Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

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

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
LocalRepeater
Novice
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2018 3:02 am

Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

Post by LocalRepeater »

Hello, not sure if this is the correct place for this post so sorry in advance.

I've built a reflux still out of copper and following advice on the forum did a vinegar run with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. After doing this I cleaned out the still and there seem to be a lot of brown residue inside the reflux column.

I cleaned as much of the residue out as possible with a stainless steel scrub for at least 20 minutes in hot soapy water, but even after this when I run my finger around the inside of the reflux column my finger would discolour slightly and the inside of the column was still not totally shiny.

I then tried a water run hoping it would clean out some of the residue. The water came out completely clear but had a sweet vinegary smell to it.

Any ideas what caused the brown residue to appear and my best bet for getting rid of it? or what is cause of the smell in the distilled water?
User avatar
fizzix
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 3698
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 4:08 pm

Re: Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

Post by fizzix »

Congrats on a build, 'Repeater!
It's likely flux.
You did only part of the cleaning run with the vinegar & water, though. Follow through with a sacrificial alcohol run to complete the job.
Vinegar/water gets some cleaning done, and the alcohol run gets what the douche run missed.

Make your sacrificial run cheap & easy like Birdwatcher's and for God's sake, don't drink it!
Thus sacrificial.
Samyguy
Bootlegger
Posts: 130
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 5:40 pm

Re: Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

Post by Samyguy »

Maybe try a citric acid bath,
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13064
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

Post by NZChris »

I'm getting concerned about how many new still owners/builders are showing up here not knowing to follow up a vinegar run with a sacrificial alcohol run, plus their not knowing that the product of the sacrificial can be toxic.

Where did you get your cleaning advice from, LocalRepeater?
LocalRepeater
Novice
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2018 3:02 am

Re: Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

Post by LocalRepeater »

I am aware that I need to do a sacrificial run, but the brown residue was unexpected so I wanted to figure out what was going on before continuing.

Thanks for the advice, I will just try do a sacrificial run and see if everything clears up.
User avatar
zed255
Distiller
Posts: 1021
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:06 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Brown residue inside still and off smell in water run

Post by zed255 »

Also remember fresh copper takes a while to gain a patina and you do want a nice patina. If you scrub down to bright metal repeatedly you will seem to always have residues. Relax, finish your initial clean and run it, rinse and air dry is all you need long term barring a puke or running something really oily.
----------
Zed

When the Student is ready, the Master will appear.
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
Post Reply