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I wanted to come back to this. Does anyone have an issues with flavoring by adding chloramined water for dilution and then redistilling? Just curious.

I had a very similar story myself. But man... you would be surprised at the level of detail and things that you can continue to learn as you get more experience in this hobby. There are physics and just overall general knowledge that really can help you put out some really good stuff. My crutch (ori...

Point I definitely recommend you check out your city's water report (generally you can call them and ask for it, or sometimes they have it online for viewing). But most city water's now alternate between chlorine or chloramine in a cyclical fashion. So whenever I draw tap water, for fermentation, I ...

And for those that want to get down and dirty... I've got the 1:1 pdf for (8) 3/8" ID 1/2" OD (K,M or L type, they all are .5" OD) pipes. All you should have to do is print it out and line it up right and mark/punch a starter hole. I used this for my shotgun. 2 Inch Shotgun Condenser ...

Game on! I am gonna work on this over the weekend! (I just priced out those ferrules and Tri-Clamps.... wooooooooo pricy)

Alrighty! This is what the new VM head will look like. No valve (So I guess I have to build a pot still head now for sure hahahhaha) Tell me what you think.

Physics. Love it. I wanna re-draw the drawing real quick and get the blessing before I actually build this. Thanks for the info Yummy!

OOOOHHHHH. You mean get rid of the valve completely and shape the return line into a U shape. I think I see what you mean. But wont the vapor just push through it regardless whether its in a U or a straight pipe? I think that is the part i'm having a hard time grasping.

Arrh Yes . I can now see that you have a valve on the outlet . It wasn’t labeled and my blurry eyes didn’t realise that was what it was . So yes you have it correct :thumbup: I still don’t see the need for a valve on the return line . It won’t hurt so long as the internal bore does not impede reflu...

This bit has me worried , I take it you will be using a controller with this.? Oh yeah!!! I didn't say anything about the controller. Yeah I have a pot resistor type controller. It works just great! Gets a little warm during the heat up at 5.5kW though. But after I back it down to around 1.6kW it r...

Oooooopppsss! I see the problem yummy! I didn't bring another call-out line to the other valve! That was my fault. There definitely is two 3/8" needle valves on both lines, I shall correct the drawing and re-post. Edit: Yeah, when i shrink the size of the photo down to less than 800x800... that...

Its no going to work as drawn . It is all wrong around the reflux collection and return bit . Hiya yummy rum. Well this is rather disheartening to hear. But I also think that maybe you have misinterpreted the drawing. Let me explain further. Or maybe I am not interpreting what you are writing corre...

I’m surprised to see you using a lot of 2” NTP connections. Hell, I have never seen one that big. Maybe I am miss reading the diagrams you posted. (Quite possible). If you have them, they must be damn heavy. This may not be the best modular solution long term. For starters, using copper threads it ...

Your packing choice may be crucial. For SPP ... if you push 1.6 kW in it, not sure if it is going to be enough. 2 to 2.5 kW is better. Odin. I think with any new setup... I will have to play with the power and see where I am getting the best results. I have never operated a 3 foot column before, so...

So after a discussion in another part of this forum, I have discovered with the help of some educated people that my current setup is not really creating the azeotrope needed to separate out all the different volatiles that I get when I am distilling. My current build's column was only 2' long with ...

Wow. I had no idea I was asking the same question. and Clearly I am not refusing to accept anything that you have said. But I do appreciate you pointing me to KiwiStillers Gude.

...To stop the still from being too ridiculously tall, do you think I could back the column length down to 36" like recommended by StillerBoy suggests? With the copper scrubbies packed up in there, do you think that would be ok? It will work, sure. Twenty times column diameter is a "seat ...

Hey Stirrin. To stop the still from being too ridiculously tall, do you think I could back the column length down to 36" like recommended by StillerBoy suggests? With the copper scrubbies packed up in there, do you think that would be ok?

Are you planning this shotgun to be used as the reflux condenser on top of the offset? If so, it's going to make your tower taller too. But, it will be very effective at reflux knockdown (which is also your product condenser since the product is liquid out of the product outlet). ss Yes sir. I was ...

On column length, you can make it 36" long on a 2", if you are using the proper column packing which will assist in giving you 95%.. the only different between a 36" and 40" will be the rate of your take off.. lava rocks are better than ss srubbies in improving rate off.. On you...

Woooo baby, that column is going to be loooooonnnngggg. I am going to have to adjust shelving and drop the boiler much lower in order to accommodate for such a tall head. But all of this stuff is very doable as modifications to the current still.

...Can you point me to some literature as to why this type of reflux column does not work? Nothing wrong with a Nixon-Stone (LM) design, if properly built. See my other response to better understand what I mean by this reply. ...So I like this, because you are telling me a solution may be to length...

a picture is worth a thousand words. offset with a reflux condensor is quite a bit different than what i had in my mind from the first description of 2" reduced to a 3/8 worm.... on the subject of cleaning - what do the scrubbies and reflux coil look like? nice and clean? The scrubbies were so...

One more thought, since you said you like to build instead of buy...did you do the mandatory cleaning protocol with your new build? If not, that could be the source of your crappy tasting product. ss Firstly, I ran a wire brush through all of the copper. And soaked all of them in vinegar just to ge...

Here are the pictures "attached"

For sugar washes, I've taken to putting some whole sea shells in the fermenter at the start. Since I started doing that, I haven't had a problem with pH crashes. I always record pH readings and the weight loss of the shells at the start and finish because the data might become handy in the future a...

I'd have to suggest that you go and have a look at still designs and choose something that actually works. Alternatively get out the visa card and buy something from larry or one of the reputable still sellers out there. i cannot imagine ever finding success with the equipment you have described. W...

Alrighty. For all of the gentlemen that wanted to see the still head. I got some pictures with a tape measure to show you what I built. It looks very very similar to the one that yummyrum posted. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PtTXUSmeRDgmWq8IeHCJdltI6bs3x30O https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VcL...

I have never really paid too much attention to PH when I'm doing fermenting stuff. Do you?

See. That's what I was thinking too! I originally said I have never filtered out all the yeast before and maybe that might be causing some of the problem. I wonder if anyone else has struggled with yeast causing off flavors when put into the boiler. It isn't that much, but its enough to cause a slig...