So I did my vinegar run to clean my still the other day and didn't want to wait for mash so I did a "box wine" sacrificial run tonight (Big box of wine and a gallon of water in my 6 gallon pot)......
I watched the temp go up to about 185-190 and waited...... and waited..... and waited. 3 hours later the thumper would only bubble maybe once a minute and the exit pipe of the thumper never did get hot. I upped the heat to 200 and waited another hour and still nothing.
It started to get late so I upped the temp again to just about boiling.. it was right at 210 and I finally got the thumper bubbling about every second. A couple of minutes later I had drips coming out of the worm.
Since it was sacrificial, I wanted to check it anyway and it proofed at 130......
So, do I forget the temp and listen to the machine or keep the temp and just keep waiting?
Thanks!
First Run:Do I listen the the still or trust the temperature
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Re: First Run:Do I listen the the still or trust the tempera
Put some sticky tape over the thermometer so that you can't read it.
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Re: First Run:Do I listen the the still or trust the tempera
What was the alcohol content of that "big box of wine" you bought.. with the addition of water, you probably diluted the alcohol to a low level, that would explain why you had very little alcohol content, and what you heard in the thumper was probably the begining of water boiling when you reach the 210 degrees level..BumArmBob wrote: (Big box of wine and a gallon of water in my 6 gallon pot)
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Re: First Run:Do I listen the the still or trust the tempera
no buddy as you already suspect the temps are of no great use, trust yourself and how the still is running
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Re: First Run:Do I listen the the still or trust the tempera
Stomp the thermometer , listen to your still , lay the heat to it , and when it goes to work you do too . Balance your heat and coolant flow to achieve the goal you desire . Be it a strip run or a spirit run .
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Re: First Run:Do I listen the the still or trust the tempera
The still has to boil or nothing will happen.BumArmBob wrote: It started to get late so I upped the temp again to just about boiling..