whats the deal?

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rmj993232
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whats the deal?

Post by rmj993232 »

Ive got a pot still no scrubbers in it yet.. i ran corn recipe threw it that was cook NOT TO HOT and all i got was about a mason jar full out of say 5 gallons is this about right . ran it once and it came out to 100 proof the second batch was only 60 proof maybe i strained it off to soon say it was a about 8 days of letting the corn ,malt , sugar and yeast work .. let me know if I'm close to right
masonjar
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Post by masonjar »

You aren't giving enough details about what you've done, so I can't say for sure what the problem is, but you've certainly done something wrong if that's all you got.
Fretman124
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Post by Fretman124 »

What size is your mason jar?

I ain't no pro by any stretch of the imagination. I get about a gallon and a quart of strippings (Start at 62% and take down to 20%) from a five gallon wash. So, if your five gallon wash is fully fermented, I would think you would get at least 3 quarts of likker after making your cuts.

Guy I know say you should get 1 gallon at 100 proof for every ten lbs of sugar.
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rmj993232
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Post by rmj993232 »

took lets say 10 gallons total , 10 pounds corn cooked 5 pounds sugar yeast in a tote for about a week or so it was working i might not have let it work long enough
George McKree
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Post by George McKree »

It's worked long enough when it's stopped to bubble.
How long did you let it ferment?
To each his own.
hornedrhodent
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Post by hornedrhodent »

="rmj993232"
took lets say 10 gallons total , 10 pounds corn cooked 5 pounds sugar yeast in a tote for about a week or so it was working i might not have let it work long enough

You need to get a hydrometer!
Bujapat
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Post by Bujapat »

You need to get a hydrometer!
Sure! The best way to know if fermentation is complete is a SG measurement : around 1.000 and it's OK. Otherwise, if you measure SG before fermentation, you'll know the %ABV expected in the wash.
I'm french speaking!

Boiler : 50 L (13 gal) beer keg, gas heated.
Reflux : 104 cm (41 inches) column 54 mm (2 inches) diameter withh SS scrubbers packing.
Potstill : 40 cm (15 inches) column 54 mm (2 inches) diameter without packing.
arkansas
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Post by arkansas »

Just another thought on your problem, a leaky lid will decress your yeild by alot. Alcohol vapors are near impossible to see. Like I said, just a thought, seen this yeild problem and was not a good thing at all.
masonjar
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Post by masonjar »

took lets say 10 gallons total , 10 pounds corn cooked 5 pounds sugar yeast in a tote for about a week or so it was working i might not have let it work long enough
What do you mean, cooked? Your first post said something about malt, but this one did not. If you are not converting the corn starch to sugar then 5 lbs of sugar isn't enough to add.
Fretman124
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Post by Fretman124 »

arkansas wrote:Just another thought on your problem, a leaky lid will decress your yeild by alot. Alcohol vapors are near impossible to see. Like I said, just a thought, seen this yeild problem and was not a good thing at all.
after re-reading your post, I would say you have leaks all over the place.

First run was 100 proof. Second run was 60 proof.???????

I done a double distillation only one time. First run was 130 proof, second run was 175 proof. look to your seals. Flour paste is cheap and your best friend. cleans up easy, too.

I found all my leaks by running the sill in the cold. using my finger, I blocked the condenser outlet and instantly had steam coming from all the little gaps and lousy solder joints. Made it easy to locate leaks. MAKE SURE YOU USE NOTHING BUT YOUR FINGER TO BLOCK THE OUTLET. If you use something else, and forget it - you just made a bomb
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BW Redneck
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Post by BW Redneck »

arkansas:
Just another thought on your problem, a leaky lid will decress your yeild by alot. Alcohol vapors are near impossible to see. Like I said, just a thought, seen this yeild problem and was not a good thing at all.
Can't agree more with ya. On my very first run, I hadn't had the leaks worked out. I only had a yield of about 1/2 L on 20 L of UJSM. More than quadrupled my yield by replacing a bad cork around the thermometer and sealing it with paste. A good way of checking for leaks is to either run the still in cold weather and look for steam like Fretman124 said or put soapy water around all of the joints and look for bubbles. If you are around Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana, finding cold weather should not be a problem.

And another thing, make sure your condenser has enough capacity to condense all of the vapor coming off. I started putting ice in my worm box along with the cooling water and actually got a realistic yield of about 4 L from my wash, instead of 2 L.
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20lt small pot still, working on keg
Grayson_Stewart
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Post by Grayson_Stewart »

The best, least expensive and safest way to test for leaks is to assemble the still then fill completely with water to the opening to atmosphere that I hope everyone has.....if you have a leak it will show under that kind of head pressure.
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rmj993232
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Post by rmj993232 »

I'm a rookie but everybody's got so dam many different ideas about everything its all just trial and error but i took a say 20 gallon tote Ben and put about 20 pounds of cracked corn that was cooked a little not much though . 6-8 gallons of water 5 pounds of sugar 2.5 pounds malted barley and yeast , but i only let it ferment for around a week it was still working so i should have waited longer... then i strained it and ran that through the still .... all the corn i put back in the tote Ben and added worm water more sugar and let it stand again to use it again ... it started working again so it should work . now can u use a hydrometer just In the tote to see whats in there pry-er to running it in the still?
masonjar
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Post by masonjar »

I think you're right and it just needed to ferment longer. The malt will work slowly in converting the starch at room temperature.
hornedrhodent
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Post by hornedrhodent »

[quote="rmj993232"
I'm a rookie but everybody's got so dam many different ideas about everything its all just trial and error but i took a say 20 gallon tote Ben and put about 20 pounds of cracked corn that was cooked a little not much though . 6-8 gallons of water 5 pounds of sugar 2.5 pounds malted barley and yeast , but i only let it ferment for around a week it was still working so i should have waited longer... then i strained it and ran that through the still .... all the corn i put back in the tote Ben and added worm water more sugar and let it stand again to use it again ... it started working again so it should work . now can u use a hydrometer just In the tote to see whats in there pry-er to running it in the still?[/quote]


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