My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post your builds here.

Moderator: Site Moderator

kimbodious
Distiller
Posts: 1198
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:57 pm
Location: Far northern tropics of Australia.

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by kimbodious »

The symptom of flooding is when condensate is exiting via the offtake. That will show up as increased output with decreased purity.
--
50L Beer keg boiler, 2200W element
Modular 2" Pot Still
opinions are free and everybody has them, experience costs you time
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

Great, I was never close to that point, tried to keep the bubbling just above the top level of the packing and up to one third up the column.

So now to making the cuts. I'm assuming that this will be easier as the heads and tails on the reflux run seem to be much more defined.

I go visit my fractions and smell them regularly trying to get a feel for it. Dip the tip of my pinkie finger in the fraction an have a taste. Wednesday night will have to make my cuts.
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
User avatar
Yummyrum
Global moderator
Posts: 7653
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:23 am
Location: Fraser Coast QLD Aussie

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Yummyrum »

Andrew_90 wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 9:43 am So what constitutes flooding? If I have visible image of percolating of distillate a third of the way up the sight glass am I flooded.
I would call that flooded , especially if the level keeps rising . You have the advantage of a sight glass . Probably the majority of reflux still users don’t . The first they now about it is as Kimbo said , when it suddenly starts gushing out your takeoff port , or in the case of LM stills blasts out the top of the RC .

If you can see a level of Liquid above the packing , in my mind , you are flooding . It shows that the liquid is unable to fall freely back to the boiler .
kimbodious
Distiller
Posts: 1198
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:57 pm
Location: Far northern tropics of Australia.

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by kimbodious »

I have puzzled over lack of tails on sprit runs using low wines until I realised that I probably didn’t go deep enough into tails on the stripping runs. I now strip until I collect a certain volume just to make sure that I have gone deep enough.
--
50L Beer keg boiler, 2200W element
Modular 2" Pot Still
opinions are free and everybody has them, experience costs you time
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

I noticed that the amount of reflux made a difference to the degree of "flooding". When I was running the still I had maximum cooling flow through the RC. The descending reflux and the ascending vapours make for increased bubbling. So winding up the power had a double whammy, more reflux and more vapour. Need to get my head around better control of these two factors.

@Kim - Was is not you that posted your take off volumes for SSSW on a 2" CCVM. Looked for the post but cannot find it. Was either you or Yummy?
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
kimbodious
Distiller
Posts: 1198
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:57 pm
Location: Far northern tropics of Australia.

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by kimbodious »

Not me, I use kale wash for my neutral spirit.

As far as takeoff rate on my 2” column, at 1.2 litres per hour I am getting highest purity, at 1.5 litres an hour I am getting 92-93%.

Don’t be misled by purity numbers, you can get high purity and it is all heads. Lower purity is quite okay if there are no nasty compounds in there.
--
50L Beer keg boiler, 2200W element
Modular 2" Pot Still
opinions are free and everybody has them, experience costs you time
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

So tonight is serious stuff, will be making my cuts. Not very good at this.

As I am at 96%, half water and half alcohol will get me to 48% which seems way to high for tasting. What would the optimum % be for tasting and exposing the heads and tails?
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
User avatar
Yummyrum
Global moderator
Posts: 7653
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:23 am
Location: Fraser Coast QLD Aussie

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Yummyrum »

Andrew_90 wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:08 am What would the optimum % be for tasting and exposing the heads and tails?
Maybe a bit late for you now Andrew , but I always find around the 35% abv mark works best …. But 30% is just fine too :thumbup:

I made this topic . Although it features a Pot still run , the same is applicable to reflux stills as well. Obviously tjw cuts will be different due to compression but the idea is the same .
https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 15&t=68702
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

I forgot that I had made such a tube, this getting older is not for sissies.
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

Ok, done.

All tastes pretty shitty to me. Don't know what neutral should taste like but it is sharp with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

From 40l of 28% low wines.
1.6l of Heads
5.4l of Hearts
0.6l of Tails
Started in the middle and worked one side then the other. I cut at the first fraction either side that tasted rather different from its neighbour,

I was expecting a much smoother alcohol. Maybe I am simply not used to high purity alcohol?
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
kimbodious
Distiller
Posts: 1198
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:57 pm
Location: Far northern tropics of Australia.

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by kimbodious »

I find that any spirit takes time to settle down after proofing down with water. You could just be dealing with what I refer to as a fiery or possibly sharp spirit sensation. It usually settles down after a week or so.
--
50L Beer keg boiler, 2200W element
Modular 2" Pot Still
opinions are free and everybody has them, experience costs you time
Setsumi
Distiller
Posts: 1371
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 10:23 pm
Location: Central South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Setsumi »

For me sharp is too much heads and bitter is either still/process related like scorching or too little copper, or still dirty from building or tails.

Trust your pallet, even if it is over sensitive... you are lucky, my smell and taste got screwed in the SAW... even google is oblivious to the original acronym. Reserve the best, proof it down and have a tiple of it on an ice cube in a few days. If still bitter, look at cuts and process.
My first flute
My press
My twins
My controller
My wife tells me I fell from heaven covered in white. Why did they let me fall?
User avatar
Saltbush Bill
Site Mod
Posts: 9675
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:13 am
Location: Northern NSW Australia

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Tails leave a lingering bitter taste to me.
User avatar
bunny
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2020 8:28 am

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by bunny »

I dilute out a lot further. Virtually everything comes off my LM at azeo. I put 5ml of azeo into my graduated cylinder and add 25ml of distilled water. This gives me enough volume to work with. It works out around 16%ABV. It can be fairly easy for me to tell the cleans from the dirties.
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

So I had to make a call in order to get a Gin run in before we leave for the Cape on vacation.

All is in one pot now so no going back, was a little short on distilled water which I will get today. I like to macerate for 2 weeks which will give me just enough time get a run in. Want to take some with me on holiday to share with my son.

On the bitterness, no matter which fraction I tasted it seemed to have a bitter after taste. So I am not sure is it is a cuts problem, or a me problem. I trust my process which has been based on successful distillers on this form so I think it is me. I had added feints from previous runs, the quality of which I now question.

Either way I am all in now so the botanicals will be going in tonight, come hell or highwater. I have nothing to lose, some time and the cost of a bit of sugar and botanicals. This is only my 4th wash which I do in batches on 100l. I am not unhappy and expected a learning curve which so far has been rather rewarding and less expensive that I thought due the help and advice from the forum.

I had mentioned that my 50l wash for the sacrificial run was probably the best I had made. As my still was already very clean before the sacrificial run I ventured a taste and did not detect any bitterness. So it is possible that the unwanted tastes have been dragged through from stripped low wines from older washes? I have been impatient, and in hindsight, ending my washes before the were really fully fermented out. If it read 1.000 I was done irrespective of if there was still fine bubbles still rising.

Armed with this information is am looking forward to January when I can make my next wash.
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
User avatar
Yummyrum
Global moderator
Posts: 7653
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:23 am
Location: Fraser Coast QLD Aussie

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Yummyrum »

Andrew , I can concur that taste buds can have off days … or certainly biased days .
It often helps to have something you are familiar with on hand , so when you think , yup , thats sour or tasteless or bitter or sharp … what ever , check what you know .
Andrew_90
Rumrunner
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:24 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by Andrew_90 »

12l of Macerating Gin.

Image
One too many wasted sunsets, one too many for the road.
fzbwfk9r
Bootlegger
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat May 30, 2020 4:51 pm
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle of God's country. Saskatchewan!

Re: My 2" Insulated CCVM Column Build

Post by fzbwfk9r »

OY....
what's all in there?
Post Reply