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dellae wrote:From my experience with a T500:

Replace at least 1/2 the ceramic saddles with copper mesh.
Place some mesh at the bottom to stop any saddles falling out the bottom.
I have wrapped a handful of copper saddles in copper mesh and have them at the top of the stack (my unit does not have the copper sleeve).
I throw a handful of the spare ceramic saddles into the urn.
I have modified the cooling circuit to control the flow to the coil and have a bypass control also.
If you must use turbo yeast use 1kg less sugar than the pack says, I add sugar over 2 days.
Let the wash settle a few days before running. - don't get to much yeast in the urn, its where a lot of the crap taste comes from.
Outlet water temperature - max 55C for clean spirit (93%), Max 63C for flavoured(not much 88%) spirit.
Burn the first 100ml of distillate, stop collecting once the output slows to a couple of drops a second (or sooner if you want to be sure), at this point head temp is up around the 80C mark.
I clean with a dilute solution of white vinegar.

My standard wash is natural bran, oat bran, supermarket yeast, multi vitamins, horticultural fertiliser, cheapest raw sugar I can find.

Happy stilling.

Hi dellae

I also have a Turbo 500 and found what you said interesting, especially the part about running 55C max for a neutral wash, taking off the first 100 ml of Heads and to stop collecting when it slows to a couple of drops per second, however there still seems to be a fair amount of alcohol left in the boiler at this stage.

Or maybe I just cant bear the thought of wasting it.

The instructions told me to run the T500 with water out temp between 55 and 65C, to only take the first 50ml off the heads and that he T500 automatically stopped producing before it gave tails, so I have been wringing it out to the last drop,following these instructions I have achieved some rough brews.

I noticed that you use 1 Kg less sugar than specified with turbo yeast, I am using turbo yeast with dextrose, and use 1Kg more than specified as the guy at the shop told me it would handle it and I nearly always get a finished wash reading of 990 on the Hydrometer.

I use 9 kg of dextrose in a 25 litre wash using 1 packet of still spirits turbo yeast at 23 degrees, I sort of liked this, because it gives me 5 litres at 93 - 94%. However due to these rough brews of mine I am open to your suggestions on yeast types, sugar ratios, size of a wash etc,

Are you sure that adding the sugar, or in my case dextrose to the wash over a couple of days is a good thing?

As I understand it, the yeast slowly builds an immunity to the alcohol as it converts the sugars to alcohol, so I was wondering if adding it like this is a good idea or what the reason is, once again, open to suggestion / theory.

I remember when the kit was new, I was instructed to take the column, tip it upside down, put half a handful of copper saddles in it first, then fill the last 2 foot with ceramic saddles, this is supposed to take out any sulfurs etc.

I have heard conflicting reports since then on how often to replace the copper and / or ceramic saddles, some say yes, "a Brewcraft supplier" and some say no.

I am also wondering if I should put more copper saddles and less ceramic, in the top of the column.

I noticed that you are using copper mesh, could you describe the mesh and your method a little bit more clearly for me please, cheers.

refluxology wrote:I use 9 kg of dextrose in a 25 litre wash using 1 packet of still spirits turbo yeast at 23 degrees, I sort of liked this, because it gives me 5 litres at 93 - 94%. However due to these rough brews of mine I am open to your suggestions on yeast types, sugar ratios, size of a wash etc,.

Using 9 kilo's of any type of sugar in a 25 liter wash is too much sugar - stepped addition or not... That's a potential yield of ~21.2% ABV... I'd find it hard to believe that you can get clean spirits from a wash of that high of an original gravity... You and your friends may think those spirits are clean and smooth, but that's most likely due to the novelty of home made more than fact... Yeast colonies don't acclimate as fast as you are being led to believe and the only reason they survive such high alcohol content and that amount of osmotic stress is due to the sheer volume of yeast and nutrients provided in the turbo yeast sachet... Backing down to a potential %ABV of 14% or lower will result in cleaner spirits with less fuss, as will using a simple recipe in place of turbo yeast...

Think quality, not quantity... We have more than a few topics that cover the use of turbo use, its pro's and con's, and how to use up what turbo yeast you have left in a manner that helps insure clean spirits without multiple distillations, fining agents, and carbon filtering...

There are better and cheaper alternatives... WPOSW, DWWG, All Bran, Gerber, and Birdwatchers, are all capable of making decent neutrals and some even work well in pot stills and air stills, which are also pot stills, for making flavored spirits with or without aging...

@ refluxology,

As previously stated by Forum Member rad14701 forget about “Your Instructions”. Suggested re-reading all the postings responses which Forum Member rad14701 provided to your in your previous inquiries.

Also suggest forgetting about using Turbo Yeast in your Washes and review the Tried and True Recipes thread in the Mashes, Washes, Fermentation, Aging sub-forum which provides wash recipes that will provide excellent results without using Turbo Yeast which is known to cause undesirable flavor and smell.

