Running too slow?

[Zeke T Clown]

I know everything I've read says to go slow. Turn the heat down. But can you go too slow? Is there some point where you don't gain anything more by just letting it drip?

[8Ball]

You’ll hear different responses because there are so many different configurations and situations in running spirits. So ‘generally speaking,’ strip hard and fast and then do a slow heat up on the spirit run. Ease into it and maintain a thin stream during the whole run until you are well into the tails. Then treat it like a strip to get all the feints collected.

[Saltbush Bill]

Mentioning a still type and size will get you more answers , For instance you might run a 4 plate column at 2-2.5L an hour....a pencil lead size stream, a 6 incher the same might be running 6L or more an hour, a 3 inch boka reflux still will produce its best booze at a different speed again. A very small pot still will run a lot slower than a huge one.
About the only time I let a still drip is if I'm collecting foreshots .....and sometimes heads. If I'm in a hurry its a fast drip/ broken stream.
Hearts is always taken faster.
Edit.
Typing as 8Ball Posted.

[Timothy_W]

As for me, this is just a matter of practice. You need to independently "feel" the correct operation of your distillation apparatus.

[Zeke T Clown]

Thanks everyone

[Stonecutter]

I’m getting strips in for what will be my first 18-20gal spirit run. It’ll be a peated whiskey with the final spirit run being done in a 26gal 4” pot. All my spirit runs have gone through a 6gal 2” pot until now.
I’ve got the collection rate down pat for the little guy. But I’m wondering about the bigger rig collection times. Salty suggested the pencil lead stream size being a good starting point for a 4” plate but the charge wasn’t specifically mentioned. I’m ASSuming that the charge would be similar. Between cost of grains and time/effort I’d like to have all my ducks in a row for the final run. I won’t be loading any plates but am I on the right track thinking that the pencil lead size is a fairly decent starting point?

[8Ball]

Somewhere in the thousands of posts here that I’ve read is one that stands out, don’t know who to credit, it goes something like this:

… run it like a pencil lead and you will be rewarded …

[Stonecutter]

thanks 8ball. And thanks to the site.
Aside from SBB’s suggestion I know I’ve read that pencil lead size numerous times but I couldn’t remember which posts and what specific details surrounded said collection rate.
Looking forward to the “reward”

[higgins]

The size 'pencil lead' has many meanings. Common mechanical pencil leads are 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 mm, whereas a standard #2 pencil is about 2mm.

One of the recommendations I've seen a few times is this:

For a pot still spirit run, set the collection rate so you finish in about 6 hours.

[Username]

For a pot still spirit run, set the collection rate so you finish in about 6 hours.

You start the clock on on drip one I presume, rather than power on?

[higgins]

I do. 6 hours of collecting well into tails.

[Salt Must Flow]

A 6 hour spirit run is something that is often correlated regardless of the size of the boiler charges. Small boiler charges require less power input and a slower take-off rate (approx 6 hrs). Larger boiler charges require more power input and a scaled up take-off rate (approx 6 hrs). Many here have mentioned that supposedly very large basic commercial pot stills are alleged to also take approx 6 hrs to complete a spirit run too (significantly more power and a higher take-off rate). This doesn't mean it's something you have to replicate, but it gives me a general idea if my take-off rate is way too slow or way too high.

[Stonecutter]

Ah yes, the 5-6 hour mark seems to be a universal constant for making good spirits. It falls in line with the old “Law of Urination”. Also, I believe the term pencil lead thickness came about during the age of just regular wooden pencils, yellow body, green band, pink eraser. At least that’s what I’m basing it off of. My concern was that if I got done way before the six hour mark, clearly I had schmeared the whole thing like a New York bagel, but if I was approaching eight hours, then the old ladies’s gonna start yelling at me because I’ve been in the garage too long, thus leading to a rush and more schmearin’

[jonnys_spirit]

Six hours into 24 jars = one jar every 15min.

I find it slows towards the end so I might set it a bit faster up front so the middle hits the sweet spot.

Stripping is as hard and fast as it can go without puking.

Fores or Jar1 is almost always drip drip drip in my shed

Pot stills 16g, 2.5g.

Cheers,
-jonny

[Saltbush Bill]

Take of speed for me starts slow for foreshots, drips fast or slow depending on how much of a hurry I am in.
Heads slightly faster. broken stream to very very thin constant stream.
Once into hearts im constantly tasting and smelling, the slightest hint of tails tells me if Im pushing to fast and to back off a bit.

[PalCabral]

I do. 6 hours of collecting well into tails.

This is me also. In today's spirit run the first drops came after 59 minutes heat up. The heads-to-hearts transition started after 2.5 hours and hearts-to-tails transition after 6 hours. Pushed the throttle to max and started collecting feints after 7 hours for another 30 minutes. Yes, indeed, pretty much exactly 6 hours of collecting.

Average LPH, excluding foreshots and feints, was 2,24 from a 42.5L/11g charge.

[Copperhead road]

I do. 6 hours of collecting well into tails.

This is me also. In today's spirit run the first drops came after 59 minutes heat up. The heads-to-hearts transition started after 2.5 hours and hearts-to-tails transition after 6 hours. Pushed the throttle to max and started collecting feints after 7 hours for another 30 minutes. Yes, indeed, pretty much exactly 6 hours of collecting.

Average LPH, excluding foreshots and feints, was 2,24 from a 42.5L/11g charge.

sounds like you would apricate the speed of a 4" plated bubbler....

If i could do it all over i would have had a 6" plated column custom made instead of my 4" full copper bubbler. Size matters!

[PalCabral]

sounds like you would apricate the speed of a 4" plated bubbler....

If i could do it all over i would have had a 6" plated column custom made instead of my 4" full copper bubbler. Size matters!

Honestly, 6-8 hours running isnt so bad, we dont do spirit runs that often, but I must admit the last two hours grinding through tails and collecting feints are frustrating. Yesterday I had to stop after collecting 3 liters of feints because the entire family wanted to go and vote.

But just out of curiosity, how long does it take you to run a spirit run with your 4” plated column, Copper? You had a bigger boiler as well, right?

[Yonder]

Six hours into 24 jars = one jar every 15min.

I find it slows towards the end so I might set it a bit faster up front so the middle hits the sweet spot.

Stripping is as hard and fast as it can go without puking.

Fores or Jar1 is almost always drip drip drip in my shed

Pot stills 16g, 2.5g.

Cheers,
-jonny

Perfect, Johnny. 1 jar each 15 minutes hits it right.