temperature vs yield

[SMiTH]

Hi Guys,

Ran my first batch a week ago and managed to get 6L at 75% alcohol, I am using these two products http://www.brewcellar.com.au/beerrange/ ... Category=9

Now my local home brew guy said that was pretty good for my first time and I am pleased with the results but I have some questions about the temperature's influence on the amount of alcohol produced. Throughout the process I had trouble keeping a constant temp with the thermometer reading an average of 85% celcius.

Is this acceptable? I am just worried that it is too hot and I am losing productivity.

Cheers;

SMiTH

[Dnderhead]

no idea what I'm looking at??? but with fermenting the closer to 24c-27c is good and 78.3 withe distilling will make almost pure ethanol.
if that works like a pot still as most water distillers do you wont be able to hold at that temp.. it will slowly climb threw out the run.
if you want cleaner alcohol dilute and rerun..

[blanikdog]

What type of still are you using. The link you give tells us nothing.

blanik

[kiwistiller]

I spot what you're talking about. that's a bog standard brew shop CM, with slightly better contruction, but the added disadvantage of not being able to detune into a pot still (I think from the image). have a look in the novice reading lounge for a guide to running it. you should be able to get a hell of a lot better than 75%, and your friendly brew shop owner lied to you

[blanikdog]

Is it that water system thing, kiwi?

Friendly brewshop owners wouldn't lie. How could you say such a thing?

blanik

[Dnderhead]

They don't lie,,, they just leave out important parts.add others to make it interesting.

[kiwistiller]

I'd classify 75% = good as a lie (for a reflux still)... that's 2 pot runs. Yeah blanik see how it sort of looks like an all metal essencia express head? you can see the CM jacket and graham condenser.

[SMiTH]

I can post an image of the whole thing while its running if that will help.

What I'm gathering from the above posts is that I'm not doing too well with the temp control and to get higher concentrate of alcohol I need to keep it as close to 78.6 degrees throughout the whole process as possible?

I did a second batch two days ago and got the same % of alcohol but in a higher volume (7 litres rather than 6)

[kiwistiller]

Did you read the guide in the reading lounge? It should get you pretty much sorted.

[SMiTH]

I read it a second time and it made much more sense to me now that I have actually gone through the process of distillation, thank you kiwi.

Also from what is said in the reading lounge temperature is going to continue to rise because of the way the element works. Is there a way to control the power consumption of the element to keep it at a more steady temp once the ideal temp is reached? (forgive me if this sounds silly, I have no electrical knowledge). It seems to me if I was able to do this I would get a better result without the need for high water input?

[kiwistiller]

Unfortunately, you can't control the boiling point of a substance with heat input. with a cooling management design, the only way to control it is with cooling.

[rad14701]

SMITH, you've read the literature but need to keep working at it until it really makes sense from the standpoint of practical application... An element controller will control the amount of heat produced - period... It is the wash that raises in temperature due to the changing mixture of water and alcohol it contains... As the alcohol is reduced you are left with more water and the wash will continue to rise in temperature until it hits waters maximum, 212F/100C... With a reflux column you can keep the temperature in check by adjusting reflux and/or heat input... With a pot still the temperature will continue to rise even if you reduce heat input... It's a tricky balance regardless of the type of still you are running and it will eventually become second nature... You'll get there...

[Dnderhead]

Listen to Rad, as far as water goes you have to use enough to knock the vapors down, there are ways of reducing consumption.
most of witch are not suited for the apartment/dorm/kitchen. (this hobby tends to git quit messy,as well as fire hazard)
like a lot of hobbies, starts off small and grows into several fermenters,barrels, pumps, stills and other paraphernalia.
I'm not saying this to discourage, people from distilling in a small area, just saying that you have to work around your situation.
as we do not know yours,we cant help you.
as I say there are ways of reducing consumption, from useing water for other purpose like dishes/baths/laundry/watering garden/lawn. also can be recycled with a pump,from one barrel to another.some even run threw radiators.
as for your still. that depends what your trying to make. seem that it whould work "ok" for "flavored" drinks,but inefficient for vodka/neutrals.small stills will work but you end up with such a small amount that it is hard to make cuts, ( percent x amount of wash = total alcohol-cuts=product) as for making "vodka" just do two runs,combined,,dilute down (to 40%) and rerun.the ABV will be much higher,but you will end up with less product.with small out fits it is hard to brake even no talk about making it "cheep".