Home Distiller

Very much appreciate all the input, everyone. Have some paste on the way. Next weekend is for mashing anyway, so I’ll give the paste a try and see how the joint does with the vinegar and steam cleaning runs. If it still leaks I’ll just take it apart and try to find the tri clamps. I ruined the big e...

It's not glue. It's an abrasive paste that can be used to grind two surfaces so that they match better. Used for car valves, look it up. It's easy to use, just put it on the joint and rotate one half for a while, wipe it off and check it visually. When you think both faces are clean and shiny, you'...

I put it together without Teflon and submerged it, it’s still leaking. Anyone have a one inch tri clamp they recommend? Don’t bother with 1”. If it’s 1” pipe, get a 1.25” tri-clamp ferrule with the same OD as 1.5”. It slide right over. Use liquid flux and plenty of heat, and it should solder nicely...

I've got some valve grinding paste. Brand isn't important. Is that what someone was referring to above about finding which faces weren’t lining up, then putting some kind of paste on it? This could save me from having to replace it? Edit: if I use this I assume I can’t break it all down after every...

I put it together without Teflon and submerged it, it’s still leaking. Anyone have a one inch tri clamp they recommend?

I’ve been pretty proud of my soldering job, no vapor leak so far. But I cannot stop a little drop of liquid from dripping out this joint now and then, Alcohol vapor is invisible. It's probably leaking more than you think. Somehow I missed a whole bunch of these replies, including this one. I obsess...

Surely I won’t get this lucky, but I am a bit hopeful. I have used Teflon tape since the very start because I thought it was just almost required. So my routine is to put the tape on, then angle the condenser where I want it. It has always fallen until I really crank down on the union with channel l...

Sounds like I have to replace it. It took me many tries to get decent at soldering so I’m really nervous about tearing it apart and doing damage to adjacent joints, but it sounds like that’s the only option. Thanks so much to everyone for their help.

Screenshot from the video that goes along with the union. Still doesn’t look like the one someone posted above, but definitely has a better cup on the male end than mine.

It definitely looks like something is mismatched with that union. The threads on the male part should be a larger diameter so to accept the other half into it. Did you buy that from home depot or a chinese knockoff?? Mine is weird for sure. Just doesn’t make sense, ordered that exact one straight f...

Man, this is crazy. Leave it to me to get the wrong part. Someone on here recommended it but maybe they shipped the wrong one? The pic did upload sideways but it still sounds like I have the wrong one.

I also agree , they shouldn’t leak . Tri-clamps are better . But I wonder have you got it the right way round ? Ball at the top going into cup ? I recall once having all manner of issues with some stainless unions . Discovered that there were new and old stock in the box at the shop .Someone had un...

Yeesh, this hobby hates me. Always something. Thank you for your help, everyone.

It’s a lot easier to do before everything is soldered together, but what I did was to put a little abrasive paste between the two mating faces and rotate them against each other, lapping them together. Try putting something like sharpie all over one face, rubbing it agains the other, and see if the...

Pressure causes leaks, so look for restrictions. If the temperature is high for the boiling point of the wash, shut down and look for a blockage. Does a drip every now and again really matter? No thermometer so no way to know that for sure. I drop now and then doesn’t matter to me as far as volume ...

I’ve been pretty proud of my soldering job, no vapor leak so far. But I cannot stop a little drop of liquid from dripping out this joint now and then, unless I crank it down unnaturally tight. Obviously, I have a strip of Teflon under there. I mean I’m cranking on this thing so hard I’m afraid I’m g...

I just now finished and it was super grimy with little black, burnt smelling particles. You need to know how that happened. Have you done a starch test? Can particles get trapped in your elements? Had particles had time to settle before you put the heat on? These are great points and questions. I w...

A bit of puke on a stripping run isn't a problem. Quite a few of us hold back some fresh wash to add to the spirit run, even more do 1.5s. Those tricks add a lot more wash than you got from a puke. So maybe just filter out the particles but otherwise don’t worry about it and run it again? If you we...

Not sure I trust myself to go drilling into this thing, though. Go buy yourself a cheap stainless pot. I’m not sure where I’m the world you are, but here in the US I can find them for a few dollars at virtually any grocery store, dollar store, or similar. Use that to practice on. Put a few holes it...

As NZ said, butter works as an anti-foamer. I've heard people have used Vegetable Oil too. Once you've got that foaming tamed down, it should behave better so you can play with the controller's settings. Hopefully you can crank both elements to 100% during the stripping run. Great advice, thank you.

NZchris nailed it, no reason to sweat a little overflow in a stripping run. It sounds like you just need some practice driving this still, once you have some success it will become second nature for you. Congrats on getting your home built still to process something, I know it was a struggle! Sure ...

NZChris wrote: ↑Thu Nov 17, 2022 11:52 am A bit of puke on a stripping run isn't a problem. Quite a few of us hold back some fresh wash to add to the spirit run, even more do 1.5s. Those tricks add a lot more wash than you got from a puke.

So maybe just filter out the particles but otherwise don’t worry about it and run it again?

A knob of butter should help tame the puke. 6 gallons to cover an element is very high for a 15 gallon still. Miscalculate and you will blow the element. It'll be a PITA until you fix it. My top element is covered by just over a gallon. I give the top element full power and control the bottom eleme...

I know there are a million variables and in the end I’m just going to have to experiment, just looking for a little guidance here. I started with a crappy little 2 inch still with a tiny little condenser from brewhaus. After much trial and effort, I have finally finished a Samohon build (thanks to t...

Craziest thing, just happened to notice it, put the mirror and light right above and below it and there was no condensation. So I’m not even sure it was truly leaking, but shut it all down just to be safe. The reason you didn't notice anything on the mirror was because the leak what not an open spa...

Tough luck! It's a chance to get better at fabrication though. Keep at it, as long as you don't give up you will succeed. Man, it’s been quite the journey. I did a crappy job of taking the joint apart, apparently I put way too much heat to it, and somehow changed the damn chemistry of the metals, a...

My experience is those instant read cooking temperature probes are not accurate and are constantly stuffing up. I always go back to the old glass candy thermometers. I was really hoping this was it, would love it to be something so simple. But that thermometer, my fancy meat thermometer, and the te...

I know you guys were hoping this thread was dead forever, but I have one more. Lesson learned. That little spot I tried to patch up with more flux and solder was bubbling during my spirit run just now. Craziest thing, just happened to notice it, put the mirror and light right above and below it and ...

Ok. I’m gonna toss out a hypothesis. Reading your process and outcome, I wonder if you didn’t mash in a little too hot. The good OG and high FG would seem like a high mash temp situation to me. 160 is at the upper end of temp, but enzymes denature quickly there so your hold may have been less effec...

I’m really excited about this recipe but I appear to have messed it up somehow. Have only done a few runs but have home brewed for years so didn’t think I would struggle with this mash. I did a slight variation I suppose. 1. Heated 20 gallons water to 170 and drained ten gallons into each of two 15 ...