Plastic storage and filtering

[Drunkpartridge]

Hi all,

Maybe th is has been discussed and I have missed it, forgve me If so as I am a total newbie.

I have read quite a bit about the issue of storage in plastic and I can understand the reason behind this. My question is based on a t500 I have and the filtering system which is the still spirits ex filter.

On the still when the alcohol comes out they give you a high grade plastic pipe that is taking very high alcohol probably upto 93 percent . Do you think my quality may be improved by changing this pipe. Secondly again with the filter the alcohol is coming into contact with the plastic holding vessels, will this taint the ,flavour as well. I would be interested to know peoples thoughts.

I unfortunately bought the ez filter before i read enough about the process, a mistake many keen enthusiasts have maybe made. I did buy it mainly due to the storage issues I have, as I live in a very small house we do not have as much room for this habit as I would like.

Thanks

[YHB]

Firstly a little clarification.

The concern raised by many with regard to using plastic is not about “tainting the flavour” or “improving quality” it is about keeping potentially dangerous chemicals out of your spirits.

Many synthetics in contact with high strength vapour or spirits leach various compounds into the product. One example is when certain grades of plastic become brittle after contact with alcohol; this is because the chemicals which keep the plastic soft, ie the plasticisers, have been dissolved into the spirits. These chemicals may in fact be tasteless, and therefore does not even "taint the spirit" but they could still be there.

There is much documentation available that shows the resistance of various grades of plastic to alcohol. What is hard to ascertain is what grade of plastic you have.

Buying a plastic product that is sold to process water but used by people for processing high strength spirits is a different scenario to plastic products that are specifically marketed for use with distilled spirits, where one hopes that the companies involved have done their homework.

There are alternatives to all the plastics used in filtering and storing spirits. Glass, Copper & Stainless Steel items are readily available and do not need to cost a great deal. Have a look around the site there a many discussions on materials and filtering spirits.

Everyone has there own opinion and I am sure that you will get a varied response. My opinion for what it is worth is – Why risk it when it is so easy to do it safely?

SORRY - I forgot to welcome you to the forum.

Hi - I hope you stick around for many years to come.

Toodlepip

Brian

[Capt-Cudellez]

Welcome to the forums. A thing to keep in mind not all plastics are equal. Some are very safe around alcohol, the problem normally lies in you knowing what you have, so as a general rule it's best to avoid them.

The pipe on the t500 looks to be made from PTFE which is very safe with alcohol, silicone and EPDM is also good.

I have PTFE connecting tube on my LM still, and use gaskets made from some of the materials I have mentioned.

[Drunkpartridge]

Thank you both for the information, I understand what you are saying and will keep an eye on this. Thanks for your help.