build a carbon filter to clean it.

You do not need it. Use a wine or lager yeast to ferment to a reasonable level. Lets say 8 to 10 %ABV. You want vodka? Do multiple runs with your airstill, discarding heads and tails each time. It will get clean without carbon - it just takes a bit longer.

Flavoured brown spirits are a bit more difficult

I thought there were quite a few commercial companies that also filter their spirits with Carbon (and I guess the inside of th ebarrels to some extent)?

Having said that with stripping the wash first AND using liquid carbon in the wash (although thats more because I'm still starting and currently using turbo yeasts), I'm less concerned with filtering afterwards, especially after reading Alcotecs website about using both.

However I plan to make a sealed stainless steel cylindrical filter which I can siphon the alchohol through using the alcotec Carbon, just to see how much difference it makes. At that point as I'm only using a few litres at a time I might need to try and refresh it before using it again as it will most likely dry out between filterings.

The only issue is I can't weld and I dont know how to attach the small copper inlet and outlet pipes to the steel container..any ideas? Hmmm, how quickly will 40% alchohol eat through silicon sealant?

I think this is heading towards a different topic

Easiest way is to drill a hole in the stainless tube, then put a stainless bolt through it and try to seal the hole - you won't seal it and alcholol will drip through it.

By playing around with the bolt, tightening and slackening it, you will adjust the amount that it leaks, or if you want to sound good, you could call it adjusting the flow rate.

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Myles wrote:OK I will probably get crucified for this, but I don't understand why you use carbon filters at all.

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Myles

We have always tried not to crucify anybody here including Airstill users and turbo yeast fanatics, it seems to be bad for moral.

I am fortunate and have just enough space in my shed to run a BOK. If I was limited, like so many people, to making spirits on a windowsill and it was going to be an Airstill or nothing, then I may have chosen the Airstill and tried to make the best of it.

The chap in my local HBS sells Airstills. He has sold over 800 of them and appears to make a make a living out of supplying the purchasers with essences, turbo yeasts and carbon filters etc. To put in into perspective, in the same period he has only sold four T500 reflux stills. This is for walk in customers only - she does not even have a web address. I wonder how many of these little devices there are scattered around the country.

Until I read Mozr’s and Aidan’s breakdown I did not realise the amount of effort that the Airstill users put into these little machines. It takes about 30 hours of still time to process just one 25 litre ferment, I think that if I was putting that much effort into the process then I would want to maximize the returns and may be tempted to use turbo yeast / carbon filters.

You say “It will get clean without carbon - it just takes a bit longer” – maybe the time that they are spending with their still is long enough for some. With an 8 or 10% wash that you suggest you could be talking about 30 hours stilling to produce a couple of bottles of spirit..

It is all part of a learning curve, some stick with the manufactures recommendations other get past them and try for quality rather than quantity. Either way I am happy both you and they are here and that all crucifixions are banned.

OK, perhaps I was a bit out of sorts when I posted. Sorry.

I have filtered myself in the past when using a simple 5 litre pot still. If you have to do it because the equipment you use makes it necessary, then you have no choice.

I just object in principle to a system which is self fulfilling. Once you start down that route you are stuck in it until you change your equipment.

If you are going to filter then I can say that the methods at the end of the activated carbon e-book do work. Make sure your carbon is completely saturated before use, and the filter cartridge has no air in it before you start to filter.

I used to set up my filter and store it filled with alcohol that I reserved for the purpose. Because I have an AGA I used the oven recycling method - it smells real bad!!

YHB you're quickly becoming my hero lol!

Myles, from my side of the fence re posts, no worries. I know airstills are pretty much the most basic way/easiest of safely making drinkable alchohol but YHB hits it on the head about space/time constraints and quality vs effort.

I had hoped to make my filter so I could attach plastic tube top and bottom to the outlet pipes so being a seled unit it would be a bit like a fuel filter with the booze dripping in at the top and running out the botom, but stainless bolts sound a far far better idea than the off cuts of copper pipe I had got hold of.. I wonder if its possible to to get a threaded stainless tube/bolt? hmm...time to hit the DIY websites again

Speedy, you could always just fit a small valve on the bottom to control the flow rate.