Tempature on my pot still

[gobbler777]

I have been didtilling for a few months now and have been using a 13 gal pot still. I have been running 5 gallon and 10 gallon washes. Eerytime i have i do a run my tempature usually settles out around 180 F and it drips very slow. I have been very patient,since everything i have read says to run slow. At his temp i usually only get about 4 pint jars total in about 4 hours. It just seems like that may be alittle slow? ok so 2 questions:

1. is running at 180 F acceptable or will am i getting other things in with my likker that dont need to be there?

2. also is my output about right for running 4 hours with a 10 gallon wash or am i doing something wrong?

also im using ujsm recipe and using a gas burner

[rad14701]

gobbler777, it sounds like you are attempting to run your pot still more like a reflux still by regulating heat input and monitoring output... Collecting a pint (16oz/500ml) per hour is slow even for some reflux stills... If you run a bit faster you'll have more flavor carry over as well, if that's is your intention...

[Usge]

The head temp will rise throughout the run as the abv drops. This is normal operation of a potstill. An average/common flow-rate for a potstill (on a spirit run) would be around 20ml per min, give or take a few...not that you can't experiment and run it slower/faster to see how your particular still responds. Don't worry about the head temp. Just taste/test what comes out the business end.

[gobbler777]

thanks for the replies, and yes i am looking for flavor, the reason i ask the question about the temp was because i read somewhere that u start to produce something other than alcohol at 180F and didnt know if it was harmful or not. The still i have is a 13 gallon milk can still it has a long tube coming out of the top of the pot then it elbows over to where it condenses. Should i take the long tube off and put a shorter one and maybe run a worm off of it? or just run with what i got and run my pot alittle harder to get more output and not worry about my temp gauge and just go by the taste?

[Usge]

You don't need to worry about the temp on a potstill...although you can monitor it just for your own information, etc. As I said, its going to pretty much run itself in that regard. And to answer your question directly, yes various compounds, impurities, etc., have their own boiling point. On a reflux still where the column is equalized and the various fractions stack themselves from lowest to highest...and then you bleed it off slow, you need to worry about it. But, on a pot still...things don't operate that way and you don't need to worry about it. The starting abv in the pot will determine what general range of head temp your potstill will start streaming. The lower the abv you start with, the higher the starting temp will be. And visa versa. As the alc is depleted, the temp will rise up and till it hits "water" (212F). (see the theory section in the main sight ie., chart for relationship between water vapor and alc vapor temps)

On a potstill, you should not worry about the thermometer. Wait till your still starts dripping. After it starts dripping, let it go till the drip settles in (ie. is not getting any faster). Then run the heat up "just" till it breaks from a drip to a steady stream. That should net you some where around 20ml per min, give or take.

Finally, to your last question, the column height really doesn't make "that" much difference on a straight through potstill with no packing, etc. I wouldn't worry about it for now. Just get a few runs under your belt. It will all make a lot more sense after that.

[LWTCS]

the column height really doesn't make "that" much difference on a straight through potstill with no packing, etc. I wouldn't worry about it for now. Just get a few runs under your belt. It will all make a lot more sense after that.

+1

And to further add;

My boiler rests on the ground level and I much prefer to collect at counter height. Factoring in my condenser, I needed to build my pot head a bit tall.

All of my builds to date have been first planned based on my workspace and collection height.

Other than that, I couldn't be bothered with a 8" head vs. a 12" head (or the like).

[blanikdog]

This link will assist you, gobbler. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p6816241" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

On top of the replies you already have you should be laughing.

Good luck with it and stay safe.

blanik

[gobbler777]

yea i understand completly now , yesterday i ran my 3rd generation of ujsm, i poured all my likker in as i did on the 2nd generation run, this run went alot better and faster than my previous runs, i got alot of flavor and my likker seemed alot smoother, i ran about 300 ml to start, and then about another 300 ml of heads, and got about a half gallon of good stuff with a 75% abv down to 65% abv and then i kept running down to about 30% to keep some tails for the next run, thanks for the info fellas

[blanikdog]

You're welcome. Good to see a satisfied gobbler.

blanik