Home Distiller

Hi all, Sorry to dig up this old thread but I never did complete this build and I'm revisiting it again now. I've spent a couple of hours just refreshing and going over the past suggestions and I have a couple of new questions. As a recap, I'm essentially looking to rebuild the column for a T500 (50...

I assume the upper valve from the swan neck through the preheater is to control the vapour flow rate. The valve below that controls the feed from the pre heater and the lower valve on the base of the preheater is for dumping. The connection from the swan neck to the preheater will simply be a union...

Cognac.jpg Can one of you fine gentlemen please explain what the ever-loving fuck is this? And how it works? not quite a thumper, not quite preheater, not quite reflux. There is a lot going on and interacting here. This has come up on my course recently, so I'll try and flex/reinforce my learning h...

Just trying to decipher what you're asking? Stilling beer or drinking beer? If it's the latter I can't say how it would go, I know a little copper can help with yeast nutrition for brewing drinking beer. For example a copper cooling coil can provide some benefits for a beer wort. Not sure I'd want ...

SmokyMtn wrote: ↑Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:39 am Do you have a link to this research?

Edit: grammar

I will try to locate it. I near quoted it. It is from a course I am taking on distillation with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. It’s a couple of modules back though, I’ll have to have a run through the lessons.

Thanks everyone. Æther's suggestion was closest to what I was hoping to find, but it seems like a lot of this information isn't easily available. Makes you wonder where the authors who make claims about esterification/etc during distillation and in aging are getting their information. Glad that hel...

You could try Distillation: Equipment and Processes
Edited by Andrzej Go ́rak and Zarko Oluji􏰁c

It’s on z-library, if that’s your jam.

Using a food source as glue doesn’t sound microbiologically safe. Sounds like an opportunity for bacteria, and while alcohol my deter them, there may be areas they can still proliferate. If they are toxin producing bacteria, that’s not something I’d want near my booze. Raw flour is a good source of...

Using a food source as glue doesn’t sound microbiologically safe. Sounds like an opportunity for bacteria, and while alcohol my deter them, there may be areas they can still proliferate. If they are toxin producing bacteria, that’s not something I’d want near my booze. Raw flour is a good source of ...

So, I am trying to get a gauge on the copper content in backset. I've read that this should be removed before disposal, or being used in animal feed (in large capacity distilleries, probably not an issue for the home distiller), reasons being, exposure to high temperatures and low pH and regular cle...

Was the cider homebrew? It could have had potassium sorbate added as a stabiliser, I believe this becomes sorbic acid which may explain the smell, but not the blue. I had something similar a few weeks ago, stripped a batch of homebrew wine that wasn't too good, the distillate stank, a strong acrid ...

Was the distillate blue? If not, then definitely not copper sulfate. I've had very strong acetaldehyde from cider. Not a pleasant smell. It has a slight blue tinge and was milky/cloudy. The odour wasn’t anything I’d associate with common odours from fores. Harsh, industrial and metallic are really ...

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:04 pm You mentioned that the cider had sulphites added. How much?

Cheers,
-j

No way of knowing unfortunately, it was kegged and just listed on the ingredients.

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:11 pm

Æther wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:54 pm Maybe I’ll run with ceramic until the new column is built then switch to copper saddles.

If running the ceramic saddles you will still need the copper saddles at the top.

Yup, sorry I wasn’t clear there. Always used copper and ceramic, just meant switch to copper entirely with new column.

That was probably better stripped and spirit run in a pot still with plenty of copper in the boiler and vapor path. If any blue comes out in the strip, the spirit run cleans it up. No pot yet! But after smelling the first few drops I ceased immediately and flushed the boiler. No way I was continuin...

Sound. Maybe I’ll run with ceramic until the new column is built then switch to copper saddles.

Cheers for the input guys.

Copper Spirals: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32978283973.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000060.1.250227ffAIHu1P&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.13339.169870.0&scm_id=1007.13339.169870.0&scm-url=1007.13339.169870.0&pvid=710c21ea-3a8f-4939-8987-aa05d67a466b&_t=gps-id:p...

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:20 pm The original mix of ceramic and copper saddles is more than up to the job......most folk here have never seen a t500 in the flesh let alone run one.

Cheers, Bill. I still have the ceramic but they are cheap as chips anyway so can always get more. Never had issues with them in the past.

Couldn't say on the silicon, dude, it was a very small amount and I've done countless runs in the past. This is the first instance of clouding, blue tint and an odour I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It was brutal. Any thoughts on the SS spiral prismatic packing for surface area, perhaps with the ...

I would argue that you will get a better product with copper in the vapor path. Are the saddlers that your rig includes made out of copper? So originally it came with ceramic saddles for the bulk of the column with a small handful of copper saddles to be packed at the top. If it's just a case of th...

Could be copper sulphate coming through the still which is not good. You did a good think and got rid of the spirit. Not 100% sure on the smell. I would get brand new copper scrubbers and make sure they are 100% copper. I would do at least one cleaning run, cleaning and sacrificial run would be bet...

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 12:46 pm Just wonder why you decided to swap the original saddles that came with the T500 for copper packing.
In my experience the saddles that come with a T500 work perfectly well.

Hi Bill
Do you not think the additional copper and surface area would result in a purer spirit?

So I ran a keg of cider the other day and it was moments in to the fores I took a smell and reeled back. It was insanely noxious. The smell was nothing like fores, it was harsh, metallic and burning. Couldn’t get near it. This is the first time this has ever occurred, so here are a few observations....

Is that all the analysis they provided? Is the ash content not listed? I did not see anything specific for "ash" on the list but here is the full information provided as is. Is "ash" one of the below? magnesium 21.46 mg / 100g manganese 0.52 mg / 100g potassium 967.35 mg / 100g ...

Thanks, Berserk 😅 Appreciate the comments. I guess running the water through one line won’t provide the best cooling, good point, was probably just trying to keep it tidy there, but that is easily resolved and I’ll do a switcheroo on the waterflow direction. The reason I chose 1/8” for the copper wa...

So after a fair bit of research and a lot of great input from you guys, I’m hoping I can settle on this. 56CA3207-DCC9-4DEF-9247-AFC1621FB77C.jpeg I’ve opted to build the dephleg myself, was thinking 1/8” pipe would be best for the 2” diameter of the spools. The CSST encasing the copper pipe is so I...

Nice. Ok, this is beginning to make sense. Will have to dive into VM and LM more once I complete this build. Cheers dude.

Æther, if you're making a CM (I.e. basically a pot still with a dephlagmator) you're already open to the atmosphere through the condenser, so you don't need a dedicated vent hole. LM and VM stilla however works by closing of the path to the condenser, and thus need a dedicated venting hole to avoid...

100% Cob, the point of this build was to eliminate all plastic and only use stainless and copper. The hoses are out now anyhow, as Berserk pointed out, elbows make more sense. I was just being a spazz and not thinking past my original design. Having said that, they probably would save weight...but e...

Hey Bill Yes, the black cap at the top. Thanks for explaining that. This is what has caused me a lot of confusion around venting as I’d read that this is why that cap is loose. Apparently it’s common. People notice it when they clean the condenser and it leaks, the answer is always it cause it’s a v...