Water temp for a liebig?

[raven_r_one]

Hi all -

I've been running a liebig for a bit, but this is the first time I've run it on a super hot/humid day.

I've noticed a TON of condensation on the outside, I'm guessing there's even more on the inside.

I fill a big cooler with cold water (and add some ice) and magically, the water hovers around 50 degrees.

Is this just flat out too cold?

[raven_r_one]

Hmm - found this post, seems like I'm overdoing it...


http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=17585

[T-Pee]

Yep. Just needs to be cool enough to knock vapors down.

tp

[raven_r_one]

Thanks man - yeah, I think I'm gonna find a plastic trash can and just go with that next time.

[Vulture]

Hi All,
I’m having a somewhat different issue.
First some background…
I run a 3” HO column from Brewhause. Have been doing the same thing on and off for the last 4 years…

Always do stripping runs, then a spirit run of the last stripping runs.
When doing a strip I just run water through the Liebig using a 20gal cooler as a reservoir with 2 liter pop bottles filled with salt water and frozen for my water supply. A strip usually takes 4 hours and the water temp will start at about 38f and end at about 85f. Never had a problem.
Then when I do a spirit run I’ll add a 30gal container for my second cooling unit to cool the reflux tubes on the HO. This runs a litter hotter say from 55f to 70f and I replace water and ice pops as necessary to keep it in that range. On the spirit run the leibeg runs much cooler…. from 34f to 48f, and again I replace ice pops as necessary.

So now for my issue…..

For the last 4 years I have never had a problem, but on my last 2 spirit runs the following has started to happen…..
When I’m taking the fore shots I can smell the acetone in the air.. never could before…Its not very strong but strong enough to know its not right….
So I think I have a leak somewhere….. so I break everything down reassemble and do a water run…
Use the soapy water on all joints….. nothing… no leaks…

So I do another spirit run an am closely watching the out put from my Liebig….
Low and behold every 4 to 6 seconds I see a puff of vapor coming out the hole along with my spirit collection. Spirit is flowing at about 6 to 8 drops a second (not quite a stream). Temp of water in the leibig is 38f…. temp of spirit is about 45f…
Now with that much cooling how can I be getting a vapor flow out of the end of my Liebig?
I tried to provide all the details… if there is something I left out just ask…
I’m definitely a little confused on the physics of how this could be happening.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
VUL