Cleaning a sealed still?

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Fishy60
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Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Fishy60 »

The still I recently built hasn't been used in a long while so it is in desperate need of cleaning. The problem is I didn't think out my design to well when it comes to cleaning it out. It's completely sealed. I was wondering if there was anything I could run through it to give it a thorough cleaning without having to reach inside and scrub it.
ShineRunner
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by ShineRunner »

How long has it been? Is it funky inside? Or just not "fresh"? What kind of still is it? Knowing what you're working with can help give better answers.

If you have dirt or other chunky stuff that needs to be scrubbed, could you use a carboy brush to scrub inside? Otherwise, I wouldn't worry much about it. Rinse it out, run vinegar if you really want, then a sacrificial batch, if you want. When I let my still sit for more than 6 months, I usually just run my sacrificial wash through (I save it for reuse) and call it good enough. Works for me. I believe others do more, and some do less.

SR
Pikey
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Pikey »

I think you have a couple of choices. Personally I'd cut it and make a cleaning hatch. You could cut it square or circular and then weld or solder (depending on whether it's stainless or copper) connecting plates or flanges so it could be resealed.

As an alternative, you can put a cleaning solution into the body and boil it ? Possibly put some gravel in there and swill it around so it acts as an abrasive combined with the cleaning solution. This is worth a try and would entail less strucural work. The downside of that is that you never know for certain how clean it really is.

My own cleaner of choice is oxalic acid which is fairly cheap and seems to clean anything I put in it - but by all means test several before making a decision.
jb-texshine
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by jb-texshine »

Fishy60 wrote:The still I recently built hasn't been used in a long while so it is in desperate need of cleaning. The problem is I didn't think out my design to well when it comes to cleaning it out. It's completely sealed. I was wondering if there was anything I could run through it to give it a thorough cleaning without having to reach inside and scrub it.
How do you fill it?
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Mikey-moo
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Mikey-moo »

jb-texshine wrote:
Fishy60 wrote:The still I recently built hasn't been used in a long while so it is in desperate need of cleaning. The problem is I didn't think out my design to well when it comes to cleaning it out. It's completely sealed. I was wondering if there was anything I could run through it to give it a thorough cleaning without having to reach inside and scrub it.
How do you fill it?
That's what I was wondering!
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still_stirrin
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by still_stirrin »

Fishy60 wrote:The still I recently built hasn't been used in a long while...
And this statement is screwed up too! :crazy:

I can understand "new old stock". But this says, "old new stock"....?
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Snackson
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Snackson »

Here's a link to his still, http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 0#p7404696
I remember reading that thread. It looks like there isn't a fill port or removable cap. Gonna be a pain to clean.
jb-texshine
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by jb-texshine »

Cut chop rebuild. <easiest.
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still_stirrin
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by still_stirrin »

jb-texshine wrote:Cut chop rebuild. <easiest.
+1.

It's copper. Make an access...you can solder it back.
ss
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NZChris
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by NZChris »

It depends on what's in it that you need to remove. Tell us what it is that you're worried about and you should get better answers.
Fishy60
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Fishy60 »

Mainly oxidation
StillerBoy
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by StillerBoy »

Fishy60 wrote:Mainly oxidation
Make a citric acid solution, something like 1/4 cup of citric to a gallon of water, and work the water around for about an hour.. then do a sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) rinse.. best copper cleaner around, inside as well as outside on copper.. then finish off with vinegar if you want, but not needed..

Mars
Last edited by StillerBoy on Tue Jan 31, 2017 10:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Fishy60
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Fishy60 »

I did a sacrificial run and this is what the thumper caught
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rad14701
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by rad14701 »

@Fishy60

That's why we state that it isn't clean until it's clean... Do as many cleaning cycles as it takes to get your rig good and clean...
Fishy60
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by Fishy60 »

It will be getting many more cleaning runs. I'm gonna try what stiller boy said.
StillerBoy
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Re: Cleaning a sealed still?

Post by StillerBoy »

Fishy.. before doing more cleaning runs, do some citric acid wash first.. from the picture, you may have to do a few of them, make a mix as mention in my previous post, cap the opening off, and shake the hell out of it, and give it time to do its work like a couple of hours in between each acid wash.. so get yourself a kilo of the acid from brew shops, store it a glass jar and it will keep for a long time.. always handy to have when you are playing with copper..

Mars
" I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, Obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my knowledge and understanding "

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