Characteristics of the EasyStill

Ardent Spirit · Post by **Ardent Spirit** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 4:19 am

By performing a number of runs on the Easy Still modified water distillation device and measuring the times and alcohol concentrations of the wash and distillate for different volumes of wash I have been able to model its characteristics on the pot still purity calculator on the Main site.

Its performance characteristics are quite accurately predicted if you enter the following input parameters.

Initial volume (up to 4 L)
Alcohol concentration (measured by hydrometer or from sugar content of Mash)
Initial temperature (usually around 20 % C)
Power up during heating 320 W
Power during distillation 320 W
Internal reflux 25%
Times steps – as required

What surprised me was the high figure for internal reflux. This is however required to model the output concentrations accurately.
It may be that the ascending part of the coil is more efficient at reflux because it is actively cooled by the fan.

I have found this calculator extremely useful when distilling essences etc as the still ids very predictable in its performance and cuts can be made using the data from the pot still purity calculator.

I would welcome any comments on this especially why it would have a high internal reflux given its design

PS at room temperature (20-28 C) The distillate emerges from the still at ambient temperature + 9 degrees C

hornedrhodent · Post by **hornedrhodent** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 4:24 am

How does plastic flavoured spirit taste?

Ardent Spirit · Post by **Ardent Spirit** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 4:42 am

I'm working on it.
I hope to post a possiblesolution to the off tastes / smells from turbo yeasts / Easystill in the next couple of weeks when I have reproduced the initial results.

On a technical note
Polycarbonates generally do not leach plasticisers and the rest is stainless steel

I don't distill plastic.
Do you?
Perhaps you could let me have the recipe?

hornedrhodent · Post by **hornedrhodent** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 4:54 am

="Ardent Spirit"]I don't distill plastic.
Do you?

Nope - not even plastic flavoured ethanol-

Perhaps you could let me have the recipe?

Bung a polystyrene fruit box in your 95% spirit.

Ardent Spirit · Post by **Ardent Spirit** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:46 pm

I enclose a link to the document below which gives the evidence for my statement about polycarbonates. It states that experiments have shown no detectable (<5 ppb) extraction of bisphenol A from polycarbonate resins with exposure to 95% ethanol.

You are more likley to ingest bisphenol- A from a can of baked beans!

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/pdf/M5.pdf#s ... %20Cans%22 onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

absinthe · Post by **absinthe** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 6:18 am

um no it doesn't it only talks about ETHYL alcohol ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow ) NOT ethanol to very different things....
although I'm not getting into the plastics debate (as i have natural rubber in my still, although i am working on a turned oak bung)

Ardent Spirit · Post by **Ardent Spirit** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 7:58 am

Nomenclature of aliphatic alcohols

CH3.CH2(OH)
C2H5OH

Old name

Ethyl (C2H5). OH Alcohol

Standardised name
Ethan (base hydrocarbon C2H6) ethane
-ol recognised suffix for alcohol
Hence ethanol
add anoher OH group and you get CH2OH.CH2OH
Ethylene glycol or Ethandiol
(Otherwise known as

Methane CH4 produces CH3.OH - methanol
Old name Methyl alcohol

Propane C3H6 produces Propanol CH3.CH2.CH2OH
But here things get complicated because you can hydroxylate either the end or middle carbon atom, hence there are two propyl alcohols (they smell different)
Propan-1-ol (n-propyl alcohol)
propan-2-ol (iso-propyl alcohol)

I therefore respecfully disagree with the last post

Please follow link below for further information

http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/t ... ohols.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

If you want a tutorial try this:
http://chemistry.boisestate.edu/rbanks/ ... ature1.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Post by **theholymackerel** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:16 am

Ardent Spirit.

If you feel safe with that info, fine.

But we here at this site frown on anyone promotin' any type of plastic to be used in the hobby. The reason for this is the majority of the folks interested in home distillin' are not chemists. The idea that any type of plastic bein' ok can easily lead to folks usin' plastics in a dangerous manner. All of these studies I've seen as yet show what little damage the alcohol does to the plastic, and doesn't address what the plastic is doin' to the alcohol. That's the real worry... drinkin' somethin' dangerous.

Anyway, if ya think about it plastics, solvent, and heat just don't seem to be a good idea. Better safe than sorry.

Untill a study is done that shows what the plastic's effects are on alcohol along with heat, then lets stay away from plastics. If you feel you must use plastic, I'll assume yer an adult willin' to take responsibility for yerself, but please don't promote plastic use in cunjunction with alcohol to others.

