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Just curious, anybody noticed the presence of Acetaldehyde/Acetone in the first fores when doing a vinegar run?

I finally got around to cleaning out my new pot head after the in-laws left on Saturday and did a 4 gallon 50/50 vinegar run using 7% vinegar. Given it's the first time I used this thing I wanted to make sure it could knock down all the vapor before continuing the run. I let it run about a cup using the condenser, turned off the cooling water for a few minutes to let the vapor steam the whole head, then turned the water back on and ran a gallon out.

That first 250ml had a very strong nail-polish remover/acetone smell; to the extent that my wife asked if I was doing an alcohol run when I showed her.

I'm assuming this is from leftover congeners from bad distilling practices in producing the vinegar but it still was surprising to see how nasty that first cup was.

White vinegar “steam” smells like vinegar (like when you make pickles). It does not smell like ethyl acetate (the “nail polish remover” smell) often present in the early heads. So, unless your senses are askew, I wouldn’t think you’re actually smelling it. But the vinegar smell is quite acidic and will “tickle” your nostrils giving you the similar “objectionable” reaction you get with the early heads. I guess if you used apple cider vinegar, it might create the fruity ethyl acetate-like smells.

Incidentally, acetylaldehyde smells like “green apples” and has a very low boiling point. It is usually the very 1st smell you’ll get from a strip run (primarily a grain, fruit, or rum run) and often will come off before the wash starts boiling. Another indicator is the fruit flies showing up since they’re extremely sensitive to the smell. They LOVE the early heads even though they’ll try to drink your liquor from the spout too.

I’m not saying you didn’t smell ethyl acetate on your cleaning run. More likely the vinegar (acetic acid) was cleaning out some of the accumulated residue inside the stillhead. The fingernail polish remover smell is very unique and quite distinguishable. Even the acetone smell (paint thinner/remover) is unique and distinguishable, although it is more common in the middle heads portion of the run.
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Thank you, ethyl acetate is what I meant not acetylaldehyde. I've gotten some acetone smell before in fores from quick fermentation (hand sanitizer runs), but never anything this noticable. It was really pungent.

Definitely not only vinegar though, last time I ran vinegar in a new head it was definitely only vinegar steam as you had said.

Maybe it was something in the new head, this is the only commercially produced still I've ever run and my last head was brazed together by yours truly.