Need help

[Adictv]

Hi guys,
Need a bit of help. Just put my first wash through my turbo 500 did an SG reading of 990, turbo clear all that jazz that came with the still :S and got rid of the first 100ml then got upto about 1.5l temps perfect then suddenly bang all the temps went up and down out of control so just had to turn it off???? They were up and down like a yoyo. Let it cool and emptyed it no foam no signs of anything!!! Where did I go wrong????
Please any help would be muchly appreciated

[Usge]

Sounds like your wash finished at .990. But, what was the starting volume and SG? And what proof were you collecting at? You may have just run into tails,...or be running out of alc...which would cause temps to want to destabilize if you are running reflux at a steady pace. As an example: 20L of 13% wash..only has 2,600ml of "potential" alc in it to start with. To get past that point, you'd need to increase your forced reflux, and slow the take off rate. That might get it to hold or stabilize for a bit. But, it would eventually keep pressuring the temps up.

[Adictv]

Thanks for the reply
Basically 25l mash reading 990 for 2 days then whole wash into the turbo 500 at 10-15% and after chucking out the first 500ml I collected 2l at 95% then that's when the temps went nuts. My first instinct was that the fermentation went wrong but I just don't no.
I do have another mash ready to go and will put it through in tomorrow to see if I get the same result but my main concern is that maybe something is wrong with the still???????

[Usge]

25l of 10% = 2500ml of potential alc at 100%. You collected 2500ml. Sounds like to me...you just hit tails. That's what happens when the alc is depleted in the pot up to the point that it can no longer stabilize the column using reflux..ie...tails. That's how you know when to quit...or...turn off the reflux and just flush the tails out. You could also try increasing reflux at that point, to try and squeeze the last bit out. But, to me...it sounds like things went like they should.

You can multiply whatever your fermented volume is by the abv and that should tell you approximately how much potential alc there is in the run. That way you'll have an idea of how much you might be collecting. I think what you are describing thus far sounds ok....a good run. I would only worry if the sputtering/yo-yo up and down happened earlier in the run...instead of at the very end.

[Adictv]

Thanks
Got another was ready to go What % ABV should my was be once fermented about the 15% mark?

[Samohon]

I always keep my washes between 10 - 12%.
Experience with washes > 12% produced a shine, that, while very nice indeed, did not yield much more either in quantity or in quality.
Therefore, my assumption was that the greater the abv of the wash, the more work that the yeast colony had to do, hence to more chance of degrading the finished product slightly.
It's all about experimentation: ingredients, quantities, water, location (sea level), heat, collant temps, ect, ect... Thats what makes the hobby great...

My AG (all grain) washes come out between 6 - 8% abv, but I am looking for quality here, not quantity.

Hope it helps...

[Adictv]

ok great thanks for that im going to put a birdwatchers on today for the first time and see how i go.

i do have another question about the standard turbo wash :S that comes with the turbo 500. it tellls me that i use 6kg of sugar, turbo yeast and once it gets to 990 SG i run the wash, now my question is i have done 3 of those washes now and all 3 only come out at 8% so im only getting about 1.5 - 2Lt of 95% when the video and instructions are saying i should be getting about 3.5Lt so to me there is something happening with the wash and not getting higher than 8% ABV where am i going wrong ? my temps are staying at 24.C
i am going to go for quality not quantity but at the same time while i still have the turbo crap i would like to see that im doing everything right and getting what it is recommending, something just doesnt seem right
any help would be great. sorry for being a pain in the ass but after all my reading just seems there is still something not right

(oh by the way my 3rd turbo was is at day 5 at 960. @ 8% @ 24.C i am still yet to complete it)

[Dnderhead]

how much sugar?,that is what your fermenting and that is for the most part what determines how much alcohol you will git.

[Adictv]

thanks for the reply
just using 6kg in 21lt of water to bring it upto 25lt

[Dnderhead]

that should be 14% wash..3.5 l of alcohol..(you wont git all this back but close)
either your not fermenting until its dry. or not distilling it all out.

[Adictv]

hmmm ok well im lost ill try leave this ferment for a few more days and see what happens.
with the still takes normally 1 hour to get upto the right temps then an hour - hour and a half later the top temp starts fluctuating going as high as 85.C then back down to 60.C and seems there is nothing left temps can not be stable and no more alcohol is produced

[Dnderhead]

25l wash
6kg suger/1.092 OG,,,14%
3.5kg sugar/1,064 OG,,8.2%
by the way how did you know your wash was 8%?

[Adictv]

using a alcometer
. stupidly i forgot to take a SG at the start so cant work from the math

[Prairiepiss]

Sory to go off topic a liettle here. But you do know that you should still be making heads hearts and tails cuts. After you make your foreshots cut. Right? I know the manufacture of the T500 claims you don't. But the still doesn't make it so you don't need to. Cuts need to be made with all stills.

If you already knew this. And are following the recommended cuts practicing. Disregard my post. If not please find the thread. Novice guide to cuts (pot still) in the must read new distiller reading lounge. And take a good read through it. Very good info.

While you in that section. There is a good thread on how to use your hydrometer. It would help you understand and use the readings you should be taking.

Oh and there is one about how much you should get from a run that mite help you out too.

[Dnderhead]

you probably still had sugar left and that whould give you a false reading...
you need a OG and FG..the difference is what determines the amount of alcohol.

[Adictv]

that you.
yeah have been taking cuts and reading of the hydrometer is fine. i took a reading at the start but got caught up and forgot to put it in my notebook.
i will be making sure i take all readings from start to finish but the thing that gets me is from the first turbo pack that comes with the still all directions were followed but still did not produce the amount it stated ( this amount was including my cuts as a total) as i said before i will be using BW from now on i just found it a little strange that the end result was no where near what was advertized i thought this might have been a manufacturing problem or something

[Dnderhead]

you need to use a mash/wine/beer hydrometer not a alcohol hydrometer.
this will give the amount of sugar/the potential alcohol and SG.
then when it stops fermenting you take another reading.with most sugar wash this should be .99.. if its not at .99 there is something still there witch can be sugar or something that did not ferment..