Regards,
Coaster

rad14701 wrote:There are better and cheaper alternatives... WPOSW, DWWG, All Bran, Gerber, and Birdwatchers, are all capable of making decent neutrals and some even work well in pot stills and air stills, which are also pot stills, for making flavored spirits with or without aging...

I am new to this as well, Just bought the T500, I am thinking about putting on the birdwatchers recipie tomorrow... (made 1 turbo tripple distilled that came with it)

Can anyone tell me that has tried more than one with the T500 which has worked best for them...

The recipie I was going to use is
a 25 liter Birdwatcher recipe, so 1 cup tomato paste, 1 juiced lemon small, 6kg sugar and about 80 grams of bakers yeast.
How much 94ish% would this make? I got 3.25 litres from the turbo wash.. and added 6 litres of water made 32% <added to much water>
but overall I am happy enough for first attempt...

THanks for help and patience...

Wako, the resulting drinkable spirits form a wash are approximations at best... But, in answer to your question, here is how the ingredients calculate out... 6kg of sugar in a 25L wash will have a potential yield of 14.1% ABV... That's "potential", not actual... And 25L * 14.1% = 3.525L of 95% ethanol... But you need to make proper cuts and that will reduce the overall amount of potable spirits you will end up with... And then you will be diluting down to drinking strength which will essentially double what your hearts cut was... With a good clean ferment of a sugar wash you might end up with as much as 5 liters of drinking strength spirits, give or take... But think quality, not quantity... And you may very likely end up with more clean drinkable spirits with Birdwatchers or any of the other sugar wash recipes than you are getting from a higher %ABV turbo wash...

ok thanks,

now to research cuts

ur dp is gold!!

Ok mine is a bit of a differs problem. No leak yet but after three runs, the white coating (or whatever it is) on the thermometer probe has developed cracks. Seems to register the correct temp, but just throwing that out there for those looking at the still. Tried and true recipe using gerber baby food has to be the easiest I've run. Was using an air still from milehidistill before this one.

Wako wrote: Can anyone tell me that has tried more than one with the T500 which has worked best for them...

Ive done both. Using a Turbo you will end up with more product....but that product will be taste like sh%#! Use one of the tried and true recipes from the forum and you will have less product but it will be a much better product. Its a matter of Quality or Quantity. The washes in the tried and proven sections of the differnt forums world wide have been road tested by many thousands of people....they haven't risen to the top of the pile without reason.

Wako wrote:The recipie I was going to use is
a 25 liter Birdwatcher recipe, so 1 cup tomato paste, 1 juiced lemon small, 6kg sugar and about 80 grams of bakers yeast.
How much 94ish% would this make? I got 3.25 litres from the turbo wash.. and added 6 litres of water made 32% <added to much water>
but overall I am happy enough for first attempt...

THanks for help and patience...

Can anyone confirm that these quantities are about right?
I'm baking a birwatcher cake soon and like alot of people my equipment is geared for 25 litre runs.

bruvvamoff wrote:Can anyone confirm that these quantities are about right?
I'm baking a birwatcher cake soon and like a lot of people my equipment is geared for 25 litre runs.

You're fixating too much on quantity instead of quality... There have been numerous topics regarding this whole yield issue in recent days so it does little good to reiterate the same information...

To answer your question on output....I've run about fifteen 5 gallon washes (around 16%) through a T500 and consistently get just under a gallon of product which is about 80%...but I probably run kind of fast to get some flavor.

rad14701 wrote:

bruvvamoff wrote:Can anyone confirm that these quantities are about right?
I'm baking a birwatcher cake soon and like a lot of people my equipment is geared for 25 litre runs.

You're fixating too much on quantity instead of quality... There have been numerous topics regarding this whole yield issue in recent days so it does little good to reiterate the same information...

I meant the quantities of the ingredients, not the yield.
Sorry, I should have adjusted the quote.
Nevermind, I made my wash already and it's bubbling away.

Hey,
Ive been using the T500 for bout 6months i constantly get about 3-3.7L of 93% really depending on how long i wait and adjust the stupid tap/valve.
I aim to keep the water out temp at about 60C but really about 58-63C id say. I've noticed quite an increase in production if i have this temp closer to 63C and it still seems to be around 93%....Even tho it says optimums at 60C??? IS this of less quality?
The tower temp at the top ranges from 78.2-78.4C by memory....
Just wanting to check this is all correct? I use essentia 7day yest with 6kg standard chelsea sugar in a hot water cupboard.
I have had a couple of rough batches lately though but thinking this mite be more to do with my filtering as i was being cheap and using the dual bucket (still spirit type) filter with carbon cartridge more than once....Would this be the cause?? I also changed the copper at the top after the bad batch was quite dark/black which could have been the cause?
Overall im quite happy with the still, end up with 9L 40ish% ABV to add flavour, took longer working out the flavours i like best.

