Black/ brown stuff

[dan_buddy]

Hi everyone I looked all over the site to answer my question but I couldent find it nowhere
I have a 50 liter keg boiler with a triclamp going to about 4 feet of coper pipe and a reducer and a 90 going into a 20 foot coil
I have ran probly 10 runs in my sill last year and they were mostly all rum and a few ujssm
So I rinsed my still well and dried it off scence December or has been in the corner of my room well the head has anyways the coil was in my shed
So I figured I'd clean it real good for the season . I have done a 50-50 vinager to water and a 20 min steam run just water after I well rinsed and today I put two gallons a feints threw it

Took the head up to my house and I put my finger in the top of the head at this dark substanse is on my finger and I realised it's threw the hole head .
I have never had a puke nor does any mash or bubbles get this high

This is like 4 feet of copper and it probly in the worm to I don't no
Could this be somthing from my rums making everything dark ? Is it bad can I leave it or do I have to get a new worm ?
Did anyone have this problem before ?

[dan_buddy]

Oh yeah and this stuff is only on the inside the out side of the copper looks how it should be so I don't this it's rust

[Danespirit]

You should probably seek the cause of that gunk somewhere else.
I think it's unlikely it would be your rum run you did.
Anyway...throw in a strong vinegar or feints solution and run it up to temperature (after cleaning as much as you can manually).
Edit: What kind of gasket material do you use?

[dan_buddy]

Ptef I think that's the right order is what I use and I have just done a vinager and feints run

[Danespirit]

PTFE gaskets, should be fine.
I also use them..no problems have occured so far.
Did it solve the problem, when you run the feints through the still..?
It is most unlikely that your copper worm should be the cause.
If so you would probably have some blue/green distilate coming off, as the copperoxide gets loose inside the worm.

[dan_buddy]

No it dident do anything g running the feints
I don't mean that the worm is the cause but the stuff is in the worm to and nope no blue or green

[ranger_ric]

Dan, I see 2 options.....
A. Run a your 3 cleaning runs, and call it good and see how the likker turns out...
B. Build a Liebig add a pump and reservoir (or run it in the bathtub). Whatever it takes.

Move on and conquer the next recipe..
Good Luck Buddy...

[ranger_ric]

They are talking about this on another post..... If you dont want a liebig this could be your answer...

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Copper-Re ... B002JBMWKE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Fifty feet for 10 bucks , , , , , ,

[Yummyrum]

I'm not seeing a problem here.
It just sounds like the normal blackening that copper experiences in a vapour path.
It will leave a mark in your finger if you wipe it firmly.
I haven't found vinigar steam ups to be very effective at removing it .

Bung the end of the head / condenser with a cork etc and fill it with a mixture of Citric acid and water and leave it for a few days to a week and it will strip off the black leaving clean pinky copper goodness.
If you can't wait that long then a 10-20% dilluted Sulphuric acid will clean it up in about an hour or two

[Danespirit]

+ 1 Ranger ric. I have always been a bit reluctant about a worm, and prefer a Liebig.
+1 Yummyrum.. acetic acid will also work for that.

It seems to me, if the problem really should be the worm...you have definatly got some bugs or heavy contamination in there.
Everyone else running a worm have probably had a issue with copperoxide (the green stuff like on old roofs)..however this is easy to clean out.
That's why my first thought was not the worm to be the troublemaker.
Put this acid down there and leave it for a few hours. Repeat if there is still some gunk in there and do another cleaningrun with feints.
I guess your still is a potstill made out of copper..?
Acetic acid stinks..but if gives the copper a nice reddish colour and cleans very well.

[bearriver]

Maybe you got some dead baby mice up in that coil?

This is why I prefer a design that allows the innards to be fully visually inspected. No mysterious nooks and crannies unlike a worm for things to hide in...

[cranky]

I think this is pretty normal, Mine will get a bit of build up over time if I don't shove a rag down it after running. I don't think it is any big deal. If you are concerned maybe it is time for a cleaning run. Won't hurt to do a cleaning regiment anyway.

[dan_buddy]

I have no other choice but run with a coil the only way to get water is a 1000 foot hose or a gas pump from the river or a genarator and a pump
I have a stainless keg and the rest is copper
Just did a cleaning runs before I posted .
Vinager , rinsed , water , 2.5 gallons fients and found it after my cleaning runs

[cranky]

I have no other choice but run with a coil the only way to get water is a 1000 foot hose or a gas pump from the river or a genarator and a pump
I have a stainless keg and the rest is copper
Just did a cleaning runs before I posted .
Vinager , rinsed , water , 2.5 gallons fients and found it after my cleaning runs

If you have a reservoir for a worm you can run a liebig. I run mine with a trash can full of water and a harbor freight fountain pump. I only change the water once a year and don't have to deal with the problems of a worm. You can also get 12 volt pumps that can run off a car battery. Like I said, I get a sort of black coating in mine that isn't that noticeable until I push a rag down it. I've seen other posts about similar things and don't believe it is much to worry about. If it really concerns you I've done extra cleanings using an overnight soak filled with orange juice followed by a good scrubbing with a piece of scotchbite twisted in doubled over safety wire. probably not the easiest thing to do with a coil but then again, I'm not a fan of coils.

[thecroweater]

My old reflux right use to get fairly manky so I would soak the whole show in a citric acid solution, shiny as new in a few hrs