Thankyou kindly.

absinthe · Post by **absinthe** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:59 am

I'm sorry i stand corrected, but i know for myself i wont drink beer outta can, it tastes like crap, but the same beer in a bottle is fine, might not be the ethanol in it dissolving the plastic but i know i don't like the taste

Ardent Spirit · Post by **Ardent Spirit** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:04 am

Fair enough
I think waht you say is very sensible.
We wouldn't have got here if there wasn't a facetious comment made abut plastic tasting spirits earlier in the thread.
I cerainly wouldn't use plastic in any part of a still, certainly nothing in contact with heat but the Easystill has a polycarbonate collecting jug and before I used it I made sure that it didn't leach anyhting into the spirit.
To make itr absolutely plain.
I am not condoning the use of plastic in still contruction in any way or form.

Ah well back to the Emarald Isle.
We Leprechauns cause nothing but trouble to the big people.

I'll be bidding you good day and I'll be getting me Cork Dry Gin Bottles ready for the Holy Water.

Post by **Husker** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 3:08 pm

hornedrhodent:
How does plastic flavoured spirit taste?

Are you confusing the Easy Still, with the "Amazing still" ? The easy still is a stainless boiling chamber, with a coiled stainless w/aluminum-finned condensor which is fan blown air cooled. There is no plastic in it. The collection container (the stock container) IS a polycarb, but prior to that, the still uses "solid", proper components.

Also, the still is a pot still, so your worries about absolute ethanol (ok, 95%), are unfounded. You will only see 55% or so on the first run, and up to 80-83% or so if you triple distill.

I have an "unmodified" version which I bought for about 1/3 of what the sellers of the easy still sell theirs for. From what I can tell, it works just fine. I have mine outputting into a 2L glass container, instead of the poly jug (I do use the poly jug when I distill water). The thing works pretty good for a simple pot still, but at a 4L boiling chamber, it is certainly NOT what I want to use long term. I just could not see spending 3x the money for the same still with a dab of solder over the "chlorine valve" (hole), and with a 300w vs a 500w element.

H.

Ardent Spirit · Post by **Ardent Spirit** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 10:12 pm

exactly.
The whole point of my orignal post was simply to let people know how to predict its behaviour.

hornedrhodent · Post by **hornedrhodent** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 5:36 pm

="Husker"]
hornedrhodent:
How does plastic flavoured spirit taste?
Are you confusing the Easy Still, with the "Amazing still" ? The easy still is a stainless boiling chamber, with a coiled stainless w/aluminum-finned condensor which is fan blown air cooled. There is no plastic in it. The collection container (the stock container) IS a polycarb, but prior to that, the still uses "solid", proper components.

Also, the still is a pot still, so your worries about absolute ethanol (ok, 95%), are unfounded. You will only see 55% or so on the first run, and up to 80-83% or so if you triple distill.

I have an "unmodified" version which I bought for about 1/3 of what the sellers of the easy still sell theirs for. From what I can tell, it works just fine. I have mine outputting into a 2L glass container, instead of the poly jug (I do use the poly jug when I distill water). The thing works pretty good for a simple pot still, but at a 4L boiling chamber, it is certainly NOT what I want to use long term. I just could not see spending 3x the money for the same still with a dab of solder over the "chlorine valve" (hole), and with a 300w vs a 500w element.

H.

My mistake - sorry.

Post by **Husker** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:28 pm

Ardent Spirit:

exactly.
The whole point of my orignal post was simply to let people know how to predict its behaviour.

I too have found the "behavior" differs a little from the "Stock" setting of the pot still calculator. I have done some pretty in depth looking into this, since I have taken Tony's original html page, and turned it into a Win32 app with more features.

However, the only thing I had to test with was my "NutraHome" still (this is what Gert aquires and modifies). My still is still at 550W heater, but I have "fixed" the chlorine hole.

What I use for my numbers are:

400W Heatup (instead of 550)
525W Boiling (instead of 550),
15% reflux (instead of 10).

With those numbers, it seems to be VERY accurate. The timings, and percentages for my still are right. I am pretty sure I am seeing less of an internal drip back (not really a reflux), because with the higher wattage, the still is pushing vapour out faster, and thus it is more likely to push it past the "up incline" part of the condensor, and when it condenses, it drips out of the still, instead of back into the boiler.

The biggest difference I have seen between the "default" settings, and what the still is "rated" at, is the heatup time. That seems to be much slower than what the formula says heatup time should be. But this may be due to the still actually being a boiling pot sitting on top of a heating pad. I have read this is much less efficient than a internal heating element. The formula used must simply be what you would get with an internal element (my guess, as I am not sure exactly what Tony obtained his heatup and heat transfer formulas from, and how efficient an external heating element actually is).

H.