on the eve of my first run

[SloppyJoe]

So I'm gonna do my first UJSM run tomorrow. I thought I'd write on here my understanding of how things must go so you fellas (or gals if there be any) can correct me if I'm cornfused.

I'm running a pot still.

Assembling my still I'll use a bit of flour and water paste to ensure a good seal. My test the other night revealed just a tiny bit of leakage without the paste so I figure the paste will make it good and solid. I've got a bunch of 1/2" paper binder clips to secure the lid to the pot. I intend to add some support to the head as well.

I will:

1) Charge the still
2) Crank up the heat
3) When it starts simmering, turn on the cooling water
4) If vapor escapes, adjust heat.
5) Collect 50ml of Foreshots, discard or do something with it other than let it be drunk.
6) I intend to collect into pint jars, letting them get about 1/2 - 3/4 full.. also measuring the ABV as I'm going.
7) let it run until the temp gets around 82c/180f

For the Mash I'll put some water back into the fermenter when I empty it so the yeasties don't die. When I'm done I'll put 1 3/4 gal backset into the bucket, 7 more lb of sugar, combining the sugar and backset while warm and waiting till it cools to add to the fermenter then top it off to 5gal.

I know I'm supposed to use all the product I collect as feints in the next batch but I won't be able to resist sampling a bit.. you know.. so I can appreciate the differences when it gets good and ripe... So I'll probably play around and taste the differences in the heads, hearts, and tails. Mix them together and after sampling just a bit I'll save them for the next run.

Am I missing/forgetting anything?

Also I was thinkin about this.. should I initially crank it up so that vapor does escape then drop it down so it doesn't so I know I'm running at max efficiency? or is it bad to run it as hard as possible. Dunno if you read my other post but my condensor is kinda small so I don't think I'll be able to run it too hot..

I'm gonna stop at the store and get some stainless steel dish scrubbers to pack in my lyne arm... I don't think I can find any copper mesh anywhere... I'll order some and replace the ss with it...

Oh and I'll have a fire extinguisher handy. Also I be within 10' from the thing while it's runnin'.

[tracker0945]

Sounds pretty right except for a couple of minor points.
As soon as you begin product collection turn the fire down until you are getting just a slow drip rate, 2 drips per second
You need to collect 50ml of foreshots for each 10 litres in your still, so for 30 litres - 150 mls foreshots.
At this stage you can turn the fire up a bit to collect slightly faster, play with different settings and record the results for future reference. Faster is not necessarily better.
The vapour temp will probably read/rise higher than you estimate. If you print a copy of the temp/concentration chart under the 'Theory' section of the home site it will show the predicted %abv for your temp reading. As you will see, you will still be collecting 20%abv at 98C
I would advocate changing your collection jars in response to column temp changes rather than a set volume collected. Let them sit for 24 hours to air out before tasting and deciding what to do with each jar.
Otherwise it sounds as if you have the general idea of what goes on. A lot of things will become crystal clear to you as you do this run.
Good luck and Cheers.

[Tater]

good luck

[SloppyJoe]

Thanks, I went and did a quick water run just to see how the thing worked. I had run water through it before but with no cooling. Anyway this time was pretty good, though I think my head might be too tall (24") I might cut it down to about 15" or so. With the weight of the hoses and condensor it almost tipped the boiler over. Not cool.

[Usge]

Aye, the potstill. First, just relax and try not to think about it too much...observe.

If you have a thermometer on your rig, particularly if it's at the top of the vapor path, and you are doing first run, meaning cooking up your wash into low-wines....your temp that it's going to start coming off is more like 90-92C on a potstill.

For now focus on your first run..but just FYI your 2nd run, it will start coming off around 80-82c (ie..after you save up enough first runs of low-wines to charge the still for a spirit run). The temp that it comes off is determined by the abv of what's in the pot. Water comes off at 100c. A 10-13% wash will come off between 90-92C. A 45-55% lowwines..will come off around 80-82%. There's a chart in the theory section of the main site that you can use as a guide. However, each still/ thermometer placement, etc., could produce variances. They are usually consistant though.

This is your 'stripping' run. You are not worried about making cuts. Nor are you worried about fussel oils or etc. other than discarding foreshots (which you should do every time/run).

Somewhere around 70c..your still is going to start singing. (boiling). You'll most likely hear it. That's when you reduce heat. If you run it too hot into the main body..it will spit at you. So, after you are certain it's boiling good, trim it back to a low simmer. Once you start getting a few drops..you can adjust the heat. Hotter=faster output. Lower heat = slower.

Now, here's the thing....the let off point, as to when it "sticks" or what temp it will start coming off is determined by the abv of the wash. At some point...the temp will "stick" and it will dump off the majority of the run. From there, the heat will slowly start to rise...as the alcohol is evaporated from the wash. For your first run..as I said, it should be somewhere around 90-92c.

Relax. You'll understand more after your first run. Good luck!! and have fun!!

[tracker0945]

With the weight of the hoses and condensor it almost tipped the boiler over. Not cool.

You do need to support the weight of the condenser - blocks of wood, a stack of bricks or a fancy purpose built stand, they all work. but you already found that out now.

[SloppyJoe]

I did the run,
I think all went well... I got about 1.5L of 45 abv, but I think I may have quit running a little too early. Is that amount normal? or should I have collected longer?

It pretty much took care of itself though once it got going.

Next I want to make a parrot and put a thermometer on the still, I found it irritating having to fill my sample tube to see what I was runnin and I think it would be nice to be able to watch temps.

[tracker0945]

Next I want to make a parrot and put a thermometer on the still, I found it irritating having to fill my sample tube to see what I was runnin and I think it would be nice to be able to watch temps.

I'm confused. How did you know what temp you were running if you did not already have a thermometer in your still?

Watching temps gives you the exact same info as watching a parrot.
With the temp you just have to compare temp against the output graph.
With the parrot you read the abv but then have to measure distillate temp and still compare to correction graph for correct reading.
I find reading the temp much easier. I just take very occasional alcometer readings to verify.

[tracker0945]

I did the run,
I think all went well... I got about 1.5L of 45 abv, but I think I may have quit running a little too early. Is that amount normal? or should I have colleced longer?

Impossible to say because you have not told us how much you had in your boiler, what the abv reading of your collection was when you quit or what the potential %abv of the wash was.
More detail needed I'm afraid.

[SloppyJoe]

I wrote this just before I left to go out of town, as I was driving out of town I thought.. They can't answer that.. they don't know the volume I used. Hah!

Anyway, I had a 5 gallons of UJSM, probably ran about 4.5 through the still in 2 batches. the ABV when I stopped was about 30%. I don't know the potential %abv of the wash on account of I forgot to get my starting SG reading.