Getting ready for my first run

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Lollo
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Getting ready for my first run

Post by Lollo »

Hi guys,

I've been studiyng the distilling process for months, prepare myself for the great day but now I've some great doubts. These come from the difference between the theory and the practice.
Last week came in our house the beloved distiller, coming from china and bought by my brothers. After put together all the pieces I looked at the inox beast saying: "and now????????"
I'll give you some information about my skill: I've no problems with fermentation, I'm an homebrewer since years and I have a nice system for all grain beer. So from that point of view no problem.
I'm pretty sure about theory behind cuts, I've been read books and this forum so I'm ready form my first run.
My great problem is how to manage this particular distiller, and how to get through my first distillation.
I would like to make a good moonshine, made from grains, barley and corn, I've also oak casks of 10 litres.
Compared to the picture below, my distiller is identical except from the heating sys, that It will be operate by direct flame.
The tank can contains 55 litres, and I'll have about 35 liters of wash
my distiller
my distiller

The first question is about dephlegmator, I don't know how to use it during distillation, is it important piece or can I took it off in order to simplify the firsts attempt? If not, how I can I use It?
Second question comes from the parrot, there is a little pipe going up at the at connection with the condenser, what's his function?
Third question about condenser, do I have to use it in counterflow, with cold water coming from the bottom connection going up towards the upper one?
Could you kindly give me some advice and a basic workflow to use that inox thing?
Thank you very much

Lollo
freefall
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by freefall »

The first question is about dephlegmator, I don't know how to use it during distillation, is it important piece or can I took it off in order to simplify the firsts attempt? You will be running in pot still mode with out the depleg. Note..you should have a valve for controlling the water into or out of defleg.

Second question comes from the parrot, there is a little pipe going up at the at connection with the condenser, what's his function? That looks like it is for air to get in so that product can flow freely.

Third question about condenser, do I have to use it in counterflow, with cold water coming from the bottom connection going up towards the upper one? definately counter flow for product condencer.

I would suggest reading a bunch more. The flute talk thread is very long but full of great information. REad the spoon feeding thread and also there is a guide on making cuts. Be smart..Be safe.
God Bless
Lollo
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Lollo »

Thank you, I'll search the thread about flute.

Lollo
Lollo
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Lollo »

Ok,

now I know that I don't know.....thank to this forum I've discover a world, here in my country simply it's impossible to find information about distilling for a lot of reason.
I read a lot of this forum and specific thread and I'm reading also books.
I hope to be more specific, I begin to understand how you have to manage this particular still but now I have some questions, hope you can help me.
First thing about reflux, when I'm in 100% reflux that's means that the cold water inside the dephlegmator is free to flow and knock down the temp of vapour creating reflux, so if I close the the valve at the exit of the dephleg the water will start to warm and "some" vapour will pass throug the liebig. When I'm in 100% reflux mode that's means that also the liebig is operating with cold water to get the equilibrium, or can I wait to use cold water in liebig untill I decided to let pass vapour through the dephleg?
I read a lot of configuration about liebig and dephleg: for a beginners, is it better operate them with separate flows or I must connect them in series?
Is it important to take temperature at the exit of the two condensers?
Something about cuts, I've read a lot and now I understand that you need a lot of pratice, nose and taste to undestand when to pass from a step to another: I'm gonna make 35l of wash (all grain) of about 10% alcohol. That's means if I'm not wrong that approssimately I'll have 3.6 litres of alcohol to extract (35000mlx0,10)/0.95, this particular quantity is it comprehensive of foreshot, head, heart and tail? Is there a way to calculate before the quantity of every single cuts in advantage? That's for my first run would be very usefull 'cause I would have some reference points to work with.
Ok that's all for now, hope my english is readable and understandable, hope my questions should be not too stupid. Keep going read the forum.
Thank you all for every help :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

Lollo
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Danespirit
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Danespirit »

Lollo wrote:Ok,

now I know that I don't know.....thank to this forum I've discover a world, here in my country simply it's impossible to find information about distilling for a lot of reason.
I read a lot of this forum and specific thread and I'm reading also books.
I hope to be more specific, I begin to understand how you have to manage this particular still but now I have some questions, hope you can help me.
First thing about reflux, when I'm in 100% reflux that's means that the cold water inside the dephlegmator is free to flow and knock down the temp of vapour creating reflux, so if I close the the valve at the exit of the dephleg the water will start to warm and "some" vapour will pass throug the liebig. When I'm in 100% reflux mode that's means that also the liebig is operating with cold water to get the equilibrium, or can I wait to use cold water in liebig untill I decided to let pass vapour through the dephleg?
Correct..full reflux means 100% is returned down the column. Yes you regulate it with the valve as it is essentially a CM setup.
A Liebig won't have anything with equilibrium to do, you're mixing the terms around.Please have a read about equilibrium and what it means. You CAN wait with the water flow to the Liebig. Is it a good idea? Well, what are the chances you forget it and alcohol ladden steam exits the still?

