Offtake speed

[MattHoll]

While in Scotland a few years back i visited a distillery, 14000L boiler, about 6 hrs run time, sounds like a law of physics regardless of boiler volume.

I helped a local brewery run about 1200L recently, and the total run time was something like 7 hours, so seems roughly consistent. Interesting that the greater or lesser volume doesn't affect the run time.

yes yes yes
This is the key point

Watts per litre of low wines .This will directly result in low takeoff speeds for small boiler charges and high takeoff rates for large boiler charges

Small charges need less power , big charges need more power .

Give small charges big power means very fast takeoff rate and smeared to buggery .

Alas when I ran Potty I was on gas so unable to give magic number , but around 50 watts per litre .

So iff’n yiu have 5litres in boiler , want to run around 250w .

Got 20litres in boiler , want to run about 1kw

50litres , you’d be up around 2.5kw

Good info. I've mostly run 15-27 liters in a 35 liter boiler, but this weekend will be running ~50 liters in a 65 liter boiler, so it'll take some dialing in. And this info helps. Thanks!

[Username]

With such a high portion of wash in your charge (2/3'ds) and such a low ABV (16%), I would have run it considerably slower. It's basically more of a one and done than a one and a half. But I honestly don't have much experience from one and dones/one and a halfs.

He is running a single plate, so I assume some sort of reflux to keep it loaded. That changes things. I have no experience with that so can't really help. Does a plate let you run faster?

Yeah, you're right. I didn't catch that, subbrew. I don't have any experience from plated columns either. I always thought though you would need more than one plate to get much of the effect. I am sure it pushes the ABV up a couple of nudges but will it be enough to allow you to push the power up? I don't know.

I came upon the column in a round about way so it's what I got and I want to learn it.
Running a deflag up top, so plate fully loaded, single plate most defiantly makes a difference, hearts stayed at 80% abv for pretty much the full time

It is difficult to find info on plated columns, I'm kinda flying solo but enjoying it

[CuriousRay]

Thank goodness I ordered a larger still

[Saltbush Bill]

t is difficult to find info on plated columns, I'm kinda flying solo but enjoying it

There is a ton of information spread around the forum about running and building plated columns.
You might not find a lot about running just one plate though.
The reason for that is that less than two plates is considered by many to be to fiddly to run and in general more trouble than its worth.

[Username]

t is difficult to find info on plated columns, I'm kinda flying solo but enjoying it

There is a ton of information spread around the forum about running and building plated columns.
You might not find a lot about running just one plate though.
The reason for that is that less than two plates is considered by many to be to fiddly to run and in general more trouble than its worth.

Thanks Bill, I'm a couple of hundred hours of reading in, on various subjects and I'm sure I've still to find a lot more info.

I didn't find the single plate troublesome from a running point of view, I thought it was comparable to 2 or 3 in that respect, easy to load and keep loaded. I did get lower abv,(obviously) but that was what I was looking for (right or wrong) and more distinct whiskey flavour
I ran very slow to start so separation point of heads to hearts was pretty easy

I must go search again

Any feedback you have on my technique would be much appriciated

[Saltbush Bill]

Not sure that I can be of a lot of help, the least number of plates I've tried running was two,
Three is my usual minimum, I'm just going on what I've heard and read a lot of others say over the years.
Swedish Pride a member here has a lot of experience with 2 plates and less from memory , maybe he will pipe up.

[Username]

Not sure that I can be of a lot of help, the least number of plates I've tried running was two,
Three is my usual minimum, I'm just going on what I've heard and read a lot of others say over the years.
Swedish Pride a member here has a lot of experience with 2 plates and less from memory , maybe he will pipe up.

Much appreciated, my next spirit run is coming due shortly and as it happens it's a Rum
Not your recipe, molasses is not available at anything like affordable here. But I liked what I got from Jaggery before in a one and done.

I've 20L of low wines at 29%abv and 27L of wash at 8%
I just need to decide what way to configure my still for the spirit run

[Swedish Pride]

From my limited experience i believe 1- 2 plates can work well if you run caps, this is just from reading, never did get caps.

I ran 2 perf plates and it was like spinning plates, constantly fucking about with settings to get it to behave, more trouble than its worth.
Never did try a single per plate but can't imagine it being any fun at all.

Most platers seems to be caps these days, not sure how come, was about even in the early days. Maybe caps are easier to mass produce?

[MooseMan]

Not sure that I can be of a lot of help, the least number of plates I've tried running was two,
Three is my usual minimum, I'm just going on what I've heard and read a lot of others say over the years.
Swedish Pride a member here has a lot of experience with 2 plates and less from memory , maybe he will pipe up.

Much appreciated, my next spirit run is coming due shortly and as it happens it's a Rum
Not your recipe, molasses is not available at anything like affordable here. But I liked what I got from Jaggery before in a one and done.

I've 20L of low wines at 29%abv and 27L of wash at 8%
I just need to decide what way to configure my still for the spirit run

Not to take this off topic, but if you can thump, put rum heads, any trub/cloudy wash from the ferment, and vinegar in the thumper, and the low wines and wash in the pot including any tails you have from the last run.

You'll add heaps of flavour to your jaggery rum.

[Username]

From my limited experience i believe 1- 2 plates can work well if you run caps, this is just from reading, never did get caps.

I ran 2 perf plates and it was like spinning plates, constantly fucking about with settings to get it to behave, more trouble than its worth.
Never did try a single per plate but can't imagine it being any fun at all.

Most platers seems to be caps these days, not sure how come, was about even in the early days. Maybe caps are easier to mass produce?

Cheers SP, yeah I run Still Dragon pro caps, they are supposed to be easy, I guess they are.

I found it no more challenging running 1,2 or 3 plates

[Username]

Not sure that I can be of a lot of help, the least number of plates I've tried running was two,
Three is my usual minimum, I'm just going on what I've heard and read a lot of others say over the years.
Swedish Pride a member here has a lot of experience with 2 plates and less from memory , maybe he will pipe up.

Much appreciated, my next spirit run is coming due shortly and as it happens it's a Rum
Not your recipe, molasses is not available at anything like affordable here. But I liked what I got from Jaggery before in a one and done.

I've 20L of low wines at 29%abv and 27L of wash at 8%
I just need to decide what way to configure my still for the spirit run

Not to take this off topic, but if you can thump, put rum heads, any trub/cloudy wash from the ferment, and vinegar in the thumper, and the low wines and wash in the pot including any tails you have from the last run.

You'll add heaps of flavour to your jaggery rum.

I don't have the ability I'm afraid MM

Not long after getting set up and blew any remaining budget on Badmo's

Next to get set up to try clone these before I can put more money into my set up

[OtisT]

A good rule of thumb and starting point is that a spirit run should take around 6 hours. Regardless of volume.

+1 to this approach. Calculate your expected yield then do the math to determine what your collection rate should be. Once you dial in the rate, record your power setting. Each time you do a a similar run (Same volume, ABV) just set the power and your golden.