question about temperature

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cornlikr
Novice
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:39 am

question about temperature

Post by cornlikr »

I've built a 5 gallon stainless pot still to be run on propane, and working on a 15 gallon. I've read to not worry about thermometers and go by taste for the cuts. My question is how do you gauge how much heat to apply to the pot so it doesn't puke? I would think you could fire it harder on heat up and then cut it back, but I'm not sure when, and what I should cut it back to. Forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere.
5 gallon stainless stock pot
1 gallon pickle jar thumper
3/4 column
3/8 condenser
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theholymackerel
retired
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:39 pm

Re: question about temperature

Post by theholymackerel »

cornlikr wrote: My question is how do you gauge how much heat to apply to the pot so it doesn't puke? I would think you could fire it harder on heat up and then cut it back, but I'm not sure when, and what I should cut it back to.
Experience (and only fillin' yer boiler 1/3 full on a strippin' run) is how to prevent pukin'. Pukin' durin' a spirit run doesn't matter much anyways, as it's gonna get run again. Pukin' is almost non-existant durin' spirit runs.

Heat up the boiler with as much heat as ya want, but keep touchin' yer layne-arm to moniter how close the still is to bein' ready. Once the layne-arm gets too hot to touch ya know the vapour will hit the condencer any second.
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smeag
Novice
Posts: 62
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:17 am

Re: question about temperature

Post by smeag »

Boiling chips of some kind (to break up bubbles) more head space and listen to how hard it's boiling
“What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” -Bob Dylan
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blanikdog
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 4545
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2005 11:55 pm
Location: Bullamakanka, Oztrailya

Re: question about temperature

Post by blanikdog »

Yep, that's exactly what I find too, holy. Within minutes.
Simple potstiller. Slow, single run.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon)
The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading

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Hawke
retired
Posts: 2471
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:39 am

Re: question about temperature

Post by Hawke »

Kinda off topic, but was watching a food channel show from Iceland. With thier geothermal steam system, a cook took 5 gallons of water in a steam kettle from tap to boiling in 7 seconds, yes, SEVEN SECONDS :shock: My calculator had a heart attack when I tried to figure BTU's.
It is the very things that we think we know, that keep us from learning what we should know.
Valved Reflux, 3"x54" Bok 'mini', 2 liebig based pots and the 'Blockhead' 60K btu propane heat
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rad14701
retired
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Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm
Location: New York, USA

Re: question about temperature

Post by rad14701 »

Hawke wrote:Kinda off topic, but was watching a food channel show from Iceland. With thier geothermal steam system, a cook took 5 gallons of water in a steam kettle from tap to boiling in 7 seconds, yes, SEVEN SECONDS :shock: My calculator had a heart attack when I tried to figure BTU's.
Yeah, I've seen that same program... Hard to believe until you see it happen... My first thoughts drifted towards distillation... Would really speed up both stripping and spirit runs... :mrgreen:
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