How to clean my still.

[The G]

I just gotten my all Cooper still, i clean it with soap the best i can, and made the first run a water test, the problem which I have its that my finale products exit muddled with an funky odor of Coop, and at the beginning the water was bluish, so I believe that I need to wash it more, but I do not know what products to use, to clean all the small places, and all the piping, can we make a house product which I can use to let it soak and neutralize the varnis coating they put on, need you're help.

Her a pic of my still.

image.jpeg (21.23 KiB) Viewed 3303 times

[Sungy]

Try a HD Google search next time. Its at the top section of the forum.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15489
that link was the first I found. read it

[The G]

Thanks, i did’n tinking of it, i was going true the post of "new to distillation " And not find it....

[The G]

In the topics of how to clean my still, they say To make a light vinegar and water solution, but they do not say the percentage of vinegar to be incorporated to make this solution, I would not like to make a solution too strong.

[jedneck]

I've used any where from 1:4 to 1:1 vinegar/water. The dirtier the materials were the stronger the solution. In my opinion.

[The G]

Perfect so now i know what is left to do.......Go clean And make a wash to run

[jedneck]

Just checking. You know the first alcohol run gets trashed also. The alcohol will dissolve junk the vinegar don't. I got a gut feeling you need to do a little more reading.

[rad14701]

You're going to have a tough time with such a small thumper and flake stand... Must have been a kit... They are notorious for being shipped with inadequate thumpers and flake stands... You'll be upgrading sooner rather than later...

[The G]

You're going to have a tough time with such a small thumper and flake stand... Must have been a kit... They are notorious for being shipped with inadequate thumpers and flake stands... You'll be upgrading sooner rather than later...

Yes it was a kit, her in Montreal we have a hard Time to find copper, And is a 10 gallons with a 4 gallons thumper.....Hope it will do a not so bad job

[still_stirrin]

G,

Have you read how to run a thumper? Please read up on it before you try to run a wash. If you charge your thumper with too much wash, it could puke into your worm. Read a while so you know what to do before you need to know it. It'll save you a lot of Q&A time, and you'll be safer.
ss

[rad14701]

Looks more like a 10 gallon boiler, a 4 gallon flake stand, and about a 1.5 - 2 gallon thumper...

[The G]

G,

Have you read how to run a thumper? Please read up on it before you try to run a wash. If you charge your thumper with too much wash, it could puke into your worm. Read a while so you know what to do before you need to know it. It'll save you a lot of Q&A time, and you'll be safer.
ss

Thanks, for sure i Will read on thumper, i Will do a serch on thumper, i don't whant to end up with a bad product or event worst équipement feuillure.....

[The G]

Looks more like a 10 gallon boiler, a 4 gallon flake stand, and about a 1.5 - 2 gallon thumper...

The pic you see is not my still, mind is the same, but the picture a took is to big to put her, my thumper is a 4 gallons it was a upgrade. And im new at this, cam you specify FLAKE STAND for me i don't understand sorry i am a frenchie Boy.

[rad14701]

We should really see pics of your exact still... Just resize the pics to 800 pixels on the largest dimension and upload as usual...

Flake Stand = worm in a bucket = your product condenser...

[shadylane]

Can you specify FLAKE STAND for me i don't understand sorry i am a frenchie Boy.

The Flake stand is the bucket or barrel of water that a worm condenser sets it to cool it.

[The G]

Sorry for the pic, i just foud a program to resize my pics, so now her is my still, not setup right, just finish to clean it.

[The G]

Small question, after the first run of water and vinegar, what would be the more economic wash to make, for cleaning, i was thinking of a white sugar and hot water to get a OG 1075 and pitch bread yeast

[Mikey-moo]

Birdwatchers sugar wash. See the tried and true recipe section.

[rad14701]

That's definitely a more accurate representation, and the proportions look better, because it's your actual rig...

[yakattack]

Just looking at that pick. Can you send us a few detailed pics of the Flake stand and worm. It doesn't look like it's plumbed properly. You need a continual downward slope with no part of the condensor rising and falling again. If you do this will cause smearing and huffing as product will tend to pool in the low spot before it rises again.

Yak

[The G]

Just looking at that pick. Can you send us a few detailed pics of the Flake stand and worm. It doesn't look like it's plumbed properly. You need a continual downward slope with no part of the condensor rising and falling again. If you do this will cause smearing and huffing as product will tend to pool in the low spot before it rises again.

Yak

so if I understand you well, the part that comes out of the still and going to the thumper must be higher than the part that go towards the flake stand or the thumper must be higher of the flake stand.

[The G]

Birdwatchers sugar wash. See the tried and true recipe section.

Thanks, it look like a easy recipe, i din't read the 53 pages but for sure i Will do it for the wash run.

[shadylane]

Small question, after the first run of water and vinegar, what would be the more economic wash to make, for cleaning, i was thinking of a white sugar and hot water to get a OG 1075 and pitch bread yeast

I'd use a lower OG, just because I'm impatient. Something around 1.040
Also a pinch of Epsom salt and a little miracle grow fertilizer.
Ferment at around 90 - 100f
The sacrificial ferment won't take long.

Edited:
The sacrificial wash is also good for soaking copper parts in to clean them.
And the backset is even better.

[yakattack]

Just looking at that pick. Can you send us a few detailed pics of the Flake stand and worm. It doesn't look like it's plumbed properly. You need a continual downward slope with no part of the condensor rising and falling again. If you do this will cause smearing and huffing as product will tend to pool in the low spot before it rises again.

Yak

so if I understand you well, the part that comes out of the still and going to the thumper must be higher than the part that go towards the flake stand or the thumper must be higher of the flake stand.

No I'm talking directly about the coil condensor itself. Take a few pics of it from different angles and post it up. I'll show you what I mean.

Yak

[The G]

Just checking. You know the first alcohol run gets trashed also. The alcohol will dissolve junk the vinegar don't. I got a gut feeling you need to do a little more reading.

Thanks jedneck for the advice, yes i have a smal space in my day to read but i will do my best, And sorry for my inexpérience, but i have a hard Time to find what i'am looking for, so thank you for ur patient.....

[The G]

G,

Have you read how to run a thumper? Please read up on it before you try to run a wash. If you charge your thumper with too much wash, it could puke into your worm. Read a while so you know what to do before you need to know it. It'll save you a lot of Q&A time, and you'll be safer.
ss

Hi still _stirrin, I searched around for how use a thumper, but without vein, if you can give me link wher to find the information that I need to use my thumper would be greatly apreciated, thanks.

[HDNB]

i don't use a thumper, but you will likely find what you need here:

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

[The G]

Her is a nother pics of my flake stand, i Will send more, but now i'm running afther time, if you see something lets me know.

[rad14701]

Her is a nother pics of my flake stand, i Will send more, but now i'm running afther time, if you see something lets me know.

image.jpeg

Are you filling the flake stand from the bottom and removing hot cooling water from the top so you have a temperature gradient from top to bottom...???

[The G]

Her is a nother pics of my flake stand, i Will send more, but now i'm running afther time, if you see something lets me know.

image.jpeg

Are you filling the flake stand from the bottom and removing hot cooling water from the top so you have a temperature gradient from top to bottom...???

Yes my friend, i use it like a conterflow, my garden hose in filling the pot from bottom and removing from top.... But i have to do a litle ajustement of the coil inside, to de sure ther is always on a downward....