Just had my first scare

[Justinthunder]

This is about my 10th run now, I did the same thing I’ve always done, the only thing different is this is a ujssm and not all grain, I doubled the batch so I could do a stripping and Spirit run, on my first batch the only thing I can think of is maybe I had my burner turned up too high? My still cap popped off an beer came out like a geyser all over me and everything around me, I immediately shut off my propane and broke down the still, any suggestions what I did wrong? Im a little gun shy now but I need to fire up and get this run and my second batch, even though I probably just lost all the good alcohol on the ground

[Justinthunder]

I also added way more weight to the top of my cap, I did have 2 bricks and now I have 5

[jonnys_spirit]

Glad you’re safe and were watching it! Sounds like maybe an aggressive linda blair moment?

Scoop it up if you can dump it back in and run it!

[Justinthunder]

Glad you’re safe and were watching it! Sounds like maybe an aggressive linda blair moment?

Scoop it up if you can dump it back in and run it!

I would never run my still unattended for this very reason, I definitely need a shower now lol I don’t think the wife is gonna like me being soaked in beer haha

[Hambone]

Projectile vomiting…

[Stonecutter]

Sounds like a little too much heat too soon. Is it just paste holding the pot top (lyne arm) to the boiler? Did you aerate the wash real good before heating it up? I’ve learned to heat up slowly to reduce the chances of foam getting into my column. But I’m running electric as well.

[Justinthunder]

Sounds like a little too much heat too soon. Is it just paste holding the pot top (lyne arm) to the boiler? Did you aerate the wash real good before heating it up? I’ve learned to heat up slowly to reduce the chances of foam getting into my column. But I’m running electric as well.

I did aerate it, I think you’re right about the too much heat too fast, I had read from some other users they crank it up for a stripping run then dial back when it comes out the Liebig but unfortunately for me it came out the cap first, it’s running fine now. I’m gonna heat up the next batch slower

[Stonecutter]

glad you came out of it unscathed and marriage intact

[still_stirrin]

Did you blow through your condenser? It sounds like you had a plugged discharge line causing the internal pressure to build. When that happens, the boiling point increases storing more heat until the top popped. A rapid decompression will once again lower the boiling point and you get flooded by a boiling guyser.

Know what you’re doing….because you’re working with a potential “bomb”.

Glad you didn’t get burned.
ss

[Deplorable]

Did you blow through your condenser? It sounds like you had a plugged discharge line causing the internal pressure to build. When that happens, the boiling point increases storing more heat until the top popped. A rapid decompression will once again lower the boiling point and you get flooded by a boiling guyser.

Know what you’re doing….because you’re working with a potential “bomb”.

Glad you didn’t get burned.
ss

+1
A rapid heat up shouldn't have caused the top to pop off with two bricks holding it down. Stills are always vented to the atmosphere. Check for a plug in the lyne arm or condenser.

[Justinthunder]

Did you blow through your condenser? It sounds like you had a plugged discharge line causing the internal pressure to build. When that happens, the boiling point increases storing more heat until the top popped. A rapid decompression will once again lower the boiling point and you get flooded by a boiling guyser.

Know what you’re doing….because you’re working with a potential “bomb”.

Glad you didn’t get burned.
ss

It worked perfectly fine after the top popped, I don’t think it was plugged but I mean I can’t be absolutely certain, I got down from 80% to 30% alcohol when I heard another hissing sound so I shut it off immediately again. This time my thump had sucked all all of my boiler and the boiler heated up and melted the solder around my valve I cannot catch a break today, time to put back my second ujssm and wait, it’s been 3 weeks since I made it and it’s gonna be another 2 before I can get to again hopefully it’s still good.

[Hambone]

How big is your condenser line?

[Justinthunder]

How big is your condenser line?

1/2”

[Kareltje]

It worked perfectly fine after the top popped, I don’t think it was plugged but I mean I can’t be absolutely certain, I got down from 80% to 30% alcohol when I heard another hissing sound so I shut it off immediately again. This time my thump had sucked all all of my boiler and the boiler heated up and melted the solder around my valve I cannot catch a break today, time to put back my second ujssm and wait, it’s been 3 weeks since I made it and it’s gonna be another 2 before I can get to again hopefully it’s still good.

Bold and underlined by me.
????? I suppose you mean your thumper had sucked your boiler. But how can it have done that??????

[Justinthunder]

I’m not sure how it did it, but it did and then the solder got so hot on my drain valve it turned to liquid and fell off my still. My pot is 12 gallon and my thump is 6 gallon

[Justinthunder]

Did you blow through your condenser? It sounds like you had a plugged discharge line causing the internal pressure to build. When that happens, the boiling point increases storing more heat until the top popped. A rapid decompression will once again lower the boiling point and you get flooded by a boiling guyser.

Know what you’re doing….because you’re working with a potential “bomb”.

Glad you didn’t get burned.
ss

I don’t think I had a plugged discharge, I had just done my vinegar and sac run last weekend, my sac run was some old beer, and wine. I had to do a vinegar and sac run because I got that new keg thump and the copper in that and the Liebig was new, but the still has always run amazing for me. But I didn’t blow through anything because I didn’t know that was a thing. Lesson learned. I will always blow through my pieces now. Definitely don’t need that happening again

[NZChris]

I also added way more weight to the top of my cap, I did have 2 bricks and now I have 5

That's the worst thing you can do. All it does is make the pressure higher and the charge even hotter before it blows the lid off again. Look for a blockage or restriction and don't try to run it until you have cleared it.

