Tell us about your mistakes.

[Jetzon]

Corn...The Magical vegetable you get to enjoy twice

[minime]

I learned the hard way to always, always, always store molasses containers upright. I laid a 5kg container on it's side in the bottom of the cabinet and noticed a couple of weeks later some black ooze running onto the floor. Took forever to clean up, what a mess. Luckily it was in the garage an not the kitchen. Momma would have shot me I'm sure.

[MountedGoat]

I was sitting in front of the still, listening to some music and was drawing the still setup (it's a beauty and I wanted it in my log book). I looked at the collection tray where I had a beaker waiting for the foreshots and there was a silken line going from the cup to the condenser and something on the floor. Damned thing was overflowing and had a steady trickle flowing into it.

I turned off the gas, cleaned it up, dumped the foreshots and then began again. Scared me because what would have happened if the pool had reached the fire under the pot! And I was right in front of it, just not paying attention. Need 100% for sure. Never forget that even when you are paying attention something can go wrong. I told myself that it was a beginners mistake, but it can also happen to a well worn vet.

[le0n]

About 30 minutes ago, making a Birdwatchers Sugar wash and ( bet you have all done it ) poured the first batch of warm water and sugar into the fermenter and of course left the tap open.

[HookLine]

About 30 minutes ago, making a Birdwatchers Sugar wash and ( bet you have all done it ) poured the first batch of warm water and sugar into the fermenter and of course left the tap open.

Yep, done that.

[jdonly1]

About 30 minutes ago, making a Birdwatchers Sugar wash and ( bet you have all done it ) poured the first batch of warm water and sugar into the fermenter and of course left the tap open.

Yep done it also

[punkin]

Did it syphoning low wines into the boiler one day

Always check now.....

[Jetzon]

Scooping out Hot Backset into Big ole Pot on Linoleum Flooring Looks like a ring of Clorox
Been sitting on it for a month Oh I'm Glad I aint Married..

[Rudi]

About 30 minutes ago, making a Birdwatchers Sugar wash and ( bet you have all done it ) poured the first batch of warm water and sugar into the fermenter and of course left the tap open.

Sucks more when you tip a pot full of hot water and 5kg of dissolved sugar into a fermenter then realize you left the bung out pretty hard to try and put a bung in when theres hot syrupy liquid pissing out.(not that I have done anything stupid like that )

[jdonly1]

About 30 minutes ago, making a Birdwatchers Sugar wash and ( bet you have all done it ) poured the first batch of warm water and sugar into the fermenter and of course left the tap open.

Sucks more when you tip a pot full of hot water and 5kg of dissolved sugar into a fermenter then realize you left the bung out pretty hard to try and put a bung in when theres hot syrupy liquid pissing out.(not that I have done anything stupid like that )

[davydangerson]

I was "going" to run 12 gallons of birdwatchers in my reflux still. I set the heat control for 120 volts / low range (870 watts) turned on full reflux coil (internal coil). I usually don't run the reflux out water back into the reservoir because it heats the tank up too much. Here comes the stupid part, phone rings, it's work and they need me to come in because my boss is incompetant. I forget the still is on, I leave, I get to work, I remember, I figure it's not that big of deal it's on full reflux and I got enough coil to knock down that 870 watts no problem. Work takes abot 2 hours, I get back and there is a jet of steam shooting from the lyberg (?) turn off the power, check the water supply, empty. Because the reflux coil was on full the tank got pumped dry. No water=shit storm. since I do my distilling outside, under a covered area, I don't think there was a large safety concern. I refilled the reservior turned the power back on. Got a stable foreshot flow at 75 C, let it work up to 78, made my cut, collected the first 1/2 pint, cut, second half pint, cut, measure SG 60% 81C yield from 12 gallons of 8.5 % wash..... 1/2 pint at 91% stupidity factor 100% learning curve very steep indeed

[GrandPa]

me and a friend were outside in the distillery having some cold beer (still was cold) visiting and watching the dog chase fly's when one flew toward the still and the dog hot after his a$$. Dog leaps in the air bounces off the wall and into the still knocking it off of the burner. I caught it before the column hit the floor.
lesson: Never let wild animals in the distillery.

[Husker]

Wild animals? Hell, that loooks like a fine still'n dog GPa. Just have to keep'm from smashin the still (or build a better stand to put it on).

One thing I do on the rare times I use the column, is that I tie it up to a hook on the joists in the garage.

H.

[GrandPa]

Thats a good idea, I have some hooks here. I'd sure hate to knock it over. yes the burner grate is not all that good.

[Husker]

Thats a good idea, I have some hooks here. I'd sure hate to knock it over. yes the burner grate is not all that good.

If your using a keg, then look around (sorry, I am off to work, so dont have time), for a "car wheel" burner or burner stand. There are some VERY nice pix, and you can make that stand rock solid (well about as good as you can get in a 15-18" diameter base.

H.

