Help with new worm

[Chefneil]

Hello-
And So I bought, online a copper Alembic still, comes complete with copper worm.
( 3L-Alembic )
The thing is, I am stumped on how to use it.
The whole heat and seal thing I got down- this new worm is smaller-
First run I added ice and a little water- plugging top and bottom drains
I spent too much time refreshing...
Next I hooked up a small submersible pump in a bucket and tried to pump water up through- circulating cool water
over the worm- well, fail!
The drain which is bigger didn't drain off as much as pump moved water.
Messy!
I adjusted the height of wAter bath to try and get drain and pump harmonesly working ...
No go!

Ideas? I just wAnt to run my shine!

[HDNB]

prolly knock together a liebig PC quick fast would be the cheapest and easiest solution

most guys using those little alembics put water in the bottom of the flake stand and out the top, sounds like you need some kind of valve to dial it back a bit though.

[still_stirrin]

Make sure the cold water running into the flake goes into the bottom opening. Then, the flake will fill with water up to the top (outlet) opening. Then simply regulate your pump so that the top of the flake is warm while the bottom is cool. This will be a very low flow. It only has to balance the heat load from the boiler.

And speaking of the heat input, how much and what type of heat source do you have? An electric stove top or hotplate will cycle on and off causing the vapor production to be unstable. That would make the condenser (worm and flake stand) hard to manage as well.

Add to that, the vapor production rate depends on the size of the vapor tube (ID). How big is your alembic's vapor tube and the diameter of the tubing in the worm?

Finally, a 3 liter boiler is "petite", to say the least. You will have a hard time managing the boil with such a small mass of liquid without a very good control of your heat input. Because there is so little wash in the boiler, the temperature will rise quickly as the volatile components evaporate. Your product from a single pass will be nearly immeasureable.
ss

[Chefneil]

Heat source is gas stove-

Maybe a simple line closure such as I use on a racking cane -

I plan on running this puppy on my side burner of bbq-
While awaiting those ribs to cook.

I used 5 bottles of wine first run-
Got about 750 ml. Out, taste was better than DIY...

After tossing the foreshot - started about 130 proof collected heads- hearts and beginnings tails until i got a batch of 100 proof-
Same amount of end product as my DIY build.

It's a nice size- I recommend it for weekenders- where you can make your wash or in my case wine, rack into gallon bottles
Airlock untill ready to run.
I have a cactus pear wine i wNt to do tomorrow-
Let you know if The clothspiin adaptor works.

[still_stirrin]

...I used 5 bottles of wine (750 ml bottles, I assume) first run - Got about 750 ml. Out...After tossing the foreshot - started about 130 proof collected heads- hearts and beginnings tails until i got a batch of 100 proof...

5 x 750 ml = 3.75 liters....how did you "shoehorn" that into your 3 liter alembic?

But looking at the numbers...5 x 750 ml x 12%ABV (assumed) / 50%ABV (final average product strength, ie-100 proof), you would expect a maximum of 900 ml total alcohol, of which you collected 750 ml after foreshots and some heads and tails cuts.

It seems reasonable for 5 bottles of wine, but how did you get all of that wine into the still? Did you do 2 runs?

Also, when fermenting your own wash, trying to get to 12%ABV in the fermenter will produce some off flavors which might be detrimental to the flavor of the finished spirit. We typically hold 10%ABV potential as an upper limit for good flavors, so you don't stress the yeast. For grain mashes, the target is usually a little lower as well, like 8%ABV.

You can brew however you like, but be forewarned that high alcohol ferments do not produce the best tasting spirits.
ss

[Chefneil]

I ordered and they shipped 3L-
They have * size varies
But I sure as got a full gallon of wine in there. 2 inches head room and onion top.
No boil over!

Tweaked the icewater bath flow to worm box and no issues-
Not the perfect setup- but still got a run in!

Ran a gallon of cactus pear wine- pulled it at a blended 90 proof.
Flavor is as good as my prevous runs in old setup.

As far as my wines ABV. They range from 11-16%
Depending on product.
The heavier red grapes are high alcohol-
The fruit wines are less.

My last batch was a peach wine and I also added peaches to the pot.
Less finished volume- better flavor- without taking it to the cloudy point.
My friends call it fruit vodka( cause it's clear) -

[cob]

no mention of cleaning runs ?