Tell us about your mistakes.

This hobby is fun & enjoyable, but it is not tiddlywinks. Be safe!

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Tready
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New Pump

Post by Tready »

My idea was to get a pump to transfer wash to boiler. I went to Amazon and bought a high pressure 12volt stand alone fuel pump. It worked great! Transferred 50ltrs of wash in seconds. After distillation I had fuel! The lubricant in the pump had leached out and tainted all my hard work! Product was used as thinners and for room heater - moral of story :- Keep it clean...

Tready :D
Confucius say…When called an idiot, better to be quiet than open mouth and remove all doubt.
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BlackStrap
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by BlackStrap »

Not sure this would be a mistake or not... but it seems appropriate placed here as a word of caution.
Here's the story:
I had just finished a spirit run of UJSSM 4th generation (2 months of labor) I had collected 180 pr or 90% abv. and this stuff was the smoothest I had made to date... I had had a request for some of the Apple Pie Shine, (wedding gift) ...Anyways, I was measuring out the 1st of the shine that I needed for the recipe, when the 4 gallons that was in of 6 1/2 gallon carboy, slipped and smashed on the cement floor (glass and cement do not mix well)

I have since purchased a "sling" to steady the new carboy to help prevent close encounters with anything unintended and solid like cement...

Moral of this story is if you venture into the elements take all precautions you can afford, $12 harness would have probably prevented this mishap.

And on a side note: knowing that alcohol vapors are flammable and this was such a high proof in this quantity, I tripped the breaker on anything electric as not to cause a spark, that could have ignited the vapors before having a chance to dilute the shine (non flammable) as it ran down the drain...or things could have been a lot worse.
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rubelstrudel
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by rubelstrudel »

I was running the still in the basement. There's a kitchen there, a bathroom and a tv/game room where the kids have all their computers and stuff. Everything seemed to go great with the still in the bathroom so I popped up to make myself a sandwich. When I came down 15 minutes later the first thing I heard was the kids (both teenagers by the way) laughing their asses off over something. Much more than usual. But when I entered the room the cause of the merriment was obvious.

The shotgun condenser had filled up with air and was not doing its job, and a cloud of high proof alcohol was pouring out into the air. The bathroom, kitchen and game room was filling up with ethanol vapour. Since this was a carefully made neutral it didn't really smell much, at least not for the kids who had been sitting there as the vapours became thicker. They were very obviously feeling the effect of breathing alcohol.

Thankfully it was summer and the windows were open. So I shut down the still and opened everything to clear the air. And the kids did have a fun time watching their youtube videos.
Always impatient. But learning.
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skeet_skeety
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by skeet_skeety »

Y’all,

We had a 5gal alembic with thumper running and it hit the jump between 150F - 180F while my partner and I were working on a mash. The biscuit gave way under pressure and the cap blew making about a 6’X6’ fireball for 3 seconds or so. Once we had the gas shut down and counted our fingers and toes, we thought “were alive?!” We have been using vacuum and pressure relief valves ever since. 1) Let’s not have a funeral or go to the burn unit. 2) Always pay attention and work with a partner. 3) Vacuum relief will prevent you from collapsing a still and pressure relief is a must for me.

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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Why was there pressure? This is s safe place to say mistakes so others learn from - so I'm not coming down on you. But truth is... there shouldn't be pressure in your system in the first place. Find the reason it happened, and don't just tend to the symptoms.
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
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fizzix
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by fizzix »

skeet_skeety wrote:...The biscuit gave way under pressure and the cap blew making about a 6’X6’ fireball for 3 seconds or so.~Skeet_Skeety
DOG! Listen to Shineon Crazy Diamond. If you've got unrelieved, unvented pressure beyond that in a bubbler, you're fucking up and need to STOP!
Look, I'm way the other side of being a dick, but I want to know what this biscuit pressure is coming from so we can keep you safe!
DUDE!
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NZChris
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by NZChris »

skeet_skeety wrote:and pressure relief is a must for me.
The discharge from a pressure relief valve is extremely volatile and should be vented safely, preferably outdoors.

