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Guys when building my new CCVM column I incorporated an 18 inch copper scrubby packed section into it. Trouble is I have zero exp. running a packed section using copper or otherwise and I'm concerned that some of the nasty fores may still be entrapped within the packing at the beginning of the run.

I generally discard roughly a quart of fores at the beginning of a 12 gallon keg run to be on the safe side and I'm wondering if this will continue to be a safe amount when running the scrubbies. Wash is T&T All Bran.

TIA, FMH

That fraction should get more concentrated (compressed) and the change from fores to heads to hearts should become more distinct.

Of course that all depends on how hard you push it.

Hermit , I recon your taste buds are better than any number we can give you .

I run a pot, a packed VM and a flute so I would reference this to the packed VM .
You will know that collection in small jars at first will help . If you are taking off at a slow rate then the nasties will work their way to the top of the packing and you will extract them before the heads file up in order . Its all about slow take off .

I know I will probably cop more flack than I can handle but I believe that for a typical wash , there is a certain period of time that that wash need to boil and that will allow the various fractions to boil off .

So ...what I mean is if you had a pot still and you had X amount of wash it will take X amount of time for the fores to evaporate from that mix . With reflux that is still the minimum amount of time it takes to boil the fores from the mix. If you want to remove heads , , same thing ...it takes so long to remove all the heads from a pot still , it takes that long to boil the heads fraction from the mix .

That is why ...in my humble opinion...operators of reflux stills hold in "stabilizing mode "...its not stabilizing but rather waiting until all the shit has boiled out of the wash .

Yummyrum wrote:That is why ...in my humble opinion...operators of reflux stills hold in "stabilizing mode "...its not stabilizing but rather waiting until all the shit has boiled out of the wash .

The fly in the ointment there is that as long as the still is running at 100% reflux nothing is being removed from anywhere, the fractions are only being further compressed...

rad14701 wrote:

Yummyrum wrote:That is why ...in my humble opinion...operators of reflux stills hold in "stabilizing mode "...its not stabilizing but rather waiting until all the shit has boiled out of the wash .

The fly in the ointment there is that as long as the still is running at 100% reflux nothing is being removed from anywhere, the fractions are only being further compressed...

True Rad, but for FMH's reference you can say they are being compressed to the top. So let them compress a bit then slowly drain them off.

Think of it this way, if you keep the temp steady your cuts will be layered like salad dressing in a glass (Italian, not Ranch). You had it mixed up but now that it set for a bit (equalized) it layered up. You are trying to pour the oil off the top. At first it's all oil (that's your fores). Then you can't help but get some of the water with the oil mixed together (that's your heads). Then you are pouring out just the water (hearts). Then some vinegar starts rising in the mix from the bottom (tails). So equalizing the column and keeping the temperature steady makes everything layer up. The hard part to get the gist of at first is that if you are having a hard time making the temp drop, sometimes it helps to increase the heat input since that increases the reflux, settling out your salad dressing a little better

If it comes out looking like blue cheese, sell your still and buy your liquor from the store!

Sorry Hermit .
The point I was trying to make before I went off on a tangent was what Rad and Hound were saying , that they will stack up while you stabilize but when you start to draw them off , they will move all the way to the top . Just leave the Still in full reflux for as long as you can to allow them time to be liberated from the boil . If you start taking them off too quickly , when you think you have collected them all , they are still coming off with what you think is now heads .Remember Kiwistillers diagram of cuts in a pot still . Fractions don't boil off neatly one at a time but more like there are overlaps .

Either way , Fores and heads are solvents and are not going to "cling " to the packing , Tails on the other hand do due to their oily nature , but you use the still next time , the fores and heads will remove the tails and reflux them back to the boiler .

Yummyrum wrote:
Either way , Fores and heads are solvents and are not going to "cling " to the packing , Tails on the other hand do due to their oily nature , but you use the still next time , the fores and heads will remove the tails and reflux them back to the boiler .

Great responses gentlemen and a cool little thread ! Yummy put it in a nutshell for me and my fears have been alleviated Thinking I will run my new toy much the same as I did my flute with the possible exception of bringing it up to boil a little slower and them put the column into full re flux for a longer period than before.

Can't wait to see/taste the neutrals this thing makes !

Thanks guys.