[BW Redneck]

Should be http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... rim+burner

[vajravarahi]

When I first started stillin' I had problems with the hose connections not being on right for the coolant water. So little floods was my first bit of fun. Guess I could say I got good with a mop.

I also took things too literally from the old French books on distilling. One said place you hand on the top of the alembic to know when your coloring is done (ie the liquid is about 50-60º C.) I didn't burn myself, but my absinthe had this intense wonderful color, but this intense charcoal burnt flavor (that wasn't from the distillate). Undrinkable.

I didn't take good notes my first 2 or 3 runs. Basically I didn't know what I wanted or needed to remember, so it's hard to know what I was doing on those first runs. I can see that I was clueless in looking back now.

I keep thinking it should have taken me less time to think outside the box. I'd get an answer from someone more experienced and I'd take that as gospel truth. Not that it was wrong, but it was within the context of how they ran, and their set up and recipes. I needed to learn to find my way and be able to explore.

You can't be afraid to make a mistake. But don't kill or injure yourself, or burn the house down, in the process.

[GrandPa]

Today I dropped my hydrometer into (my only) empty test jar! = No bottom on test jar DOH!

[Dnderhead]

Grandpa---- put a small piece of "scrubby" in the bottom of that tube next time as a bumper

[GrandPa]

Grandpa---- put a small piece of "scrubby" in the bottom of that tube next time as a bumper

I'll do that DH soon as I get another. great idea Thanks

[Usge]

I got some stanky cooked mash rye burbliing away in the back room. Shhhhhh.

[Uncle Jesse]

I got some stanky cooked mash rye burbliing away in the back room. Shhhhhh.

yummm

[loler]

Not taking out heads was my mistake...

Cuts, cuts and more cuts!!!

Gives you a nice headache esp. if using turbo yeast!

So turbo yeast is another mistake...

[shadylane]

I don't know how many times I've left the drain valve open and then poured mash in the still. The ants and fruit flies love me.

[Barney Fife]

My biggest "almost" mistake came one day when I realized I was setting myself up for a catastrophe! I was using the furnace room for storage, since it has a lot of nice shelves, big temperature variations, and no windows: ideal for aging spirits, right? Right!. Except, one day I'm in there giving the jugs with oak in them a shake, and the furnace fires up, and I see the glint of the flame off the concrete floor. There I was, shaking a 1/2 gallon glass jug of rum at around 75% ABV, over a concrete floor with a major open flame right next to me! I went cold with sweat as I realized the nasty potential....

I carefully moved ALL the flammables out of there right quick, I's tells ya! Captain obvious wasn't present when I decided to use that room for storage, that's a given. I'd been doing it for a couple years!

[Husker]

Good post Barney. Something I have almost forgotten about.

I long ago quit storing large quantities of barrel strength in the house. I put them in the shed to age now. If disaster happens, and my shed burns down, I am out very little. If disaster happens, and your house burns down (or an apartment!!!) then that is much worse. I do store about 20 gallons of finished stuff in my liquor cabinet (mostly in 1L bottles). Yes, that is a lot of flamable liquid, but I will not store 5 or 6 gallon glass carboys, or multiple gallon glass jugs of 65% down in the basement.

On an off note, we had a shelf collapse (in the laundry room, right next to the furnace). It was a set of 4 shelves screwed into the wall. The wall brackets for the top shelf collapsed, sending it into the shelf below, collapse, etc, etc. About 100 qts of pickels, relish, canned peaches, beets (I almost cryed over their loss), and many other canned meats and vegis, and LOTS of broken mason jars were all over the floor. Now, only about 25% of what was there ended up breaking, because there was some dirty laundry on the floor, and it cushioned the blow somewhat.

Now, think about it. What if that had been gallons of hi proof. I bet the fire marshal investigation would have excluded me from being paid by the insurance company for the burnt down house There is NO WAY I that that much spilled hi proof 10' away from a pilot light would not have ignited (possibly explosively).

Again, good post Barney! The wise can learn without having to have the painful experience themselves.

H.

[mbasketcase13]

Out in the shed today with the air conditioner on it's 99 F outside, running a reflux run and the carbon monoxide alarm goes off son that will shake you up bigtime

[carlos castenada]

yeah, made a few alterations to my keg, forgot to clean out flux and filled with wash. looked at the top of the flux bottle. big letters -poison. wrote on top.
happy days.

[Centimeter]

Started collecting a stripping run in a half full jug of carefully selected fractions from a spirit run. Ruined a good 6 hours of work in a matter of minutes.

Didn't listen to Dnder and ended up spending well over 25 hours distilling the same batch of alcohol before finally cranking up the flow rate on my pot still. Lesson learned...always listen to Dnder...and Punkin...

[HookLine]

Started collecting a stripping run in a half full jug of carefully selected fractions from a spirit run. Ruined a good 6 hours of work in a matter of minutes.

Bummer.

Bet you won't make that mistake twice.

You do label your storage jugs?