StillSmart

cool, I am still going to try other options, but have read that the t500 needs to be run at about 65-70 degrees for us in North America,

all i have to do is try to bet it running at a time when no one in the house is using water,, the main pump goes crazy then,,

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you Kerry. If you need to do it when "no one in the house is using water" a good still run can take upwards of 4 hours.

Icefever wrote:I see from your photo you have the needle valve in line with the gate valve...mine is on the hose pipe..then straight to the liebig...I find that all I need to do is feel the top of the liebig for how warm it is, then by a tweak of the vave I can control the flow.

I already had the needle valve and it was the easiest way of joining the gate valve to the column hose.

Sounds like you are doing some interesting refinements there Ice post a photo if you can

nice,, but this is not too different from running the needle valve from the laundry tub faucet,

Trust me it is completely different. I've tried other options and this works.

A domestic tap is too crude. Nothing much happens as you turn it and then everything happens at once.

A needle valve can control the enth degree of flow once you are in the sweet spot but is hopeless at regulating the flow enough to find the sweet spot.

A gate valve makes it easy to get the flow where it needs to be and make the fine adjustments you need to hold it there.

Yea we are new to this as well, we use the SS needle valve, although I have the patience of a saint it does get frustrating to get the temperature right at the start, we let the temp build up to about 55 then keep adjusting the tap and needle valve until thankfully it usually stays around 51 -52 deg and the flow is quite good.

I know a gate valve looks big and over the top...but it works brill for me..well worth a try.

I have a PRV set to 1.5 Bar and then the needle valve.

So how come it seems to work perfectly for around 3 hours but then goes haywire towards the end of the run?

My PRV is set to 1 Bar and then the needle valve.

Set the temperature to 52c and let it run, it may drift up to 53c and then drop back to 52c.

Works just fine...

Mr Four Square wrote:

GrunthosTheFlatulent wrote:I have a PRV set to 1.5 Bar and then the needle valve.So how come it seems to work perfectly for around 3 hours but then goes haywire towards the end of the run?

Several things are at play ( boil time/ volume reducing/ boil point of the wash in the boiler ) but let's say it's because you've reached a point in the run where most of the alcohol (boiling temperature between 78-82 degrees ) has gone up the spout and into your jars.

Once most of the ethanol has gone the boil temperature starts to rise faster ( smaller volume/ longer boil time/ lower ABV of wash) and so too does the vapour temperature.

The cooling level you've had set for ages can't cope with the higher vapour temperature and so you adjust it. And the vapour temperature continues to rise and you adjust it again...

That temperature rise is sure sign the good stuff is coming to an end.

Spot on Mr FS, it's all what's happening inside the boiler, as you deplete the alcohol in the wash that means there's an higher ratio of h2o...the temp will then start to rise.

I've got a PRV anyone can have it for a drink if they want one...like I said earlier on in this thread I found the needle valve & PRV a complete utter waste of money and time.
Running my 500 now on the gate valve is a dream...no problemo dude as Bart would say.

Doesn't seem to matter how many times we say it Ice Lets see if we can get to an even 10 within the same thread

They reckon the right emoticon at the right time can be a game changer

Mr Four Square wrote:They reckon right emoticon at the right time can be a game changer

I presume that you are aware that Icefever seems to have the worlds monopoly of emoticons.

Ask and he can probably deliver,
I dunno how he finds them,
It's a kind of magic.

Robert.