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Well I haven't been using my pot for a long while. When I used it two days ago, the spirit coming out of it was literally blue!

It is obvious that I need a vinegar run but I don't have any wash for a sacrifice run. So can I just distill water after the vinegar run to get rid of the vinegar smell or a sacrifice run is mandatory for getting rid of that smell?

kyolic wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 2:53 am...can I just distill water after the vinegar run to get rid of the vinegar smell or a sacrifice run is mandatory for getting rid of that smell?

If the product is blue and stinks, why ask? Simple answer: Just do it...or stop complaining.

The question was this: Can I just distill water after the vinegar run to get rid of the vinegar smell?

I just need to know if this is possible or not. What is the problem with it?

Just do it.

If its a still that been used before but sitting idle, MY OPINION is do vinegar run then use early part of alcohol run as sacrificial run. Use your sences n brain to decide if clean.

Personally I never do a vinegar run without immediately following with a water then sacrificial run to rinse out the acid and re-season the copper. Birdwatchers is cheap, easy and fast for a sacrificial run.

You can get the blue color when you leave your still sit without cleaning it after the last run. This happens quite easily in copper stills.
Typically when you restart the still after having not cleaned it you will get a jar or two like this but it will clear up. If it's just a strip run discard those jars and start collecting when it's clear (as normal) again. You just used the alcohol vapor and cleaned your still, no need for the vinegar run.

If you want just stop the still and dump it back in the boiler and start the run over with your now cleaned out still.

Flush your still out after every run with water and this shouldn't happen.

I've never gotten blue from a long storaged column. The pantina build up protects my copper. And ive never cleaned my still except for after soldering. Ive gone over 4 years without ever 'cleaning' my still. It's a completely useless practice in my experience.

In my experience, the only time I get blue is after running a low ph wash, and then not doing a spirit run within a week or so after. If you do a spirit run soon after a stripping run, you won't have much issue. Unless you're stupid enough to clean that protective layer of pantina off everytime you use your still. Even then usually the first couple of jars of wash or low wines will clean out the blue.

Don't over complicate it.

Ok I did the vinegar run (2 liters of vinegar + 1 liter of water). Jars of blue. Jars off... Now the vinegar in the tank is all boiled up (almost nothing left) and still blue!!

What should I do? Boil an other three liters? I assume that I must do this until it gets totally clear, right?

Please help. I feel bad about this.

Try water at this point and see if it comes out blue or not. If so run a few jars worth and see if it is getting lighter in color.

Sacrificial runs are for getting rid of flux and machine oils. If you haven't been working on your still, why would you do sacrificial run?

When I've had blue in low wines, it's come from the condenser, so I've cleaned up the condenser, carried on as usual, then let the spirit run tidy it up.

If you have blue in a spirit run, I'd suggest you shut down, deal to everything in the downward path with a citric acid soak, then put the blue take back in the still with the low wines and start over.

kyolic wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 2:53 am Well I haven't been using my pot for a long while. When I used it two days ago, the spirit coming out of it was literally blue!

It is obvious that I need a vinegar run but I don't have any wash for a sacrifice run. So can I just distill water after the vinegar run to get rid of the vinegar smell or a sacrifice run is mandatory for getting rid of that smell?

I'm in the same boat.
5 Gallon pot, decided to do a 12 gallon FFV wash so I can do a sac run (I need the practice) + 2 stripping runs.
(Actually thinking of doing 1.5 with the FFV)

Even in all my ignorance, one of the first things I learned here was to make a big enough fermentation - same amount of work for a single run batch is stupid.

NZChris wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 12:38 pm If you haven't been working on your still, why would you do sacrificial run?

In my experience the first run after a cleaning run will taste nasty and possibly coppery.

I've only ever had the same issue in the early days when I ran a worm style condenser and like Chris suggested I had to resort to a citric acid soak to get it clean again. I have never had a problem since I switched to a liebig.

I doubt it would have to be sacrificed though. It could be run again to clean it up.

Using SS in the downward path for the spirit runs avoids the problem.

cranky wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 5:55 pm In my experience the first run after a cleaning run will taste nasty and possibly coppery.

Agree Cranky .

NZChris wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 12:38 pm If you have blue in a spirit run, I'd suggest you shut down, deal to everything in the downward path with a citric acid soak,

Yup , Citric acid is perfect for cleaning this stuff out . I prefer dilute Sulfuric acid because its quicker .

All acid cleans need to immediately rinsed out with plenty of water .

Never been a fan of Vinegar ... IMO , it causes more problems than it fixes ...but thats just me .

The rules have changed in NZ since I bought my Sulphuric acid and I might have problems getting more if mine ever runs out, so I save it if I can use something else.

I don't think I've had blue in a spirit run yet. My spirit runs in stills with copper condensers nearly always immediately follow several stripping runs, plus I force air through the the system overnight to get rid of any moisture.

Just broke my rig out of 8 years storage, consider myself a noob again. Did a water run today, then a vinegar water run [50/50 mix 80 oz total] then another water run. The pic is what i got out of the vinegar run. The water run subsequent was light blue at first, then clear. I was concetned about the blue too. Glad i found this thread . . .

-Stills[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202005 ... b998a9.jpg[/IMG]

I just finished a vinegar run on my little all copper rig, and followed it with wiping it down with lemons, then used about ½ cup of baking soda, brought her back up to boil, and ran it hot for 15 minutes, no more smell, and inside is as bright as a new copper penny....waiting on a sugar head wash now for the final cleaning stage...

Have fun...

Is this a copper coil in a bucket? Before the new setup I was using a home-made copper coil in a lowes bucket. When I got some blue I put a cork/stopper in the bottom "output" hole and filled the coil with white vinegar and let it sit over night. Next morning put the setup in the laundry sink, pulled the stopper and let it drain then put the stopper back in and let it fill with water to rinse... did this about 3-4 time and never saw blue again.

Smokee wrote:Is this a copper coil in a bucket? Before the new setup I was using a home-made copper coil in a lowes bucket. When I got some blue I put a cork/stopper in the bottom "output" hole and filled the coil with white vinegar and let it sit over night. Next morning put the setup in the laundry sink, pulled the stopper and let it drain then put the stopper back in and let it fill with water to rinse... did this about 3-4 time and never saw blue again.

Actually mine is a copper coil in a cooler. The outboard lines are coolant circulation, bottom to top. Good idea on the vinegar. I have. a cap i can put on the output. Thanks!

Stills.