I read a lot of configuration about liebig and dephleg: for a beginners, is it better operate them with separate flows or I must connect them in series?
That's entirely up to you.Some will like separate flow to the dephlegmator/reflux condenser for more fine tuning (I would be one of them).
Is it important to take temperature at the exit of the two condensers?
No.
Something about cuts, I've read a lot and now I understand that you need a lot of pratice, nose and taste to undestand when to pass from a step to another: I'm gonna make 35l of wash (all grain) of about 10% alcohol. That's means if I'm not wrong that approssimately I'll have 3.6 litres of alcohol to extract (35000mlx0,10)/0.95, this particular quantity is it comprehensive of foreshot, head, heart and tail? Is there a way to calculate before the quantity of every single cuts in advantage? That's for my first run would be very usefull 'cause I would have some reference points to work with.
Well, you will never be able to extract all the alcohol in the boiler. The parent site has some calculators on it. There is absolutely no way to "calculate" your cuts all you can do is some guesswork. So the short answer is: "You get what you get".
Ok that's all for now, hope my english is readable and understandable, hope my questions should be not too stupid. Keep going read the forum.
Thank you all for every help :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

Lollo
And congrats to your still. It's a very fine rig that can serve you for decades to come. :thumbup:
It even has a Carter head for Gin.
Lollo
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Lollo »

Thank you man!!!

me and my bro are very happy about our new rig.
What about my questions? Do i make some mistakes?

Lollo
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Danespirit
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Danespirit »

I wrote the answers in a red color beneath your questions in the last post..
Maybe I should have had the other font color...sorry for that.
Lollo
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:07 pm

Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Lollo »

No,

I'm sorry. I showed the post to my girl and she see your answer in red. I only see one color, so when I saw the quote of my questions I didn't see your replies
Thank you very much, I will deepen equilibrium topic

Lollo
Lollo
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Re: Getting ready for my first run

Post by Lollo »

Hi again,

finally I did my first distillation without make to much damage. I started in the early morning and finished in the afternoon, tired, happy with a lot of question in my mind.
I distilled a wash made with all grain method, 60% flaked mais, 30% maris otter, and 10% of rye, 34,25 liters at 12% of alcool fermented with an ale yeast (m42 mangroove jack's).
The beer was clean and good, with some hops it would be a very good barley wine....
First problem come with my calculation made by the book "make pure corn wihisky" using a scheme find in the book page 79, useful for the calculation of your first distilling day.
I followed the scheme and calculated a final alcohol quantity of 4.3 liters: foreshot 134ml, heads 755ml, heart 2,5 liters,anda tails 361ml.... but at the end of the fight I had 5.4 liters, and that error made me make mistake with the calculation of head heart and tail.
Luckily I made a lot of cuts, and that save me because I was able to reassemble all the stuff with a good (I hope) result.
Another great problem come with my nose: I smell a lot, but apart from the very beginning and the end I wasn't able to understand when to make cuts, only the calculation above gave me an approximation to where make cuts.
During the blending of all the cuts, choose what was in and what was out has been easier, but again I found difficult to understand cuts by my nose (all It seems to me "good" stuff.... :crazy: ) but using my tongue an appropriate glass I found more easy understand what was good and what not. It's normal? Obviously I found difference from a cut and another (in term of smell and alcool perceived in the nose) but the problem that the smell was very smooth and pleasant most of the time.....
Another problem comes with the cooling system, I used two allumium radiators cooled by four pc fans each, a pump and a container with water. The water was pumped from the container to a "Y" hydraulic fitting, one flow went to the final condenser and the other to the dephlegmator, both in a counterflow mode.
The cooling system keeped the temperature, misured in the water container at about 35/38° cetius.
The great concern was from the dephlegmator, the valve at the exit of the dephleg at the begininng was full open, the cooling system was able to assure me a total reflux: no one drop come to the parrot, temp in the head of the dephleg about 65°c. But when I decided to start to collect the foreshot closing slowly the valve, nothing come to the parrot. Worse, the more I closed the valve the more the temperature at the top falled, like the dephleg became more efficient...why? If I close the valve, the water will stop in to the dephleg more, giving the chance at the ascending vapors to warm the water and rise the temp in order to pass the reflux. At the end I decided to close to at maximum the dephleg valve wait five minute and then rise the fire under the thank. In this way I succeeded and slowly collected the first drop. During all the process then, I didn't touch the valve and work only with the fire and I had no problems anymore...Why, were did I make mistakes??
Thank you, sorry for may english and here is some photos, the cooling sys, the scheme of the cooling sys and my flute:
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