Cleaning run in first pot still

[Endysis]

Did a vinegar cleaning run in my pot still last night! Once I got over the initial fear of being blown up, or busted for distilling vinegar in my garage , it was a lot of fun, and definitely a learning experience. I did the mirror trick to look for leaks, and didn’t get any fogging, but I did notice a tiny spot at the top of my column where the 90* fitting attaches, it looked like there was a minute amount of liquid bubbling through the soldered joint… is it worth fluxing, soldering, and doing the whole cleaning process again? Or should I just toss a little flour paste on there and call it good?

I figured for just a 20 minute run (with the condenser on), 6 gallons of cold water would be enough to run my 24” Liebig, but it was not knocking down all of the vapor and that 6 gallons was steaming hot half way through the run… will this be different with an ethanol run, or do I just need way more/a constant supply of water?

Things I learned:
- It takes forever to boil six gallons with my propane burner
- Don’t let your cooling lines get too close to your boiler (oops!)
- You need A LOT of ventilation to run propane in your garage (I initially had one door cracked about 4", the window all the way open, and the back door open, and I still managed to set off a smoke detector.. although this may have been due to the paint burning and peeling off of my new Bayou Classic propane burner... but I set up an exhaust fan out the attic window, and that seemed to do the trick)
- I was skeptical, but the “everlasting PTFE gasket”, with an easy flange works a treat! I didn't have any vapor loss, even without flour paste!

[ipee7ABV]

i would use a flour paste for now but if you do any other mods fix her up. the vapors should be the same make sure your water is flowing opposite of your product and you might be able to turn down the heat after it gets to temp.

[Endysis]

Thanks for the reply! Yep, have the cold going in the bottom and hot coming out the top of the condensor... Was thinking it may have been a temp issue as it was really cranked up at the beginning of the boil. Don't have a thermomoter anywhere on the setup so I was just going by feel... Will probably get the hang of it better with more experience. Will probably run it way slower and more cautiously with Ethanol too.

[Prairiepiss]

If your going to be using it a bunch. Now the time to fix it right. Before you do your sacrificial alcohol cleaning run. Get it fixed right now so you don't have to worry about it later. Then you can worry about the rest of the stuff you need to learn. You go to fix it later and you will need to do the cleaning runs again. And waist more time you could be stillin a good drink.

[Braz]

Do what PP says.

I had a teeny-tiny liquid leak at one joint on my pot still that I tried to ignore and patch as necessary. It bothered me every time I ran the thing. Then one day I was soldering something else and decided to point the torch at the leaky fitting. Didn't need to take it apart or add more flux. Just heated it enough and the solder already in the joint flowed where it needed to be and stopped the leak.

[Endysis]

Alright, I will heed your good advice and try hitting it with the mapp torch

Thanks for the replies! Will post again when I do my throw away ethanol run.

[Endysis]

Well, I guess I should have prefaced the question by saying that I am a completely hopeless "sweater"... Plumbing in general and I do not get along, and water furthermore, seems to have it out for me for some reason.

I hit the void area with the mapp torch and ended up melting most of the solder in the joint away. Tried to apply some new solder and basically chased holes in the seam, round and round for an good half hour or so, generally making it worse and worse, until it got so hot that the reducing coupler, two pieces down from the joint i was "fixing", fell out and hit the ground... I spent a good hour trying to redo this seam, then that one... And now the whole head is basically a disaster. Had to just walk away.

So tomorrow it looks like I will completely disassemble the head, clean all of the pieces, sand, flux, solder, scrub and run the vinegar again. Hopefully I will have better luck/skill this time around...

[Prairiepiss]

Sory to hear that. But you get more practice.

When you have two joints that close. Wrap a rag soaked in cold water around the one your not working on. This will generally cool it enough that it doesn't fall apart or come unsoldered.

[fullhouse]

i can boil 6 gals of water in about 25 mins on my burner...u may need to adjust the air valve on ur burner and it helped with the fumes in my 12x16 still house also

the way i adjusted mine was

put my pot on with water in
turned the flame up fairly high
and adjusted the air intake till little or no orange licks we visible where the flames hit the pot
soot on the pot doesn't happen then either

[Prairiepiss]

Good call fullhouse. I didn't even think of that because I don't run gas. But makes since.

[Endysis]

Thanks for the wet rag trick! Didn't even think of that.. Will be most helpful tomorrow.

And thanks full house for the tip on airflow.. Will try that as well!

[freespirited]

Add some flux around the fitting heat with mapp and add some more solder. Your going to have to make sure it is dry or it will never heat.