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This is a great thread! Reinforces my belief that when you ask a question in the right way that support will come that is considered and generous - restoring my faith somewhat in our community of distillers

No, not flooding and neither is this flooding in my video

Flooding is where the level of condensate on top of the packing builds up to such an extent that it is exiting via the offtake.

Have you considered the no valve CCVM design?

Too easy! Just make sure you make contact all around with the walls of the reflux chamber. That is why DAD300 suggested weaving a pot scrubber or two in and around the condenser

Here’s mr RC made from 1/2” OD CSST. It is for a 2” column. I used about 60” from a 72” length to make this. The riser above the offtake is 12” so the overly long RC is not a problem for me. A shorter riser say 6” will be fine, I just had the 12” spool already. http://homedistiller.org/forum/downloa...

NZChris wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:20 pm

kimbodious wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:22 pm

I doubt if you get 12% ABV from a kale wash recipe, I usually get 8-10%

You probably can, but you might be waiting a while for them to finish and the quality might not be as good as at 8%.
If it takes twice as long to finish, use twice as many fermenters.

Agreed!

What length of CSST should I order for a 2" column for the RC? 1/2" x 48" should be good? Only have a 6" extension ontop of the T. Whats the distance from the top of your extension to the bottom of your offtake? That is the more important measurement. 18” (12” extension + 6” to the bottom of the of...

I doubt if you get 12% ABV from a kale wash recipe, I usually get 8-10%

I used a 72” length of 1/2” CSST to make a reflux condenser for my 2” CCVM

Perhaps this schematic will help your understanding of production through a stripping run. Don’t pay much attention to the vessel numbers.

PM sent

Keeping a system in total reflux for a while lets everything stabilise and settle down particularly if you do a fast heat up (I don’t). I’ve experimented with shorter periods and longer periods in total reflux but now I just wait for the signs that it has been long enough. Signs including a change i...

Googe’s Goo (kale wash) Recipe (for a 24 litre pail) 80 grams kale 5 kg sugar Yeast my variation the sugar used is raw sugar I use 1/3rd cup Baker’s Yeast I add 1/4 cup crushed oyster shell for pH buffering I have made dozens of this recipe You don’t add DAP with this recipe, the kale provides the m...

Position of the RC: regular run All the way down for total reflux for about 45 minutes Raise it two centimetres to start to draw off foreshots, for about 15 minutes Raise it a further 10 or 12 centimetres which puts it above the offtake for the remainder of the run Restarts - similar to the above bu...

you can never have too many fermenters, as long as the airlocks are sealed, you are good to go!

Nice looking still :thumbup: If you want high ABV with a CCVM you increase power and lower the reflux condenser. This increases the reflux ratio but slightly reduces rate of output. Product “pissing out” on a 2” CCVM does not sound right. I have 2” CCVM and the sweet spot as far as rate of output fo...

I freeze kale for use later on, You won’t even use that much kale I use 50-80 grams per 24 litre wash. I vitamize the kale into a slurry before adding it to the fermenter

ckdistills, I had the same issue fitting 1/2” CSST in any form of spiral in 2” sanitary spool. What I thought was 1/2 OD was actually #/2” ID. Anyway a broadly wound twist with a couple of scrubbers woven in made for a good enough fit. There is a very square loop at the bottom of your CSST spiral wh...

Excellent strategy to go pot still first before extending the parts list for a CCVM. I use my pot still mostly, it certainly is the main workhouse at my place. I only do one reflux run a year on the CCVM. The annual CCVM is a real doozy involving 40 litres of low wines accumulated after four strippi...

Don’t forget that the kale is just meant to be a source of micronutrients. It is not meant to be in such quantity that it becomes a flavouring agent.

In a 23 litre wash I only use 50 - 80 grams of kale (or about 4 leaves).

That equates to using 1.5 - 3 ounces in a 6 US gallon wash

2. Answer, a bit, maybe 2”, it will depend on the style of RC and water flow
3. Don’t fuss about overkill, 18” with 9 tubes sounds about right anyway.

Geez Booze, I am flattered, I don’t really know what to say. What drives me is the conviction that people can make a cheaper and better modular still system than buying a brand new off the shelf ready made system.

This is one of those hobbies where the best items are all hand-made and not overpriced specialty crap from a retailer. Sure some people can afford the latest and greatest "double wazoo re-refluxing multi-purpose CCVM still", but they can never one-up a well constructed homemade rig ever. Take pride...

I make my final blend before measuring ABV.

You’re going to need a cap on the end of the tee that you are using for an elbow. If you can get your hands on a 3” elbow, you can then put a sightglass on that second tee and put it below the offtake tee

I make my version of faux whisky on a pot still doing 1.5 distillation using processed bran as a flavour base, that and medium roast french oak. It is not whisky, not even a passable faux whisky but it is a fine flavoursome sipping spirit that I use when I’d otherwise use scotch. It has way more ch...

Rubberduck, This recipe makes a great NEUTRAL . There are better recipes for “flavored spirits”, especially for a whiskey-like spirit. Trying to extract flavor from a neutral basic recipe can lead to frustration. But, maybe you’ll get what you want....or, think you want. ss SS totally understand th...

IDPotatohead wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:01 am

Is 1/2" CCST the right diameter for a 2" column?

If there is not enough room to fit it as a coil, you can simply make a twist like I did.

I don’t have any inline water flow control on my 2” CCVM. The water is routed in through the bottom of the product condenser out through the top and then in to the reflux condenser. My reflux condenser probably on extends last the offtake on the tee by less than 10 cm in full reflux. I hope that inf...

Bushman wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 28, 2020 2:34 pm

I strip my kale and run it through the food processor.

Me too, even when I am using the frozen stuff.