Newbie with new still and already made mistake?

[Hunter4950]

First post here. Thanks for giving the opportunity to ask questions. I've been reading and researching and see it is not acceptable to use plastic or rubber on your still in any places that might be in contact with the ethanol. Solid advice. I got my new still from Brewhaus and ordered a proofing parrot. I didn't realize that they supply chemical resistant hose to hook it up. Dang it! I also got a bung for the top of the column and now realize it is a hard rubber material. Double dang it! I'm assuming those both unacceptable items to use?

[AlZilla]

Yep, around these parts those are blacklisted. You should probably post pictures of what you have so members can offer solutions. You're not the first one in that boat.

[NZChris]

The parrot isn't essential equipment, its main purpose is to extract more money from newbies.

If the flexible hose is PTFE, it may be ok.
viewtopic.php?t=92121

[elbono]

You may be able to use a cork instead of the rubber bung. Just make sure it's natural not agglomerated.
https://www.widgetco.com/collections/xxx-cork-stoppers

[Salt Must Flow]

I assume you have a still similar to this one. If so, another alternative would be to get a Tri-Clamp end cap, gasket, clamp and just cap the top of the riser.

If you're concerned about being able to use a thermometer, you can buy a Tri-Clamp end cap that has a threaded hole in the center. You can install a thermowell in that hole. I prefer to use digital thermometers over analog thermometers. I prefer thermowells because I can just stick a temp probe in the hole and remove it without any chance of vapor to escape.

[Yummyrum]

It’s a Pot still , you don’t need a Thermometer on it other than to realise that you don’t need a thermometer on it .

Cork it or stick a blanking cap over it .
As Elbono says , if you use Cork , make sure its not the stuff that is lots of little bits of cork all glued together with some unknown binding compound .Get the natural stuff .

As for the proofing parrot , thats just what it should be used for …… proofing , once you have collected everything and done cuts .

When doing a stripping run , it is better to float the Proof meter (Alcometer) in the container you are stripping into so you see the combined AVB of the strip rather than the ABV that is coming off the still .

Sure ,put it in its Parrot and stick it under the spout every so often to get a feel for whats happening ( and empty it into the container that was under the spout ) but no need to leave it there .

Thats actually a good learning process . Check the ABV of the stuff ar the spout , have a taste and rub it between your fingers and have a sniff . With a bit of practice , you will soon be able to tell just from a taste and a sniff what the ABV is during stripping .


There is however, absolutely no need to have a parrot permanently connected to a still while it’s running .

It’s a craze that seemed to start when the first Flute stills were becoming popular , now it’s seen as a “must have” …not so

[Hunter4950]

Thanks for your responses. The "cork" supplied is actually natural gum rubber, but I suppose rubber nonetheless. I can get a tri clamp and regular stainless topper and forego the thermometer all together, or get a fitting that will be able to thread a thermometer in that location.
As far as the parrot, I probably should have just saved the dough on that too. I did watch some videos that suggested that a parrot could help newbies make cuts and a lot of that seemed to make sense.
The hoses are what was surprising. I went with Brewhaus because they seem to have pretty good reviews and have been around for years. I find it hard to imagine they would supply things that technically are not proven safe. I think the hoses are PTFE hoses and do see that there is a lot of controversy amounungst the world regarding this topic.
The still itself seems very well built ( it is the still Salt linked), but with taller column I think forced reflux. My only concern is the condenser outlet (where the ethanol comes out) seems to be too close to the actual still. I'll be using in mostly pot still mode so I'll only use one part of the column. It seems that outlet is close to my heat source which will be propane for now. Anyway, thank you for the info!

[Hunter4950]

The parrot isn't essential equipment, its main purpose is to extract more money from newbies.

If the flexible hose is PTFE, it may be ok.
viewtopic.php?t=92121

Thanks for the link. I too ran across this in my research, and have found probably the same information that this guy found from years ago. At the end though, it still seems like a pretty hard no from the experienced guys and gals here.