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Stainless pot with a 17 foot 1/2" copper coil. First run after construction was a pineapple mash, I did use tap water which is a little on the hard side. Smelled something terrible and was very cloudy, dumped it into the tails jug. Second run: I used (commercially) canned peaches. This time it smelled better, but was cloudy up untill the tails which came out crystal clear. Third run: Commercial apple cider. Came out smelling pretty good, but still cloudy up to the tails which were almost clear. This time I kept it for sippin. Why does it keep clouding up on me?

how fast are you running it?

My pot is a 4 galllon, last run was only two gallons of mash. Took me about 2 hours total from fire up to tails. (I did a lot of reading here and parent site first) I use propane to heat, and am assuming that the placement of the thermometer is at fault here: I start getting heads around 192°. On two gallons (mash) I play safe and throw out a full ounce as heads. Drips at about 1 drop per second, with occasional "runs" that last for about 3-4 seconds.

It sounds like you are running way too fast. A 2 gal run takes about 6 hours for me. I take off around 77% and it is clear as water.

could be that your coil isn't clean... could be run too fast... I think a more standard wash might be the first key to success... Try one of the rums from this forum or a sugar wash... even try a turbo yeast... they suck as distillate, but they are educational.

Could be solder flux left in the lines from construction. Getting any vaseline like substance in your filters or funnels?

I did use vasaline when I made the seal for the cap of the still. First run a little was left, but should all be out by now. I only have 1 solder joint and that is the brass coupling on the cap. I do plan to do a rum run next, but figured I would get some advice before I start a new mash in case it was something in teh mash process. BTW I am currently using red star champaign yeast. My supplier is getting me a cake of distillers yeast, but it is not in yet.

Mopar Redneck wrote:My pot is a 4 galllon, last run was only two gallons of mash. Took me about 2 hours total from fire up to tails. (I did a lot of reading here and parent site first) I use propane to heat, and am assuming that the placement of the thermometer is at fault here: I start getting heads around 192°. On two gallons (mash) I play safe and throw out a full ounce as heads. Drips at about 1 drop per second, with occasional "runs" that last for about 3-4 seconds.

Three runs would have pretty well cleaned it out. For my mind, at those yield rates it is running too fast. 2 hrs from go to whoa is a stripping run by the sound of it. As As-Ol-Joe stated his 2 gall run takes 6 hrs. It takes me nearly 2 hrs just to get to 80C, but my yield after that is 1 drop/sec. I only use the thermometer to gauge when to cut between foreshots and heads. From then on I just collect it all in small batches. When the cloudy shit starts coming I shut down, cover the product with filter papers and let sit overnight. The day after is when I make my cuts going by taste smell and ABV.

It could be a little of everything. It does sound like you are running too fast (from the time you gave). As far as mash goes, any unrendered sugar in your wash is going to foam like crazy. And the combination of too much heat and foamy wash or mash is most likely going to make it puke.

You didnt' talk much about your mash other than to describe the various fruits you used. Did you check SG of it before you ran it to see if the sugars were fermented out?

Pineapple: Nope, just like a teenage boy in too much of a hurry to get er goin. I did have the hydrometer sitting by the bucket though, does that count? Peach: The cap dropped and I had (according to the calculator on the home site) 8.5% abv. For the apple I went slow and steady: Had about a 6.9 abv and the mash had settled out just about clear (no cap on that one, but bubbling had stopped). Stuck that one in the garage for a day (-10° F) and then siphoned it and left it sit in the "shop" (45°F) for about 5 hours. Strained through 6 layers of cheese cloth into the pot, fired it up.

slow it WAY down.......
and do alot more reading.

Thought that I would add this: Finally got my alcometer. What I collected from the cider run was the following: First pint that I saved was 61% abv second jar is only 1/2 pint and that came out as 45%. The rest I sent to the tails jug. I figure that was about 1/2 pint also.

Mopar Redneck wrote:Thought that I would add this: Finally got my alcometer. What I collected from the cider run was the following: First pint that I saved was 61% abv second jar is only 1/2 pint and that came out as 45%. The rest I sent to the tails jug. I figure that was about 1/2 pint also.

Definitely running it too fast. Slow down and collect it in smaller amounts and focus on making good cuts (go by ABV first, and use your nose to learn)

Should have clarified on that last post. I am only collecting in about 2 oz. amounts. I then sniff and taste to see how it is before mixing anything together. After eevrything was said and done, I ended up with two jars.

Maybe you don't have a high enough alcohol content in your wash to start with

Did my rum wash. Had a little trouble with the fuel tank just about the time I had my heads out. Restarted, took out another oz. Just to be safe. Ran out about 0.75 quarts, then it got milky on me again. That .75 quarts is at about 45 abv. The clear stuff ranges from 59 - 68 abv. This time it took me about 7 hours.