Help! My AirStill Overflowed/Exploded

[macbourbon]

Hi,

I'm a first timers and purchase one of the Airstills by Stillspirts. I've used the still about 4 times and low and behold today it overflowed/exploded after receiving about 350ml compared to 700ml which I usually get.

I'm devo at the moment Someone mentioned about removing the plastic assemblies, the only plastic is the lid can anyone confim that this is correct or is there something else I should be looking at.

I would really appreciate any assistance

Cheers

[Godstilla]

Glad you survived the explosion. Throw it away and build or buy a real still.

[trthskr4]

For some reason I think I've heard of that before. Just the top popped open, right? If so do a search and see what you get.

[grunger]

I use one to strip my washes and I've had this happen once before.
Try this:
1.) Don't fill right full. I usually only put 3.5L instead of 4L
2.) Put some copper pieces in the boiler. It will smooth the boil and not cause it to surge the top off.

[theholymackerel]

2.) Put some copper pieces in the boiler. It will smooth the boil and not cause it to surge the top off.

Excellent advice. Boilin' chips work so well to smooth out a boil.

[Usge]

If you are talking about those things like easy stills, yes...the plastic is in the head. It also uses a silicone gasket and grommet. If you took the head apart, you'll see there is a silicone rubber that goes from the output tube/coil to the little hard plastic drip nozzle. It basically just drips down through and on plastic. That's not good and can be fixed. But, that isn't what your still puked.

If your wash/mash foams and all it goes up and clogs/blocks the input/coil tube in the top causing it to build up pressure and pop the top off. You can solder a small piece/tab to try and shield/protect the hole some. You can also use small pieces of copper or marbles or boiling chips to help break up the bubbles into smaller ones. But, it won't stop this from happening if you are using really foamy washes. Usually, that's from runnin' a sugar wash that ain't done fermenting. (it will foam like crazy).

[punkin]

Mac pm'ed me after reading what he could find and i advised this post. I'm hopeless on the searches (and don't have time to wade through stuff that's not important to me) but i know what i've read here.
I know one of the mods here had placed a good post on retro fitting the airstills to remove the plastic parts and i know there was a puking/exploding thread from another operator that i thought went to a conclusion/modification.

Just didn't know how to find em..

If others with better skills or memories for keywords could drag those links up it'd be appreciated.

[Usge]

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5862

Has some of the info in it.

Basically, I attached a 90 degree compression union to the end of the coil (I think it was 3/8 inch). This fits perfectly in the plastic nose area. Then I cut the bottom of the plastic nose out with an Xacto knife so I could attach a small length of 3/8 inch copper tube to the other end of the compression union and have room for it to exit the bottom. I angled/bent this tube slightly so that it angled out..away from the body of the distiller and into the top of a collection jar.

Husker used a 3/8 copper tube with a flared end...to sit up against the end of the coil. Either way, the point is to fix it so you aren't running your distillate through all that plastic/silicone.

Disassemble: Take off the grommet that seals the head to the pot (make specific note of the position/angle of it so you can put it back on correctly...or it will leak). Loosen the screws and separate the plastic shroud on top from the head/motor/coil assembly. If you look under the bottom, where the coil enters the body of the pot from the top lid, there is a small rubber silicone grommet that holds the coil in and seals it from the pot. Push the coil up slightly from there, and lift it straight up, wiggle a bit. And the coil will come up/off. When putting it back...note that some of the fins straddle the plastic frame at key points. Careful not to bend them. Work slowly.

I believe Husker had a mod of soldering a small deflector next to the exit hole in the top to act as a splash shield. The thing was/is, we were using the water distiller versions of the modified easy stills. It required an additional mod of soldering up the chlorine vent hole. It also had higher wattage (temps) so it tended to boil more vigorously. Worked fine for stripping wash, but I sure wouldn't want to try and do cuts on it (although I guess it might be possible). Distillate came out hot.

[greenwitch00]

Hi, I'm a newbie to the site - have been using one of the same airstills for about 18 months.

I had the same problem and talked to my homebrew shop guy about it and he recommended using a 'distilling conditioner' which is a defoaming agent. The one I use is Still Spirits brand. I got some of that and I haven't had a problem since. You just put 3mls (a capful) into each 4lt. It adds so little expense to the cost and has given me a lot of peace of mind. And it's an easy solution for a complete novice. Yes, it does seem to be because of unfermented sugars , (which still sometimes seem to be there after fermentation has stopped, does anyone know why?).

[SuperDavid]

do you guys not check your gravity readings before running the wash?
if it hasn't finished fermenting then surely your wash isn't clear either?

maybe if it has finished fermenting you guys need to give it stir to get all the co2 out, then let it clear and then put it in the air still?
I've used an air still and I've never had a problem with the top popping. But I always let my wash finish fermenting.

[greenwitch00]

Yes, I do check my gravity readings; and I stir, and use finings to clear the wash. I don't know what else I can do and there isn't anybody I can ask (except the homebrew shop guy during his shop hours, which is not usually when I'm distilling). I guess it's a matter of muddling along and trying to sort things out as you go. Good distilling is an art like any other; practice, trial and error and seeking help/information on a forum like this is the only option open to most of us novices.

[rad14701]

greenwitch00, the home brew shop guy just wants to sell product and doesn't give one shit whether you are successful or not... The nicer he is to you the more times you'll g back with questions and walk out with more of his products and less money in your pocket... Chances are good that he has never even actually used what he is selling you...

If you aren't trying to reach for the stars as far as ABV of your washes you shouldn't be having problems... If you are experiencing foaming during distillation then it's quite possible that you've pushed the capabilities of your yeast and have unfermented sugars left over eve though your readings are showing decent ABV...

I'll go out on a limb and guess that the brew shop guy is selling you Turbo yeast which is part of your problem... Not only will Turbos be more likely to leave unfermented sugar behind because you're pushing for extreme ABV but they will also require that clearing agent the shop will be more than willing to sell you...

Now, if you feel that you simply must use Turbo yeasts, backing down the amount of sugar will help insure better results... I'd suggest backing down about 20% on sugar for starters and make adjustments up or down from there...

Or, if we can convince you to, try using bakers yeast and be content with almost fool-proof ferments and distillation runs... Although the yield may not be as great, you will save money in supplies and aggravation throughout the entire process... After you master bakers yeast you could always try wine yeasts for further experimentation if you are so inclined... Chances are that once you get bakers yeast working well for you, you won't bother trying any others...

Good luck and welcome to the forums...