A pressure switch automatically shutting off the flame or power is a safer option.
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BlackStrap
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by BlackStrap »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:Why was there pressure? This is s safe place to say mistakes so others learn from - so I'm not coming down on you. But truth is... there shouldn't be pressure in your system in the first place. Find the reason it happened, and don't just tend to the symptoms.
A thumper blocks the vapor path (hopefully with just liquid) and therefor takes a normally open system and makes it closed, while generally adding a thumper is "safe" they do add an extra potential hazard for blocking a normally open system.
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Enough to blow the cap off??
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by The Baker »

Since the thumper is open to atmosphere it does not block the vapour path.
It may add slightly to the almost negligible pressure in the original still.
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BlackStrap
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by BlackStrap »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:Enough to blow the cap off??
I can tell you from experience. Yes!

Now this is where I can add my mistake...

Was doing a flavored spirit run, I have a 15 gallon Boiler, and 15 gallon Thumper with 3/4" copper tubing with unions to complete the connections, charged the thumper with 5 gallons of crushed apples and other fruits, well a few minutes went by and the solids had plugged up the the 3/4 tubing running to the bottom of the thumper... Now before connecting everything up, was a bit leery of things plugging up so before turning on the boiler, I blew thew the connection (like a kids blowing through a straw in a milk shake) and heard the bubble sounds. So I fired everything up, wasn't long I was thinking I should have had some heat in the column. Lucky my instincts where screaming at me to shut off the power and check, when easing open the line...WHOOSH steam came hissing out (not like a steam and vinegar run) this had some pressure behind it.... I don't know how much pressure there was...and not sure if letting it go if it would have pushed the blockage through or blew the boiler up. BUT, now run with a 5lb pressure relief valve. The relieve valve also helps when powering down, breaking the vapor path so things don't get sucked from the thumper back into the boiler, or worse case collapse the thumper.
Most questions can be answered here http://homedistiller.org/ and here http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=46

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metalsmith
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by metalsmith »

GAS, Gear Aqusition Syndrome. Holy cow, My evening drink is $200.00 a shot!
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by shadylane »

metalsmith wrote:GAS, Gear Aqusition Syndrome. Holy cow, My evening drink is $200.00 a shot!
But that shot was damn good, tastes even better since it's illegal :lol:
Uncle Sam has made alot more from me in sales tax than I've cheated on alcohol tax.
He could make even more selling get out of jail free cards to Homedistillers :wink:
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skeet_skeety
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by skeet_skeety »

Y'all,

Yes, there are several reasons a cap could blow as mentioned above. In our case, the still was running (way) too hot and may have been too full. Our previous rig as small but, far from a toy. I believe it puked into the thumper during the 150F - 180F jump. This intern filled the thumper, blocked the vapor, and caused the pot to boil over. In addition to the negative and positive relief valves, we use a sight glass in our thumpers, as a visual aid. We have also thought about soldering a vent line for the pressure relief but, I think were good to go as long as we are paying attention. I appreciate all the positive feedback!
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Sunshineer »

Your lucky three times I build flour bombs for the 4th of July throwing flower on fire makes a dust bomb Google it.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Sunshineer »

My biggest mistake was not cooling my collection jar after running the still without enough ventilation vapors built up that I couldn't smell because I had been there from the start my wife can in and about passed out the smell from my 185 proof. I was very lucky that no flame or spark put me on the moon. I left the door open and then the windows to air out the shed and then put a fan in the window which now runs whenever the still does and I put my one gallon heavy glass collection jugs into a 3 gallon pail full of ice. Lesson learned without pain for once.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by thecroweater »

If your product is leaving the dick that hot it's partly evaporating your cooling method is way inadequate and you really need to address that beyond chilling your collection jug there ole mate
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Windswept »

I had a relay fry in the closed position on my electric controller meaning that my 6gallons of wash got 5500w non-stop. It sprayed boiling sugar wash all over the place. I now have a kill switch in the system, and a couple of back up SSRs.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by fizzix »

Let's say multi-tasking is usually where my mistakes shine...

Spent Saturday
◘ Stripping a rye, while
◘ Squeezing a corn/barley, while
◘ Mashing another rye

The still's a-purrin' and the squeezin' is moving smoothly when the temperature probe buzzer alerts that
it's time for high-temp enzyme and malt addition to the rye mash. But why's the rye mash so... thin.. ?
I usually have a thick corn cement to thin out at this point... THE CORN! I cooked the roasted barley & flaked rye,
but forgot the corn!! .. duh .. something shiny must've distracted me.

