pukin and burpin after changin PSII to keg

[jsanders]

I have no idea what happening. I was using the basic pot that comes with the PSII reflux and had no problems. Now I've changed to a keg and I can't control the thing. the temps go up and down from 78 to 65, The distaillate runs hot as hell most of the time, then cools down then pukes .5 liter then goes 30 minutes running normal then pukes again!

I have tried adjusting the heat, the cooling... It seems to run better when the cooling water is a little warmer, it pukes when I add cold water to the tub for cooling but it comes out hot.

Heat source is a banjo fish cooker on propane. Hot sob! Maybe I should try electric. I just don't know anything about it.

[Dnderhead]

id say boiler too full or to much heat.

[LWTCS]

Think them are the one's with the skimmpy product condensers too,,,,no?

[blind drunk]

Not sure if this is useful or if it will help -

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13272

[jsanders]

I was thinking it may be too full, not enough head room and considered too much heat but it kept cooling down. I read the post on huffing before and have done most of that except the scrubber in the top end of the condensor tube. I'll try that and give it more head room.

It may be running too hot. The cooling water kept heating up faster than normal. I had to google pictures of turbulators...I'll try the scrubbers in the tube first.

Thanks

[rad14701]

Are you using separate water valves to control flow through the liebig and the reflux cross flow tubes...??? That is a recommended upgrade for this style of column...

Also, are you cooling with mains water or using a recirculation pump...??? If using the pump have you checked for proper and consistent flow rate...???

[jsanders]

yes, i have the valve to control the water seperately. I am recirculating. Maybe I'm overthinking this thing. I'm running another batch soon and I'm going to simplify man.

[jsanders]

The parts that didn't have the burpin' were 89% ABV. The other parts were around 50%. Would that be like a stripping run in a pot still? About the same chemical makeup?

[rad14701]

Let's determine whether what is happening is actually "puking", or "flooding"... Puking would be raw wash foaming up and being force out whereas flooding would be a buildup of higher proof refluxed spirits saturating the structured packing and then being forced out by a buildup of rising vapor pressure... Resolving the issue will depend on which phenomenon is occurring...

[jsanders]

Let's determine whether what is happening is actually "puking", or "flooding"... Puking would be raw wash foaming up and being force out whereas flooding would be a buildup of higher proof refluxed spirits saturating the structured packing and then being forced out by a buildup of rising vapor pressure... Resolving the issue will depend on which phenomenon is occurring...

I believe it is flooding then. I've had it puke before when I was running it hot on purpose to set a base line. The stuff was white and milky and some green.

This time it is clear and smells fine, maybe a little dirty sock but not much. I checked abv yesterday and it was 50% as apposed to the part that didn't flood which was 89%, still a little low but not bad. There was steam coming out too, and the distillate was HOT! AND this may be important, I have rashig rings in the bottom of my column and scrubbers in the top.

Maybe I shouldn't experiment as much.

What do I do to stop the flooding?

[likkerluvver]

What do I do to stop the flooding?

Turn down the heat.


Can't relate it directly to your propane heat, but I have a 3" PSII and I run it at 3000w for strips on most clean, fully-fermented washes. Rum and others are best at 2000w or less. On a spirit run I run it very slow (200-500w) through heads until into hearts, when I open up to 1500w to get a very thin stream (or very fast drips). Try shoving a very loosely/slightly coiled piece of copper wire up the product condenser. - SS at just 24" can easily handle 1500w, but struggles to cope with 3000w, and output is very hot.

In reflux mode of <40% strip I start very slow as per the pot spirit run through the heads, then open up to 1200-1500w to get 95%+abv. I think the 4 reflux tubes are undersized/too few to gain maximum advantage from the 3" diam column, even though I run coolant fast to get low waste coolant temperatures (<25*C/80*F).

For my reflux runs I always run the coolant in series - in bottom of liebig, out into bottom reflux tube, on up and out the top to waste - measuring the waste temperature. In at the top of the reflux tubes would be better BUT air bubbles build up when the flow is slow, reducing its flow/efficiency. With recirculated warmer water (mine is <7*C in winter) flowing faster, in at the top reflux tub, on down through the tubes and to waste from the bottom might work better for you.

It works very well - just slower than I would like.

[rad14701]

As likkerluvver stated, turn down the heat... Your boiler is producing more distillate vapor than your column can handle...

[jsanders]

Thanks guys. I don't know why I was running it so hot. I thought I was about the same. I have my water routed from bottom to top on my condenser and a seperate controlled hose from bottom to top at reflux. It would be better to run from top to bottom, wouldn't it? Get a gradual cooling as you go up and get better reflux. hmmm. I wonder if running straight from the tap would work? I still have the water turned down as low as I can and keep it running.

I've had perfect runs before, I don't know what happened to me the other day. I appreciate y'all listening to me whine!