Cleaning the pot still head

[Budapest8485]

I just finished my pot still on Saturday. 3 inch copper coming off the boiler, reduced to 2 inch with a tri-clamp which allows an adjustable lyne arm. Then the two inch turns into a half inch union to the condenser.

I soaked in in 50/50 vinegar and water over night. Then put the solution through the boiler for a vinegar vapor run. Then I put a nasty sugar wash through it for a sacrificial ethanol run. After this, I wiped the inside of the copper and it made a paper towel gray/black. So it's still filthy in there.

I'm going to have to brush it out some how. The challenge is around corners (elbows) and the reducers. I'm not sure how I'm going to turn a corner with a brush to get pass an elbow...where it is reduced from 2 inch to a 1/2 union at the other end. Maybe the only solution is to add another 2 inch tri-clamp to open it up on the other side of the elbow.

[frunobulax]

I think a good soak in pbw or even a star san solution, and wipe out what u can is more than enough, but you can get a carboy brush for that 90° if you think it's needed.

[kiwi Bruce]

The copper went black because you let it soak over night, just a wee bit long...you got copper acetate. The food grade acid is used to passivate the copper and protect it from possible amines in the wash, that would turn your distillate blue. You only need to give it a good soap and hot water wash, a quick dip in the food grade acid,ie vinegar, and then the sacrificial ethanol run. The only time you'll need to soak the still in vinegar again, is if you let it sit for three or four months without using it, Again...the food grade acid is NOT a cleaning agent...it's only used to passivate the copper. If you had used stainless you wouldn't need to do this at all. Give your still a good clean again, a quick dip in your acid and run a waste wash and your good to go.

[Budapest8485]

The copper went black because you let it soak over night, just a wee bit long...you got copper acetate. The food grade acid is used to passivate the copper and protect it from possible amines in the wash, that would turn your distillate blue. You only need to give it a good soap and hot water wash, a quick dip in the food grade acid,ie vinegar, and then the sacrificial ethanol run. The only time you'll need to soak the still in vinegar again, is if you let it sit for three or four months without using it, Again...the food grade acid is NOT a cleaning agent...it's only used to passivate the copper. If you had used stainless you wouldn't need to do this at all. Give your still a good clean again, a quick dip in your acid and run a waste wash and your good to go.

Okay, I'll scrub it in soap and water tonight as best I can. I have a lot of vinegar left, so dipping it for a few minutes will be easy. I'll just plan to do another cleaning run with it before I do the UJSSM later this week. I have plenty of 80-90 percent stuff around I can water down and use as a second sacrificial run.

I followed these instructions: viewtopic.php?f=63&t=15489

[kiwi Bruce]

so dipping it for a few minutes will be easy.

a few seconds of dip, not minutes and it shouldn't be hot, tepid is fine...the acid dip is to make the copper resistant to corrosion, that's it. I disagree with Kiwistiller and a lot of other people here on HD that hold to a vinegar wash or even a distilling run with vinegar...I believe that it's overkill and I strongly suggest not doing it, as you have seen why. I suggest using citric acid instead of vinegar to passivate copper anyway, again a tepid quick dip.
Soapy water wash, passivate and run a waste wash...done.
(I should go on to explain why...why passivate copper at all...a sugar wash or any wash that has diammonium phosphate as a yeast nutrient will have the ammonia in it [decomposing yeast cells can also produce it] This ammonia can distill over with the spirit where it will attack the copper in your still and worse, turning the distilled spirit blue and making it undrinkable. Copper has one lone electron on the outer electron ring of it's atom, that is begging to link to a base, like ammonia, and make a salt. What the acid wash does is neutralize that last electron so that it can't react with a base, this is called passivation. As long as the still stays in regular use, this only has to be done once.)

