Distillers Conditioner

by **optic** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:27 pm

I dare say like a lot of people I was made redundant and I am now doing a job where the pay is crap,hence any way of cutting costs is welcome so I was thinking every time I do a run with the smartstill I put in a cap full of the conditioner, and its made me think you guys that are running reflux stills do you use one cap per run and have no problems if so I was thinking as the smartstill only takes 4 lires perhaps a qauter of a cap full would do the job?.
Optic

by **Ellie-Claire** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:08 pm

I would agree that a quarter of a cap is fine. I add a few drops from the bottle and haven\'t had a problem.

I think it is more important to prepare your wash properly. It is very important not to have carbon in the wash when it goes into the still. This can be in the form of the carbon so fully clear it. Or in the form of CO2 because it hasn\'t been degassed enough or in the form of unfermented sugar so always ferment right out.

If the wash does contain any carbon then it forms on the surface of the wash trapping heat inside and can overheat causing the top to rattle and hot wash spurting out. The distillers conditioner will break the surface tension of the wash and allow the heat to escape. Using the conditioner is a safety aid and you can leave it out but beaware that hot wash spraying out can hurt. I always use it as i wouldn\'t want my cat to get scalded (or me for that matter!).

by **optic** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:55 pm

Ellie-Claire

I think carbon is the problem and I dont use it in my washes now.I have noticed since I have stopped using it the still runs a lot smoother,and another thing no matter how clear the wash looked I always noticed like a tide mark of carbon inside the still when I emptied it.
Optic

by **Opus 27** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:04 pm

I\'m using the SS Super Reflux and I never use conditioner but as I do 30-31 Litre washes I only put 15-16 litres in the still. I also stopped using carbon months ago when I changed to Alcotec 48. So far been plain sailing.
Opus 27

by **marc83** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:57 pm

I use it all the time,ive forgotten it a couple of time though,had no issues.I think its all in the quality of the finished wash.

by **Ellie-Claire** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:16 am

I would say Optic, that the problem was the carbon wasn\'t being cleared properly. Perhaps the degassing hadn\'t been thorough enough so the turboklar didn\'t do a perfect job. As both Alcotec and Still Spirits add carbon to their triple distilled yeasts then it must be there for a reason. I do think a reflux still is efficient enough not to need carbon but the Smart Still needs a cleaner wash and thats what the triple distilled yeasts provide.

by **hoppinmad** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:24 am

I use it all the time,ive forgotten it a couple of time though,had no issues.I think its all in the quality of the finished wash.

i find that using vodka star, fermented dry to 0985-80 and properly degassed means that you dont need conditioner at all and i will only use it occasionally when im not sure that all these conditions are met,
chhers, hoppin

by **Opus 27** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:22 am

Not convinced that theres carbon in Alcotec 48 yeast?
Opus27

by **Jimmy** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:37 pm

Never used the conditioner, as long as you properly clear and degas the wash then it\'s fine. Having said that, sometimes I\'m a little slack and I do get the odd \'burp\' if I\'ve not cleared it properly so I can\'t say I wouldn\'t use it if I had it!

by **Phantom** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:14 pm

Never used the conditioner, as long as you properly clear and degas the wash then it\'s fine. Having said that, sometimes I\'m a little slack and I do get the odd \'burp\' if I\'ve not cleared it properly so I can\'t say I wouldn\'t use it if I had it!

Ah, well I\'ve found that I don\'t get any burps now, there\'s always a handful of rashig rings in the bottom of the smart still and I use a capful of conditioner, whether it\'s a 4litre charge of the smart still of a full 25 litre charge of my reflux still.
I don\'t usually cut the clearing time down to the minimum i.e. I\'ll do the degas and add the finings, then leave it, often for a week or so..... That\'s mainly down to the fact that I don\'t get the time during the week to run the still (though if I\'m in a rush, I\'ll put the smart still on as soon as I get in from work and run the wash that way - 1 batch per evening.....)

by **optic** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:38 pm

I would say Optic, that the problem was the carbon wasn\'t being cleared properly. Perhaps the degassing hadn\'t been thorough enough so the turboklar didn\'t do a perfect job. As both Alcotec and Still Spirits add carbon to their triple distilled yeasts then it must be there for a reason. I do think a reflux still is efficient enough not to need carbon but the Smart Still needs a cleaner wash and thats what the triple distilled yeasts provide.
I think they supply carbon with the triple distilled yeast because they presume that people are going to run the still as per the instructions,i.e collect the first 700mls.

Perhaps the liquid carbon in the wash removes the impurities that are dumped in the 20-50mls of foreshots that a lot of us now do,I certainly have had no problems since I have stopped using the carbon,infact I have several packs of it in the cupboard that came with the yeast and I have not used it.