How do you run your electric?

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

Ok, my electric conversion is done, well almost done, still waiting on my voltmeter, but it's usable....


I did my cleaning runs, and tried a stripping run, but scorched it....


So, I just want to know, how do you run yours? I know every still is gonna be different, but there must be some commonalities.

It's obvious that it's a little different than running on propane...so, let's hear it.

[bellybuster]

I don't have grains in my wash/mash and my charge is well cleared so scorching isn't an issue.
My controller goes to max for heat up.(240V 4500watts) I'm usually cleaning stuff in the sink next to it during this time.
Once I feel hot to the touch at the top bend I turn on my cooling water, within 3 or 4 mins of that the fores start and I turn my controller back to 9.5 amps and collect fores fairly slowly. I continue at that rate for a couple jars (usually 250ml on known recipe) then turn up the heat a bit to a good twisted stream ( 2.5-3 litres / hr) and sit back to collect the run.
Usually there is a point where the stream slows substantially. Tends to coincide with the start of tails, thats when I crank the heat and the cooling to finish things off.

Depending on how much time I have the jars can sit for a few hours to a few days before making cuts. I start in the middle and only smell my way towards tails. Once I smell anything I simply move that jar back a bit to mark its location. I then do the same towards heads.
I then do tasting towards tails, I'll usually end up at least 1 jar further towards tails. Don't stop at the first tails jar, I find the one next in line is flavourful. I usually have the tails start marked then keep the next one . Do the same towards heads. With heads, the first inkling of anything heads is where I stop.
Fores and a couple jars of first heads go in the solvent jar. the remainder of the heads and tails goes in the feints carboy

[still_stirrin]

Good summary BB.

I usually start wide open for heat up too. Periodically, I feel the column riser and the top of the shotgun to monitor how close I am getting to boiling. As it gets too hot to touch, I know that the boil is imminent.

I then slowly start reducing the heat as I get to the foreshots. If I'm doing a reflux run, I slow down to roughly 10 to 12 amps (120V) and let the reflux stabilize for 20-30 minutes. If running the strip/pot still, I set it at a power input that produces a pencil thick stream (12 to 14 amps, usually).

If I need to stop the boil, turning the power down will almost immediately stop the boil. It doesn't change the wash temperature though, just curtail the boil.

The electric control gives a great control of the boil. I think you'll very quickly come to appreciate the switch over to electricity (from propane).

Also, I believe that internal heating elements are much more responsive than external heating elements, like stovetop or hotplate elements.
ss

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

Good summary BB.

I usually start wide open for heat up too. Periodically, I feel the column riser and the top of the shotgun to monitor how close I am getting to boiling. As it gets too hot to touch, I know that the boil is imminent.

I then slowly start reducing the heat as I get to the foreshots. If I'm doing a reflux run, I slow down to roughly 10 to 12 amps (120V) and let the reflux stabilize for 20-30 minutes. If running the strip/pot still, I set it at a power input that produces a pencil thick stream (12 to 14 amps, usually).

If I need to stop the boil, turning the power down will almost immediately stop the boil. It doesn't change the wash temperature though, just curtail the boil.

The electric control gives a great control of the boil. I think you'll very quickly come to appreciate the switch over to electricity (from propane).

Also, I believe that internal heating elements are much more responsive than external heating elements, like stovetop or hotplate elements.
ss

Definately loving the electric now that I've figured it out. I still don't have my volt meter for it, so I've wired up a connector that I can plug my multimeter into to monitor the voltage. I fire it up to where I hear the element sizzle, and then back it off a tad, as the wash heats up I give it a little more till I'm at full power. (I just don't like the full bore sizzle sounds even though I know it's fine)

Once I start drawing product, I adjust my stream, and then disconnect my leads on my multimeter from the power controller, and connect to my vapour temp sensor. I watch the temps just as an information thing, and I'm actually learning a lot from it, never had a visual temp before, so it's something new for me.

I also have a temp gauge in the wash, so I get a nice visual of the difference between the wash temp and vapours temps. I've also started logging the temp changes and how my abv changes along with it.

Now to get the water and power into my still room so I don't have to sit in front of the washing machine lol.

[BentJar]

I power up at 3/4 until my vapor temp reaches 125 deg. and thermometer starts to beep. Power down to about 1/4, until the still stabilizes and reflux 100% for 45 min. Start fores at a slow drip until I have 1 cup. ABV will be about 94%.
Collect at fast drips until vapor temp starts to creep up. Usually about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Reflux 100% for 15 min. then collect another jar or 2. Then run it on down until its 40% abv. Now im done collecting but if im using the backins, I remove a bit more alc before shutting off the still and cooling device. Re-check all systems again because I taste whats coming thru the pipe.

Makes an enjoyable morning as we start at daylight and finish by noon. Eat a fatback biscuit and sweetater, nap, then go clean up the still. My still is a 42 inch boka tube with off set head and collection cup with reflux return on a keg with 5500 watt element and controller.

Right now its too cold to ferment in the shed and my wife don't like me doing it in the house so we don't get to run very often. I do 2, 6 gal. corn and malted barley mashes, then 2 sugar washes on the same grain. (that's the stuff I give away).
The 2 buckets, after straining and settle time, gives me enough to fill the keg just right and after blending the next day I have 4 to 5 quarts of some fine licker.

