Reflux problems
Posted: Sun May 03, 2020 1:49 pm
Hi all
Hope this is the right forum for this question but I am at a loss with my reflux system.
I have the mighty mini combo pot/reflux still. I’ve run it in pot still mode several times without issue.
Today I wanted to do a gin. I first ran my mash in pot still mode for the strip run, and the tried to do the strip run results in reflux mode.
I packed the first 12” of the column with rashing rings, then copper up through the sight glass, and then the botanical gin bag on top near the tube inlets.
I turned the heat on and before long the charge was boiling into the sight glass so I turned the heat down so it didn’t puke.
The problem was with the cooling hoses attached in reflux mode, I wasn’t getting any distillate. If I shut the pump off to the cooling hoses off for a couple minutes then I would start to get a trickle along with a lot of hot vapor. I kept having to plug and unplug the water pump to get any kind of volume.
Also I had to keep the heat below 40% otherwise I was afraid the charge would boil over into the condenser.
So ultimately I ended up shutting everything down and re doing the hoses so it was back in pot still mode. Everything worked fine and gin turned out well.
But what was I doing wrong in reflux mode?
Thanks!!
Hope this is the right forum for this question but I am at a loss with my reflux system.
I have the mighty mini combo pot/reflux still. I’ve run it in pot still mode several times without issue.
Today I wanted to do a gin. I first ran my mash in pot still mode for the strip run, and the tried to do the strip run results in reflux mode.
I packed the first 12” of the column with rashing rings, then copper up through the sight glass, and then the botanical gin bag on top near the tube inlets.
I turned the heat on and before long the charge was boiling into the sight glass so I turned the heat down so it didn’t puke.
The problem was with the cooling hoses attached in reflux mode, I wasn’t getting any distillate. If I shut the pump off to the cooling hoses off for a couple minutes then I would start to get a trickle along with a lot of hot vapor. I kept having to plug and unplug the water pump to get any kind of volume.
Also I had to keep the heat below 40% otherwise I was afraid the charge would boil over into the condenser.
So ultimately I ended up shutting everything down and re doing the hoses so it was back in pot still mode. Everything worked fine and gin turned out well.
But what was I doing wrong in reflux mode?
Thanks!!