[Budapest8485]

so dipping it for a few minutes will be easy.

a few seconds of dip, not minutes and it shouldn't be hot, tepid is fine...the acid dip is to make the copper resistant to corrosion, that's it. I disagree with Kiwistiller and a lot of other people here on HD that hold to a vinegar wash or even a distilling run with vinegar...I believe that it's overkill and I strongly suggest not doing it, as you have seen why. I suggest using citric acid instead of vinegar to passivate copper anyway, again a tepid quick dip.
Soapy water wash, passivate and run a waste wash...done.
(I should go on to explain why...why passivate copper at all...a sugar wash or any wash that has diammonium phosphate as a yeast nutrient will have the ammonia in it [decomposing yeast cells can also produce it] This ammonia can distill over with the spirit where it will attack the copper in your still and worse, turning the distilled spirit blue and making it undrinkable. Copper has one lone electron on the outer electron ring of it's atom, that is begging to link to a base, like ammonia, and make a salt. What the acid wash does is neutralize that last electron so that it can't react with a base, this is called passivation. As long as the still stays in regular use, this only has to be done once.)

Thanks for the advice. I'll dip and scrub this week...maybe do another sac run to make sure I have it as clean as I can. My UJSSM will be ready in a couple days...its dry now, I'm just letting it settle.

[Oldvine Zin]

Thanks for the advice. I'll dip and scrub this week...maybe do another sac run to make sure I have it as clean as I can. My UJSSM will be ready in a couple days...its dry now, I'm just letting it settle.

It's not clean until it is

OVZ

[OtisT]

It's not clean until it is

OVZ

Someone has been reading Dhammapada again.

Otis

[StillerBoy]

Soapy water wash, passivate and run a waste wash...done.

That is how I do the cleaning after a built.. a good soapy wash, (it help if you have used a water soluble flux/paste such as Superior 71, and a brush with a long handle), then a good rinse, then a citric acid bath, rinse, then a baking soda bath, rinse, then the sacrificial run..

Mars

[kiwi Bruce]

Someone has been reading Dhammapada again. ;-)Otis

Isn't he almost the same as the Chinese philosopher Kungfushit's ?

[Oldvine Zin]

Someone has been reading Dhammapada again. ;-)Otis

Isn't he almost the same as the Chinese philosopher Kungfushit's ?

No it really came from the ancient book of Oldvinebullshit

OVZ

[jmashspirits14]

It's been a while since I made a run and I cannot for the life of me remember how many Tablespoons to one gallon of water for a citric acid bath to reactivate the copper. Can someone please remind me? I believe it's either 3 teaspoons or 3 tablespoons per gallon of water but I cannot remember. Thanks!!

[kiwi Bruce]

reactivate the copper

PASSIVATE the copper...it can be a mild solution, a cup of vinegar, two or three Tbs of food grade dry acid per gallon. There is not textbook correct amount, just approximates.

[nnnewb]

Having a similar problem. Water distillate tastes metallic.

Recently built a 2" copper column with liebig condenser. Cleaned with soap/water, vinegar, citric acid and even alcohol. Can't seem to get rid of this metallic flavor in distilled water, was wondering if this is normal for a copper still?

Everything except triclamp connect was soldered with plumbers flux/solder. I used harris staybrite flux/solder for stainless connector.

[Expat]

Having a similar problem. Water distillate tastes metallic.

Recently built a 2" copper column with liebig condenser. Cleaned with soap/water, vinegar, citric acid and even alcohol. Can't seem to get rid of this metallic flavor in distilled water, was wondering if this is normal for a copper still?

Everything except triclamp connect was soldered with plumbers flux/solder. I used harris staybrite flux/solder for stainless connector.

Did you do your sacrificial run?

[nnnewb]

Did you do your sacrificial run?

Yes, vinegar run first then alcohol. Before either run I soaked with citric acid and soaked with vinegar as well ( 2 seperate soakings). After those runs I did water to test, tasted dirty and metallic. After scrubbing the main column with soap/ water, the dirty flavor is gone but the metallic taste is still there.

[NZChris]

What materials are you using for seals? Poor seal choice may affect flavor.

If you have gotten rid of flux and machine oils out of the build, you should be ok to run as long as you are doing stripping runs followed by a spirit run. If you are hoping to do a single run and get a fine finished spirit, you might be out of luck.