For ageing on wood.......... when ABV hits 120, I stick a qt. jar 1/3 full of JD chips under the parrot and fill that jar up, cap it and stick it way up on the rafters. There is several up there now and man after 5 or 6 months, that's some good drink.
There may be tails in the mix that would cloud up if you add water so I don't. By the time the jar is full its down to the right proof and shutdown time anyway. Early tails have a great smooth corn likker taste that should be harvested.
If you go too far, just re run it later with another mash.

Anyway, you asked how I run on electric so there.
I would never go back to propane and I keep spare parts such as a new ssvr and fan motors,( I use a radiator cooling system), pump motors ETC.

bent but not broken

[Danespirit]

I still don't have my volt meter for it

Drunk-N-Smurf do you mean amperemeter? The voltage is constant 120 or 220V.

I just run my 2 KW element with a SCR i bought from e-bay. Cheap ..and it does the job.
Added a amperemeter, so i can keep a track of the optimal setting for the still when it is in reflux mode.
It runs roughly between 900 to 1100 W. I am about to construct a new outerbody with insulation for the boiler (25 L milkcan) and hope to decrease heatinput to a setting around 500 to 700 W.
When i heat up or do a stripping run, i almost run it all the way to 2 KW. Unfortunatly my electric in the house do not allow to draw more than 10 A.

Edit: I never distill with any solids in, so no scorching on the element.
It's also placed as low as possible in the boiler. So just a few litres left will prevent a dry boil, that could kill the element.

[bellybuster]

no the voltage is not constant, the resistance is constant (somewhat) so voltage moves along with currant. If your voltage reads constant you have a problem with your hookup.

[Danespirit]

no the voltage is not constant, the resistance is constant (somewhat) so voltage moves along with currant. If your voltage reads constant you have a problem with your hookup.

Bellybuster..now i am no electrician, but my understanding was the voltage supplied out of the wall socket would be constant. The current (A) drawn would be different, due to the effect (W) drawn by your circuit (element and controller). Did i miss something there..?

[bellybuster]

your voltage out of the wall will always be constant-ish. That's not where you should measure. With most of the more common controllers here, they sort of "clip" the sine wave so you have portions of the wave where there is no supplied currant or voltage. They are married

scrpic.gif (10.26 KiB) Viewed 2075 times

[Danespirit]

Ahh..now is see what you mean.
The controller would "cut off" half of the sinus curve ( 50 HZ here in europe).
And of course the "cut of" portion would not have any current and no voltage, thus no wattage.
Thanks for the very illustrative explanation. Now you got me curious..i'll have to update my limited knowledge about electrics..

[Jesse]

At the risk of getting pedantic, you're kind of both right. As BB showed, peak voltage doesn't change. But by clipping off part of the sine wave, the RMS (root-mean-squared, kind of like an average) voltage drops. Some multimeters/voltmeters/ammeters can read both, so it's important to know the difference.

I haven't run the electric still yet, but I've done a bunch of AG mashes for beer brewing. That's a bit off-topic though.

Have fun!

[underdog]

Hi!

I run a 2" Boka on a 13 gallon milk can boiler most of the time. Sometimes, I'll run it as a pot still, leaving the column part in the garage and just attaching the Boka head to the milk can boiler, using my product cooler Liebig to cool the output. It makes awesome UJSSM and rum like that.

In reflux mode, I've found that monitoring the top vapor temp, using the thermocouple under the top tray in the Boka head, gives me a good idea on how fast to open my takeoff valve. If I take too much off, the top temp increases - it I take the product off too slowly - it just takes too long. When running as a pot still, I just pay attention to the output stream - the thermocouple isn't that important.

For reflux mode, I run about 12 amps (on a 5500 watt low-density 220v element) for an initial heat-up, cutting back to an indicated 6 amps or so once the top of the column heats up. Initial heat-up takes about an hour. After that, I run 6 amps or so, and adjust my draw rate to control the top temperature (in reflux mode).

In reflux mode, I always get 96% ABV up until I hit the tails, but it takes a long time on my copper mesh packed column. It generally takes me about 12 hours to run a 10 gallon wash. Cuts are easy, as the output is more-or-less a drip and it's easy to see where the heads quit and where the tails (wet cardboard) kick in.

When running in pot still mode (leaving the column in the garage), I run more power - as much as it takes to get a broken stream.

Hope that helps.

[The KYChemist]

2.5" Boka, here. Im running the 10KW SCR Controller, on 240 supply. For the warm up, I run at 200volts. Ive taken the controller as high as 215v. After that, my voltmeter needle just pegs. Usually takes about 53-55 min for heat up, on a 5500w element, with around 12 gal. Once I feel heat about 2" below my triclamp for the Boka head, I back it down to 130volts, and turn on my cooling water. The sweet spot, for my Boka, is that 130v, and a coolant rate of about 1.25lpm. I check the voltage and coolant rate often, during a run. Usually the only thing that needs adjusting is the coolant. Flow needs to be adjusted by a little bit, during the run. Other than that, she's almost a RONCO... "Set it and forget it". Dont worry, I dont "forget" it. Im never more than a few feet away, during a run.

[gungatim]

i'm subscribing to this because I just built an electric as well and thought it would be as easy as the old smaller propane powered one I had. I ran mine on vinegar to clean, then yesterday a sacrificial run. I ran it at almost full on 20 amps until it heated up, then dropped the amps down until it was a normal stream like I was used to. this thing can easily crank out more/hevier stream than the propane could, and I think I still over cooked it as what I got out had so much water in it that it wouldn't burn. (foreshots did, but not the rest).

here's a pic of my controller. I built it out of old electric stuff laying around except the controller is the amazon/china one.

[humbledore]

Love the old school look on that controller gungatim.