Home Distiller

Hi all,

I'm making rum using an all stainless pot still. I don't have any copper packing (have ordered some but could be weeks away) so I'm thinking about just suspending a bunch of old copper scrap (mostly pipe bits) in the boiler during distillation. Any thoughts? Does it HAVE to be in the vapour stream?

Thanks in advance!

I use scrap 'boiling bits ' in the bottom of my propane fired boiler . Have always used them because of advice I got from old timers when I started here .
What works does not need to be fixed .

Only having copper in the vapor is not ideal.

This should answer your question. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 0450.x/pdf

I and a lot of other distillers run scrap copper in the boiler/wash.
I believe it helps, some will tell you different.
You will still need copper in the vapor path as well in my opinion.

Saltbush Bill wrote:I and a lot of other distillers run scrap copper in the boiler/wash.
I believe it helps, some will tell you different.
You will still need copper in the vapor path as well in my opinion.

I agree . SS boiler , thumper . All lines and condenser are copper .

Bagasso's experience in the thread that DerWo suggests is what i found with my very recent experiments. I figger he really saved my biscuits with that post and owe a debt of gratitude.

using an all SS still except 4 copper plates and i was getting awful smell. i added copper pipe to low wines for a week and it helped. then i added mesh in one of the plate sections (just loosely) and it helped more. Then i added scraps elbows to the 2nd plate and it helped to the point that i'm happy with the smell of the distillate finally.

lastly i added some pipe to the wash in the boiler and did not see a noticeable improvement over all the other copper already in place but i use it anyway. I don't put it in the active ferment.

HDNB,
I think Bagasso would be happy to read your success in his thread. A few posts to him were a bit rough. When reading again this thread everything still sounds a bit like vodoo. Another positive report there would help.