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Currently have a molasses and sugar wash in my distiller and keeping temperature around 80C. Wondering how long this will take. The drips are about 5 seconds apart and I am looking to get 2-3L of rum out of this. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you.

whats the still?

20L Copper Pot Still

kick it up a notch,until product comes out in a stream.

Turn that thing up, drips on a potstill are a waste of time. Pitch the thermometer and run so you get a spiral stream from the output. Turn up the heat and run it like a potstill!

I was told it should stay between 78C-82C. Should we go above that? Will it be a different product? Thank you for the fast responses!

Is there a max temperature it shouldn't reach?

Jester1717 wrote:I was told it should stay between 78C-82C. Should we go above that? Will it be a different product? Thank you for the fast responses!

Making rum it will be a better product. You want to push flavor through with the alcohol. Can't do that running too slow.
Don't worry about temps in a potstill, just output and flavor

Just turned up the flame! Should I try and keep it below any temp?

Hahaha..... The thermometer is to see if the chicken is done, not your pot still. If you don't cook throw in the trash.

Lol its taking off now I'm going to keep it below 93C! I threw out the first 100ml of drip. Think thats enough methanol to remove from 16L of wash?

Jester1717 wrote:Lol its taking off now I'm going to keep it below 93C! I threw out the first 100ml of drip. Think thats enough methanol to remove from 16L of wash?

Thick, aren't ya!!! GET RID OF THE THERMOMETER AND RUN IT LIKE A POTSTILL, NOT A REFLUX RIG!!

lol Its going!!! Thanks again guys!! So many helpful people on here!

Where's the logic.....spending hours soldering up parts of the pot still and condenser so there is no leaks, then drill a hole in it to add a thermometer.

I've read this topic and am wondering if the OP has done any research at all... Do we really have to go through this with virtually every novice distiller...??? Can't you novices take the time to read before you start making mistakes and then come bawling your eyes out that you don't know what the fuck you're doing...??? Don't you think we get tired of this shit...???

Put that rig into Park and don't start it up again until you have done the research into the theories and fundamentals that we keep suggesting in topic after topic after topic... That means you, not just everybody else... This is not a hobby that you jump into and practice in a trial by fire manner... It's a bit more complicated than poking a few solar powered accent lights in the ground along your walkways...

Never mind what you've been told, listen to what you're being told!

Just remember that when you ask a question, you're more than likely going to get a solid response from someone who's been there, done that.

What these guys are telling you is that temperature has nothing to do with running a pot still. Just turn up the heat until it starts producing, then dial it back until you're getting a stream the size of a pencil lead (roughly).

Moreover, you should probably go read the parent site a time or three. Then read everything in every area of the forum. Use the HD Google search if you get stuck. Everything you don't even know you need to know is here.

BTW, was that your sacrificial cleaning run? Already did vinegar/water?

Got any pics? We all love copper!

Happy distilling and stay safe!

There is a hole section call new distiller reading lounge. In this section you will find the information you should already know before running that thing. Including the whole issue of temps. And that they are good for nothing on a pot still. You will also find a thread on making cuts. This is a must read thread. As are all of them in that section. The thermometer is not going to tell you when to make your cuts. I don't know what little birdy has been telling you to run that thing by temps. But you should not take their advice. And probably none they have given you.

Now how long will it take? To many variables to give you an answer. And you didn't even give us the most important. How much the still charge is. And what ABV it is. Other things like what you are using for heat. How much heat. Size of boiler. Size or dimensions of your pot still head. And even with this info we could only tell you how long it would take us. Not how long it will take you. It takes me around 3 hours to run off 10 gal of wash. Where the next guy mite take 4, 5, maybe 6 hours or more. All depends on the sweet spot of your still. And your tastes.

Take some time and do some good research here on HD. You will thank yourself later. And things will go much smother for you. And you mite just make a drinkable dop.

Yes, all you experienced guys are correct in the fact there is a lack of research done here And, yes you really don't need the thermometer. But, I did add one to mine. Even just for stripping runs I like to watch what it is doing. I take detailed notes. It helped me learn my still. I can be doing things in my garage, even just reading a book, and look up and know when the first drop will come. I know when it is running stable. I know I am keeping it under 212 to minimize water vapor. I enjoy all this while I watch it.