Covered the thin mash with blankets, and cooked up the missing corn volume and let it sit for 90 minutes.
Now I have 2 buckets worth of rye puzzle pieces, so split it all in half and combined into 2 fresh clean buckets.
Luckily it was all above mash temperature so no re-heating required. Just waiting to cool.

Other than that, the day went swimmingly.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by PVnRT »

Boiling chips prevent superheating explosions in glass boiling vessels. Don't learn the hard way. There's still a stain on my ceiling.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Durhommer »

Years ago I called myself making jail house hooch cut up apples sugar water bakers yeast in a one gallon Carlos Rossi jug...no airlock couple days go by .....BANG!!!! Glass apple water everywhere
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Birrofilo
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Birrofilo »

CatCrap wrote: Thu May 31, 2018 8:38 pm One kitchen i worked in, we had a band saw. Only used it for two tasks. Cutting through bones in meat, rarely, and cutting whole wheels of parmigiano or Grana into halfs and quarters. That thing was straight terrifying. If you're using it, and you slip, or someone bumps into you, something verrrry bad could happen.
OT

You don't need a dangerous tool to open a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana. A few "parmigiano knives" (one of them with a special tooth) are all you need:

Opening of a five-years old wheel along the side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jch7Bp70Mg

Opening along the flat face:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy2LmSXtYbs

(Many videos on YouTube)

This cheese is probably produced since the XII century, there were no band saws at the time.

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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Sunshineer »

Italians use a knife to cut cheese any hard cheese why take a chance to lose a body part with the bandsaw.
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Mold

Post by WithOrWithoutU2 »

Well, wasn't sure where to post this but I figured this is as good as any place as it was not "intended".

So I made Shady's Sugar Shine recipe. During tear down I set my SS milkcan boiler with backset off in the corner for it to cool and figured I get to it in the morning to pour down the drain and clean the boiler. Well, 3 weeks later and I think I had a biohazard going on in my pot. A think layer of moldy / growth. There were various patches in all different colors. White, Orange,Burgandy, Black, Brown, Dark Green, Yellow, etc. It did not smell that bad. The texture was simular to a cross between carpet pad and maybe soaked bread. I dumped it down the utility sink drain and in hindsight I will I would have dumped it down the toilet. I've bleach the hell out of the utility sink and have rinse the crap out of my boiler and have it soaking in some BPW.

I know some folks have dunder pits, etc with some funky mold that contributes to rum. I've not gone down that route yet so know very little about it. But there is no way I could imagine what was growing in my still would be safe to use for flavoring.

PS. Any suggestions on how to super clean the pot would be great. I have to do some research but I think I read bleach and SS are bad.
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Re: Mold

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

WithOrWithoutU2 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:33 am PS. Any suggestions on how to super clean the pot would be great.
Boil alcohol in it

:shock:
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You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
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Re: Mold

Post by WithOrWithoutU2 »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:23 am
WithOrWithoutU2 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:33 am PS. Any suggestions on how to super clean the pot would be great.
Boil alcohol in it

:shock:
Actually I am working on a boka head so if I can get it completed I have to do a sacrificial run after the vinegar run anyways.

If I can get the same boka head solder properly is a whole other "mistake" story. But not as funny.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by NJen »

Nothing extremely serious, but I dropped my alcohol meter about mid way through my run tonight. Pretty dang disappointed in myself, I managed to make that one last almost 3 years. The first one I had lasted about a week.
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by cayars »

Always keep 2 on hand. :)
I broke my last one literally 5 minutes after unwrapping it. Thought I filled the glass tube with fluid and dropped the hydrometer in. NOPE
Now I've got 3 on hand just in case. I try and keep double of hydrometers, proof and tralle, pH meters.

Had 2 coolant pumps but one broke last week, installed a new one and it died last night on me with about a week's total use and of course is out of warranty. Damn Murphy!
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Durhommer
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by Durhommer »

yep whatever can go wrong will go wrong at one time or another ive got 30 gallon of sugarhead wheat corn bourbon been dry for bout a week now just havent felt up to running holiday season is a rough one for me not so much bah humbug but lack of motivation/depression idk fuck it maybe ill work on my stuff while the wife and kids do christmas
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pope
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Re: Tell us about your mistakes.

Post by pope »

Last mistake? I left an open fermenter open post-ferment for too long, turns out the liquid level drop in my cool, dry shop was mostly angels share. If you get too busy with other things they won’t wait ‘til its in the barrel to take it from you...
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
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