Home Distiller

I am almost sure I overlooked the information, but with home distillation becoming legal in WV, Question is.....When cleaning a still and you are doing the vinegar/ water 50/50 cleaning step and the subsequent sacrificial run, How long in to the cleaning do you leave the condenser off to allow hot vapor to clean piping or do you leave condenser off at all?

If your brew house is well vented a lot of people will just blast the vinegar with the water shut down to the PC.

On your sac run, water to the PC and condense all vapour for the entirety of the run.

Ethanol vapour plus an ignition source equals big fire
Big fire equals bad

Sporacle wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 5:47 pm If your brew house is well vented a lot of people will just blast the vinegar with the water shut down to the PC.

On your sac run, water to the PC and condense all vapour for the entirety of the run.

Ethanol vapour plus an ignition source equals big fire
Big fire equals bad

+1
When doing my first cleaning run with vinegar I’ll turn on the condenser for a minute or two and then turn it off for a minute or two. Alternating back and forth for about 10-20 minutes.
That vinegar vapor is no joke. About the worst part of this hobby is that damn vinegar run. Whew it’s stinks to high heavens. Ugh.

!!ALWAYS CONDENSE THE ETHANOL VAPOR. IT IS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE!!

I do them outdoors with no cooling water. Don't treat them as 'practice' runs or keep any distillate.

NZChris wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 10:57 pm I do them outdoors with no cooling water. Don't treat them as 'practice' runs or keep any distillate.

Chris do you do your sac run outdoors with no cooling water?
What's your heat source?

Sporacle wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 11:26 pm

NZChris wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 10:57 pm I do them outdoors with no cooling water. Don't treat them as 'practice' runs or keep any distillate.

Chris do you do your sac run outdoors with no cooling water?
What's your heat source?

Whatever it is for that still or cleaning run. I have stills with internal elements, plus stills that run on fire, solar, hot plates, whatever.

Stonecutter wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 6:37 pm +1
When doing my first cleaning run with vinegar I’ll turn on the condenser for a minute or two and then turn it off for a minute or two. Alternating back and forth for about 10-20 minutes.
That vinegar vapor is no joke. About the worst part of this hobby is that damn vinegar run. Whew it’s stinks to high heavens. Ugh.

!!ALWAYS CONDENSE THE ETHANOL VAPOR. IT IS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE!!

That's the way I've always done it , condenser on and off with the vinegar and water .......flush that thing right out.
Once its loaded with wash or low wines you want to be condensing and collecting everything in liquid form into a container / jars....
No vapor at all unless your looking for a very short career as a distiller.

I have more passive approach, i attach my condenser to the column, turn the whole thing upside down plug any holes and make up solution of citric acid and hot water fill the column up, plug the condenser up, fill untill column is full, leave for 4 hrs. It cleans off the crud, brings the copper nice and clean, good rinse, good to go.
Same for stainless, if my copper mesh rolls are dirty i leave the in the column, while soaking.
Works for me