Decreasing downtimes between runs?

[Zeig]

I have 60 gal of Still Beer to run, but only a 5 gal stock pot still. Is there a good method to decrease the downtime between runs?

I was thining of adding a ball Valve to the lid and base of the pot to empty the backset and fill in the next batch. Then I wont have to take the whole thing apart, clean off the flour paste and then repaste it.

[bearriver]

Good idea. That's exactly why I ditched paste after just a few runs.

I preheat my wash, because I do 45-90 gallons through a keg. That's around 4 strips in a day. Anything to decrease the warmup time should help. You can either turn the ambient temp up for a few days or use an aquarium heater.

[googe]

Yep fill port and drain will help. or get a keg.

[OBX Phantom]

That is kinda how the big distillers do it. The only problem would be if you don't completely stop one batch, and start a new batch you would not be able to remove the fores.

[jedneck]

Invest in a bigger boiler.
If that's not an option figure out a way to preheat the next run while running.
Posted with them guys^^^^^

[shadylane]

Good advise so far.
You could use the waste heat from the condenser to preheat the next still charge.

[NZChris]

Put a dump valve in it. My record is now six minutes from shutdown to heat on for the next charge. I have a preheater the same volume as the still that I can install before the condenser if I can be bothered setting it up.

[ben stiller]

Use a couple of wraps of ptfe tape around the edge of the pot and edge of the lid. You can reuse this type of seal several times and no cleaning necessary when you remove and reinstall the lid. Fill and drain ports would also help. What are you using for heat. My 4500w element will heat 5 gallons in under 20 minutes.

[bearriver]

HD search "everlasting gasket".

I would consider replacing the cardboard with flattened copper, if you go that route.

[Zeig]

Thanks guys! All great advice!

My condensor can handle pretty much anything (5 ft liebig with a 30 gal res) so I'll probably upgrade to a keg in about a year, I'll have to look into controlling the element though.

The preheat is a good idea, You think an Aquarium Heater could work?

I'll have to look into how to make a ptfe gasket. I'm so sick of that flour paste mess.... and the scraping...god scraping it off. bleh.

[shadylane]

Thanks guys! All great advice!
The preheat is a good idea, You think an Aquarium Heater could work?

No, a preheater needs to get the next batch up to 140f or more.
A Aquarium Heater is good for keeping a ferment up to temp.

[NZChris]

My preheater is a one turn worm in the same sized boiler as the still. It wouldn't be much trouble to build one so that it can also be configured as a thumper.

[Halfbaked]

Get a bigger boiler. Use your cooling water on next mash/wash. Hook your condencer to your drain after your run and use your cooling water to suck the heat out of your dunder to raise the heat of your cooling water for next run.

[MmmPeace]

To piggy back on this thread, I have a question. I have a 15.5 gallon boiler on my brewhaus essential extractor 2. I will be running one 16 gallon mash in two sep. runs (as to not overload my still) but was worried about messing up batch number 2. Are you saying I don't need to or even want to let my boiler and still cool before the next use (in this case the 2nd part of the mash), I can just dump in the 2nd half of the mash and continue on with warm/hot still? I hope that is the case because that will sure save me a lot of time!

[The Baker]

Shadylane said,'No, a preheater needs to get the next batch up to 140f or more.'

Sixty degrees Celsius.
Geoff

[Boda Getta]

Installing a drain andl filling port on my keg boiler was the best thing I've done, next to going electric. Has cut my down in half.

BG

[MmmPeace]

so only add a preheated mash to a warm/hot still, don't just add a room temp mash? Sorry to be redundant I just want to do it correctly.

[Klein]

There is many ways to recover heat/energy from your still. You could use your condenser to heat up your wash for your 2nd batch. Before your wash is too hot to safely use as a coolant, switch back to water as your coolant.


