StillSmart

At the risk of stating the obvious or worse talking bollocks

As I read up more about the theory of reflux columns it seems that an important point is that the reflux condenser coil should be clear above the column packing
Of course we load and maybe clean the column with it upside down so I suspect all the copper saddles and some of the ceramics drop into this area and do not always fall back down when the column is fitted back the right way up
So.... I gave the middle and top of the column a few sharp taps with a wooden spoon, heard a few rattles and the output appears to have speeded up with a better ABV on latest run

Or is it just me.

I've seen drawings of most ways (packing through the relux area, above and only below).

In theory you are using the CM coil to tweak the reflux to where you want it (fast and relatively speaking low abv or slow and higher abv) so packing above the coil should be superflous as anything getting past the coil should be the ABV you want.

As for packing around the coil I'd say that anything that helps to transfer the cooling effect of the CM coil to the vapour can not be a bad thing so packing the coil with mesh should make it more efficient but less sensitive to sudden fluctations in coil temp changes.

Both LM and VM normally have the packing below the coil. But they also have the take off point below the coil as well where as the T500 has the take off point above the coil.

IMHO I can't see that packing above the coil would hurt in ABV terms but it might lower the throughput.

I have packed the column above my T500 coil with copper mesh to try to remove any sulphides etc remaining at that point.

Fair comment Mr C just tonights run been best yet
I take on board your point about scrubber/mesh in the coil but suspect ceramic saddles don't help
Definitely seen a marked improvement in flow ,ABV even top temperature behaving more like its supposed too !

Whatever I'm happy c

I've got my T500 column packed as follows. From the top.

Copper mesh above the coil, the coil is surrounded by those little copper things that come with the T500, a single 'stuff' of copper mesh below the coil and the rest of the lower section of the column is packed with the ceramics.

Sorry - I wasn't dismissing your post about not packing above the coil - I was agreeing that it could up the throughput with no change to the ABV. It was only when I read my post back that I realised I'd 'disguised' that point!

I have now invested the princely sum of £20 (inc p & p) from my best friend amazon for a 'point and shoot' infrared thermometer so I can see whats going on in the boiler and column(s)
I will let you know how it performs !

Right then the point and shoot infra red thermometer doesn't like shiny stainless steel but a bit of black insulating tape applied and it works
Think there's something in this column packing theory. Just pulled a litre at 94% in a half hour