Home Distiller

I use an chiller unit and recirculate my water to the condenser. So i am using the same water and I run several times with the same water. The water is emptied after I finish my runs and at times I do break everything down for cleaning. I am seeing scum or algae building up in my clear plastic cooling hoses from my control Valves to the condenser and back to the control valve manifold. Does anyone have an idea of something I can add to the cooling water that may keep them clean? I have tried PBW and dawn soap and that help some but not much.

It could be from flux from building condensers, if you did build your own condenser/condensers. If that's the case, you could blow a string connected to a swab through the hose, and pull another swab through perhaps with dish soap to wipe the interior clean. Off the top of my head, I don't know what easily removes flux.

If you think it's a mineral buildup, rust, etc... toilet bowl cleaner works amazing and works quickly.

I personally wouldn't add anything to the water just in case there's a condenser leak, it would find its way into the boiler and spoil the product.

My hot water hoses get really grungy with rust after use and it doesn't bother me anymore because it's just going to keep happening.

My cooling hoses have mould in them.

Some chlorine in the cooling tank may help.

kimbodious wrote: ↑Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:02 pm My cooling hoses have mould in them.

Mine too kimbo . Used to annoy me .would periodically replace them .Now days I don’t even see it ….. mind you , where we live , its so humid everything has mould on it

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 1:10 am

kimbodious wrote: ↑Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:02 pm My cooling hoses have mould in them.

Mine too kimbo . Used to annoy me .would periodically replace them .Now days I don’t even see it ….. mind you , where we live , its so humid everything has mould on it

True that. An easy fix, but I am not putting chlorine through any hoses that go to my SS condensers. New hoses not that dear if it ever gets to me!

clear hoses+damp+sunlight=mould

i have some food grade clear hoses like yours on my gin still, they never seem to dry out properly, even in full sun.

i use a garden hose on the main still, no idea if there's any mould in there

Yes, mold comes from light and moisture in those pipes. Meanwhile, soak the tubes for a few days in water + bleach, after each distillation hang the tubes vertically so that they empty completely.

howie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 7:09 am clear hoses+damp+sunlight=mould

i have some food grade clear hoses like yours on my gin still, they never seem to dry out properly, even in full sun.

A vacuum will blow, warm air, or pull ambient air. (noisy). An aquarium air pump is quieter and will run nearly forever.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Lots of good information. Probably best to break them down and allow them to dry out after use.

cob wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 2:56 pm

howie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 7:09 am clear hoses+damp+sunlight=mould

i have some food grade clear hoses like yours on my gin still, they never seem to dry out properly, even in full sun.

A vacuum will blow, warm air, or pull ambient air. (noisy). An aquarium air pump is quieter and will run nearly forever.

i have silicon hoses -no problem drying them.
the clear hose on my racking cane dries in the sun - no problem.
the food grade clear hose from the big green shed will not dry out, even kept vertical for hours in full aussie sun.
i don't really care about the gin hoses as they are kept in the dark and are just for cooling water.
the other food grade piece i use on the filter tap, i have to occasionally bleach it.
it's bizarre, i just checked it, not used for a few weeks, still wet spots inside the hose.
looks like if i keep it in a dark cupboard it doesn't develop mould spots.

Funny this thread popped up.

I have been using a rigid 25 gal low profile storage bin for water, but a buddy of mine got his hands on a spare 55 gal HDPE drum that I was going to switch to. I have hard city water that tends to build up scuzzies on faucet heads & toilets, and I would typically pour a light ratio of StarSan in my water to counteract the build up. However, I've noticed a green tint on my water lines which worries me the acidity of the StarSan is eating away at my condenser???

I imagine anything that drops the pH but prevent scummy build up would be similar, like Citric Acid?

Thoughts my brethren???