[Justinthunder]

I also added way more weight to the top of my cap, I did have 2 bricks and now I have 5

That's the worst thing you can do. All it does is make the pressure higher and the charge even hotter before it blows the lid off again. Look for a blockage or restriction and don't try to run it until you have cleared it.

I fired it up again after the lid popped and it ran absolutely fine. Until my thump sucked my boiler dry and liquified the solder on my drain valve and I thought today would run smooth haha

[Setsumi]

I also added way more weight to the top of my cap, I did have 2 bricks and now I have 5

That's the worst thing you can do. All it does is make the pressure higher and the charge even hotter before it blows the lid off again. Look for a blockage or restriction and don't try to run it until you have cleared it.

I fired it up again after the lid popped and it ran absolutely fine. Until my thump sucked my boiler dry and liquified the solder on my drain valve and I thought today would run smooth haha

to melt solder on your boiler you had to have an empty boiler. i see you mention thumper syphoning from your boiler... in my mind it happens the other way around. maybe step back a bit and review your setup and process. stilling can be dangerous and you described things that should be red flags to yourself.

[jonnys_spirit]

Pics of the rig and components?

[Justinthunder]

The cap and Liebig are connected with a 1” union

[Yummyrum]

Thumper can’t suck boiler dry . You simply ran it until it was dry .

Regarding the lid popping off , did perhaps a few lumps of corn foam up and plug the 1/2” ? That would be my guess .

Good thing you don’t use 3/16” .

[Justinthunder]

Thumper can’t suck boiler dry . You simply ran it until it was dry .

Regarding the lid popping off , did perhaps a few lumps of corn foam up and plug the 1/2” ? That would be my guess .

Good thing you don’t use 3/16” .

That maybe, I had put a gallon of heads/tails in the thump with 2 gallons of wash, I put about 8 gallons of wash in the pot and when i drained my thumper there was 5 gallons of baskset left. So the thumper did steal some from the pot. I need to get my still fixed before I do another run and then I will see if it happens again. I’ll just have to knock on the still and make sure there is still liquid I guess.

[still_stirrin]

How close to the bottom of the thumper is your inlet down tube? Heavy slop from your mash would definitely cause a pressure increase (back pressure) in the boiler, especially as the liquid level in the thumper increases.

You’re starting to worry me that you don’t fully understand the physics of distillation. And getting defensive regarding posters’ responses won’t guarantee your safety. You have to be safe and your still is definitely giving you warnings signs.

I suggest you refrain from running until you’ve read a lot more threads about using a thumper inline with your boiler.

Again, I’m concerned with your safety….not your liquor.
ss

[Justinthunder]

How close to the bottom of the thumper is your inlet down tube? Heavy slop from your mash would definitely cause a pressure increase (back pressure) in the boiler, especially as the liquid level in the thumper increases.

You’re starting to worry me that you don’t fully understand the physics of distillation. And getting defensive regarding posters’ responses won’t guarantee your safety. You have to be safe and your still is definitely giving you warnings signs.

I suggest you refrain from running until you’ve read a lot more threads about using a thumper inline with your boiler.

Again, I’m concerned with your safety….not your liquor.
ss

It goes down quite far maybe a couple few inches from the bottom, I’m not 100% I’d have to go outside and check for sure, I do understand the process and distillation that’s why I’d like to operate as safe as possible, liquor may be good but if I lose the side of my garage or worse that’s not good. Sorry if it comes off if I’m being defensive, I’m just replying with what I had done, because I definitely do not want that to ever happen again, I will 100% be blowing in the tubes before every run now, I strained the wash before I put it in the still but I noticed but when it was dry there was corn pieces on the side so there were some particles in the pot, I now have to somehow scrape the bottom of my pot, like I mentioned this was my 10th run but my first with this thump, I figured it would go as smooth at my other one but it clearly didn’t lol

[NZChris]

So the thumper did steal some from the pot.

That simply isn't possible as liquid can't run uphill. The vacuum in a pot can suck the the charge out of a thumper when you turn the heat off, but the only way a pot can be emptied into a thumper is by the distiller letting it boil dry.

[Justinthunder]

So the thumper did steal some from the pot.

That simply isn't possible as liquid can't run uphill. The vacuum in a pot can suck the the charge out of a thumper when you turn the heat off, but the only way a pot can be emptied into a thumper is by the distiller letting it boil dry.

Do you think maybe when the cap blew off I lost quite a bit of my wash and when I started it back up the rest started to boil off until it got vacuumed into the thumper?

[Hambone]

As multiple people have responded: the thumper CANNOT suck fluid from the boiler. Because physics…

Yes, losing volume means it takes less time to boil dry. And that is what happened.

[Saltbush Bill]

Caps dont lift off just from a bit of puke imo..... there has to have been a blockage and pressure build up to cause that.

[Justinthunder]

but the only way a pot can be emptied into a thumper is by the distiller letting it boil dry.

As multiple people have responded: the thumper CANNOT suck fluid from the boiler. Because physics…

Sorry hambone the way I read NZ Chris’s post was it was possible once the pot was extremely low, okay thanks for the advice, so I would assume most of my wash was lost when the cap popped off, and the rest boiled off, and I should definitely checks for plugs before I start. Thanks for your advise guys i appreciate it.