Hmmm.. The Parent Site seems to advocate the use of a thermometer in a Pot Still per the New Distiller's Facts. Ya'll Pros may want to get that updated as useless nonsense... LOL

10) How do I run a Pot Still ?
See How to use a Pot Still for details. A pot still is fairly straight forward to use. Turn it on. Once the temperature is up to about 60 °C turn on the cooling water to the condensor. Make sure you throw away the first 1 00 mL per 20L wash, as this will contain any methanol that might be present. Segregate the distillate into 500 mL lots as it comes off. Only keep (for drinking) that which doesn't contain fusels (smell off) - probably below about 92 ° C, however you should keep distilling past here, untill about 96 ° C, as this fraction, although high in tails and not good for drinking this time, can be added back to the next wash and cleaned up OK then.

" Ya'll Pros may want to get that updated as useless nonsense... LOL"
the "parent site" is sort of like a inherited book .its is ,what it is.

Skymike wrote:And, yes you really don't need the thermometer. But, I did add one to mine. Even just for stripping runs I like to watch what it is doing. I take detailed notes. It helped me learn my still.

I took notice of what has been said many a time on the forum by people who know what they are talking about.....You learn your still by the cuts you make.....Taste, Touch, Smell.....not Temperature.

Gaztops wrote:

Skymike wrote:And, yes you really don't need the thermometer. But, I did add one to mine. Even just for stripping runs I like to watch what it is doing. I take detailed notes. It helped me learn my still.

I took notice of what has been said many a time on the forum by people who know what they are talking about.....You learn your still by the cuts you make.....Taste, Touch, Smell.....not Temperature.

I use the smell and taste method on my pot still. To be sure, my eye teeth are blind from the methanol. Seriously though, I love having a thermometer for one reason. Long into the tails portion of the run, I need to know at what point the percentage is too low to justify the heat being added to the pot. Late in the evening, I am super lazy and tire of making proofing measurements. Since I have noticed from the non lazy moments that the "not worth it" ABV frequently coincides with a certain temperature, I use that temperature to call it quits for the evening. This is the sole reason I use the thermometer.

Best thread I have read outside the new distiller forum. I will try to take all this advice and the humor.

Just like everyone else has said here I run a pot still only and enjoy making whiskey.

Run it wide open on a stripping run. I put down enough power to make it er fill up a quart in 10-15mins..then re-run the low wines again and keep 'er open between drips and a small stream

Do not worry about ABV or temps on a pot still! It took me a bit to realize that it does not matter. Yes you will pick up water, but guess what? you gotta re-run it make a finer product

I read pages of the parent site about once or twice a week and I find it very interesting still(hey I said still:)))
I my self have good results running a few bottles of king cobra malt liquor as a cleaning run.the ABV is known and its good practice to measure yield and such and after words you got a product for makeing degreaser or some hand cleaner,those cleaning runs are very usefull as they will get stuck on grease and dirt off your hands.thats just my experience and you don't have to scrub out your mash tun or clean your kitchen after mashing up a bop full of grain.and the experience of running your still with known boiling points and such.im still a newbie but malt liquor seems like it will have the same properties as a wash will.and you can practice separating your cuts.dont drink the clean outs but save them for around the shop uses.fire starter,cleaning greasy hands,and uses like that. But you do gotta loose that thermometer also I think running some cheap beer with a known ABV is good practice for a beginner cause you know how much alcohal is there and you can do the math and then see your yield in separate jars and well its hard for me to explain but you will have a visual and can see the whole process and the end results.try it you will see what I can't put into words .good luck

Man don't put no beer in your still ,unless you like hop flavored whiskey
And trust what these guys tell you.Read the threads till you ."know" what the hell is going on .
You dont need a thermometer on that pot. As
Sure you can have one but it has absolutely no outcome on how fast or how long it takes to run a batch
ABV and your equipment will set the pace.

I am a total newbie here, with only 5 runs under my belt, BUT , I listened to everyones comments about NO THERMO ON POT STILL, any you know what , they are all right .
I crank heat until I get my stream ,and maintain
Thanks guys, works great

I also have only a few runs. It is quite obvious, using gas to heat, how quickly the output can be adjusted with just a small fire change. I don't know how hot the fire is, just listen for more/less gas output. It is also obvious, but slower, to detect the cooling water temp increase as the tails come on.