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[MmmPeace]

I think I may have asked the wrong question. It is ok to put mash, preheated or not into a still that just ran a run correct? So I have 24 gallons of mash, I just ran the first 12 gallons of it, I now have the other 12 gallons waiting, I can throw them right into the boiler and continue, my boiler doesn't need to cool or rest between the two runs? It will not scorch to the boiler or create any off flavors by doing this?

If I understand correctly, running back to back runs in a hot boiler is not only ok but even recommended as it cuts down on wait time..? The ideal situation would be to finish the first 12 gallons, then add the preheated 2nd 12 gallons into the boiler. If unable to preheat the second 12 gallons though, it will indeed be ok to just throw em into the hot boiler. Again, sorry to be redundant but I am looking for a specific, yes it is ok to run your still run after run without resting/cooling it down, or no, you need to let everything cool down before starting a new run. I apologize for needing this to be spoon fed to me but I cannot find the answer and have searched all weekend. Going kind of

[NZChris]

Since this thread started, I have set up my preheater again. It takes less than ten minutes from the time I turn the heat off to dump the backset, recharge the main boiler, refill the preheater, get the heat back on, and be stripping. Four strips in a day is easy.

As for your other questions, you might be over thinking it, MmmPeace.

[MmmPeace]

Agreed! Thanks nz

[Mudturtle]

Build a small coil. Run line from condenser to coil that you put in the fermenter/wash container and then a line from the coil to your water barrel or drain. Will also help cooling water stay cooler longer.

[zach]

Build a small coil. Run line from condenser to coil that you put in the fermenter/wash container and then a line from the coil to your water barrel or drain. Will also help cooling water stay cooler longer.

I like this idea.

On stilling day, preheat batch 2 and 3 with the waste heat from the prior run.

On brew day, I could use the same coil for cooling wort or wash prior to fermentation.

[StillerBoy]

With the setup I have, down time from finishing a stripped run to starting the collection of the next run is about 20 minutes for me, with no preheat of the next wash, and in ambient temp of about 65 F degrees..

Once the first run is done, I turn off the power, remove the dome cover (all my still head and water setup are still all connected, ready to go), drain the backset, reload with 40 litre of wash, attach the cover back on, throw the power on, which is 11,000 watts, and within 20 minutes overall we are collecting again.. a stripping run is normally 2.5 hrs, and can easily do 2 run on saturday afternoon in about 6 hours including cleanup..

Mars

[NZChris]

My setup only uses full power for the initial heat up. The next charge is already up to temperature and has started distilling in the preheater, so the next strip starts pouring a couple of minutes after the heat goes back on. With the preheater recharged with fresh wash, the cooling water to the condenser is turned off until it is needed.

Doing a UJSSM or rum, the warm condenser water from the first run is put into a clean barrel for makup water for the next generation. The desired amount of backset is dumped onto the sugar. By the time the second strip is finished, the next generation is already wrapped up and bubbling and I can sit back and relax.

Google images for charentais distillation. https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=chare ... 44&bih=707

[rad14701]

Once you drain the backset from your boiler it won't retain much of any heat for long, whether it's copper or stainless steel... You can pour the next batch right in without issue as long as it isn't ice cold... I do it quite often... Distill, shut down, drain, refill, fire back up, . . . .

[Truckinbutch]

Installing a drain andl filling port on my keg boiler was the best thing I've done, next to going electric. Has cut my down in half.

BG

+1 and as Rad said , once you have dumped one the next one can go in cold without problems .
A simple sump pump transferring spent wash from a drain on a boiler or thumper can save a lot of effort .

[Truckinbutch]

Another thing I do when doing back to back runs is to shut off my cold water input to my condenser at the same time I cut the power . That residual heat makes it easier to get the condenser regulated on the next run . Easier to establish a temperature gradient on the condenser .

[NZChris]

With the preheater recharged with fresh wash, the cooling water to the condenser is turned off until it is needed.

Since then, I have automated the cooling water so that all I have to remember is to turn the controller and water on and check that it works at the start of the run. A digital temperature controller uses the condensate temperature at the spout to control a water solenoid to the condenser.