Hey,
I have the T500 been using it for about 6months but had a bit of variation in the quality of the product, the last couple tasted rough!
I'm using the standard supplies saddles with bits of copper at the top, i use 6kg standard sugar and essentia 7day yeast mixed to 30C (optimum it says on pack) which i ferment in a hot water cupboard (keeps the wash temp pretty close to 28C again stated on packet until slow down).
When distilling I do my best to keep the water output temp at 60C (generally it ranges from 58-63...our water supply varies a bit in pressure), The top temp is 78.2-78.5C.
I get round 3-3.5L of 93% dependent on how much patience i have and how long i wait (it is a very sensitive tap/valve), upwards of 7hrs including warmup sometimes!!
I find quite a large increase in production at about 64C water temp (78.4C top temp), would this be of less quality? It still is about 93% ABV
Does anyone have any advice on ways to improve what im doing? should i add more copper in the tower?
I use the still spirits dual bucket filter with carbon cartridges to filter the alcohol and water mix afterwards (generally about 8.5L at 40% mixed with water), which i will admit to being cheap and using more than once which is stated to filter my alcohol mix, could this be the taste issue? It seems to be a bit bitey at times....
Thanks heaps for any help!

I've got a T500 as well, and found keeping the whole 3+ litres made for a really rough brew. I've started making cuts, and I end up with more like 2 litres and if that's carbon filtered it turns out really quite good.

I'm no expert, but I was of the understanding that the carbon has a surface area and once it's all used up throw it out. Unless you have the know how to clean/reactivate it properly, not sure exactly how effective that is tho.

I'm sory bit ditch the turbos. Get a good tried and true recipe. Learn to make proper cuts. Yes you need to make them with your still. The t-500 isn't a magic still that you don't need to make cuts on. You need to make cuts with all stills. If you use a good recipe and make proper cuts. The carbon filter won't be needed either.

You won't make great spirits till the greed factor is gone.

To run as a pot still could you just pack the lower portion with some copper and still retain some of the grain(s) flavor?

idahoarcher wrote:To run as a pot still could you just pack the lower portion with some copper and still retain some of the grain(s) flavor?

No...!!! The problem is in the vapor temperatures produced during the pot stilling process... A pot still almost never produces alcohol below the critical 185F/85C temperature limitation of the synthetic components used in T-500 construction... The short answer is just don't use it for pot stilling...

Not sure how many times we need to keep repeating this but it's getting old...

Very true Rad. It does get old.

On a good note. They have started making the artisan all copper version. That supposedly you can run like a pot still. And hopefully they will sell more of them. But I think most will still buy the junk one.

Hi all.
First post from a newby on making moonshine.

I have spent two nights reading and reading and reading....

I was intending to buy a Turbo 500 but after reading the posts on here I have changed my mind and I am going to make a reflux BokaKob

Having looked at Austin Nichols pictures of a stripped down T500 I am amazed that the coil is so small. Can I get away making my coil so small as the my biggest problem will be making the twin coil because the copper 8mm in the UK is VERY thin wall and it keeps collapsing even when packed with salt.

What is the purpose of the small tube running up the side of the main column on the T500 with the water inlet at the bottom?

Any help appreciated

Hi turbo 10

introduce yourself here
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=27

And post your comment in a new thread as it is not related to the T500

(but you made a good choice on building a boka, I have one, they are the tits)

I've got a bokakob still that I'm using, but this thread is great because my uncle is fixing on getting a Turbo 500, soon.

I want to talk him out of it, but he's a stubborn one. Last I talked to him, he said he saw videos of it working quickly and effectively. That it could go through an entire 20l run at 90+% in four hours. I told him to check in here to learn more about it from an unbiased source. I can only imagine that folks in the video did a few stripping runs before they shot the advertisement.

Now that I'm reading, I guess as long as he only intends on making neutrals, and he doesn't care that bits of his still warp, he can get it if he wants.

I dunno. I guess I just like having the option of running in pot still mode for whiskey. And I don't believe it can actually work that fast. My boka takes from 6-9 hours for a 5 gallon run.

Cheers, guys!

I was reading the manual and it talks about not having to make cuts because the product is good all the way through. Is this true?

Do you have to make cuts if you have an all copper reflux tower?

False advertising to suck you in. Have a read around the beginners sections and you see why there speaking shit.
Edit-just noticed you've been here since 2012!!

I was having an issue with my T500, not getting full 3+ liters from my 23ltr wash, and very slow. Seems the problem was defective thermometer, ready 5 degrees more than actual temperature, fortunately I had another electronic thermometer and problem solved, thought I would pass this on to others who may have the same problem

al_g_46 wrote:I was having an issue with my T500, not getting full 3+ liters from my 23ltr wash, and very slow. Seems the problem was defective thermometer, ready 5 degrees more than actual temperature, fortunately I had another electronic thermometer and problem solved, thought I would pass this on to others who may have the same problem

Was this effecting your ability to make proper heat input and cooling adjustments, or are you trying to make cuts by temperature which just doesn't work...??? You say you were having issues but never elaborated...

Is this a dead horse or we still talking about it.

Yes this was a dead horse and the problems are still the same.