Stop and Start runs

[BENTCAP]

My 2 gal run of BW in Pot , the coolant temp rose to the point where steam was coming out of the coil, can I stop the run and get more ice than start it up again without ruining the run, can I throw what I already got minus the head and throw it back in and restart along with the previous mash sitting in the pot already.

[ShineRunner]

You can resume the current run if it hasn’t been too long. If it’s been a while, there may be a small concentration of heads at the beginning, but not much, depending on where you were at in the run.

You can also dump it all back in and start again.

Is this a spirit run or stripping run? If stripper, then just keep plugging away until the alcohol is gone. Don’t worry about cuts.

The bigger problem is your worm/flake stand not being sized correctly. You shouldn’t need to change your cooling water during the run, or use ice. The worm should have a constant temperature gradient with hot water at the top and cold water at the bottom. If you add ice to the top, you get shock cooling.

I would just change your water (since you already shut down) and add ice, then finish the run. Then figure out how to improve your worm/flake stand after that.

SR

[BENTCAP]

My coolant temp was around 45, how high can it go, I think I read luke warm, Steam with the drip says that the coolant is too warm , correct? I use about 30 lbs of ice in a cooler with a pump circulating the entire run.

[ShineRunner]

What is your setup? A worm with recirculation in the reservoir? Or some kind of Liebig? How big of a bucket for the worm?

A coolant exit temp of 45 (I assume Celsius?) is nowhere near too warm. Your coolant just needs to be cool enough to condense all the vapor. If it’s not condensing it all and the water is cool enough, your condenser is likely too short or your power is too high (or both) and you’re blowing through the condenser.

Also, are you sure it’s steam exiting? What temp is your condensate (product)? Are you distilling outside? Sometimes in the winter, you will get warm air exiting the condenser that looks like steam, but is really just rapidly cooling warm air.

SR

[BENTCAP]

Pot still with a coil in a reservoir, 45 F, I did have it a little on power, normally it wold last, inside distilling and the output was cold to the touch. I'll watch the temp of the boil and slow down the drip when I rerun it. Thanks, I think you answered my question, I'm running it too fast.

[ShineRunner]

I don’t think you’re running too fast. If your distillate is cold, it’s almost certainly not steam (uncollapsed vapor) escaping. If your distillate was 150 or so, I’d be concerned. But I’m guessing you’re possibly even over cooling it which is causing what looks like steam. Let your reservoir warm up and I bet it goes away.

Edit: In my experience, when I’ve seen this stuff before, the “steam” kind of dances out of the outlet, like the vapor above a hot cup of coffee. Uncollapsed vapor looks like steam coming out of a tea kettle. It has pressure behind it and moves much faster.

As an example, I run a shotgun and recirculate my water. My shotgun inlet temp is usually around room temp, 60-70F, usually higher as the run progresses. My shotgun water outlet temp is usually about 125 or so, sometimes higher. My distillate runs anywhere from 65ish to up to 120 on a stripping run, and it’s all ok. No steam.

SR

[OtisT]

Is it possible that the “steam” is actually smoke from scorching?

Do you use an internal electric element? Is you wash clear, or is it a cloudy wash? It is a BW wash, so possibly yeast trub settled on the element and scorched.

Otis

[BENTCAP]

Propane heat source. Wash is clear it is a BW, the sediment wasn't in the pot. I turned it down and on the reheat, the coolant lasted the whole run, I stopped at 20%abv and it seems good. I'm learning a ton but there's always 2 tons more to learn. Today was the first day I sampled and it's sweet but still a little musty at the end of the run.

[OtisT]

Propane heat source. Wash is clear it is a BW, the sediment wasn't in the pot. I turned it down and on the reheat, the coolant lasted the whole run, I stopped at 20%abv and it seems good. I'm learning a ton but there's always 2 tons more to learn. Today was the first day I sampled and it's sweet but still a little musty at the end of the run.

Musty would be the Tails.

[MoonBreath]

Onliest time that ever happened to me was when my pump played out...Make sure coil and all other circulatory is matched, open and clear..
Ifn you wait for puffs of smoke, thats what you get, puffs of smoke.
Small still like that, slow down some with your charge, maybe throwin to much heat to it.

[BENTCAP]

Thanks Guys, I ran a Spirit Run this afternoon and I got Rocket fuel for my Lawnmower 160 /80
I took all of my cuts and threw them in the pot , no water added , almost the full run was 160/80 , I cleaned my jar covers with it, it takes Sharpie marking off like nothing.
Played with the pot all day, 3 runs again learned a lot.