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It sounds like you are plumbing it for 'reflux' What you described is right. You don't use that if you are running in 'pot still' mode. Just plumb the condensor.

What are you talking about 'the small column having only 1 inlet and 1 outlet? Are you describing the condensor?

Your question about running 2 pumps to different sections of the column: If you are running in reflux you want to be able to adjust the flow of water to the column so you can control the temp in the column. Mostly using one pump and plumbing a 'T' into the line going to the column and that having a valve you can adjust the water with. A smaller volumn of water will be going to the column with most of the flow going to the condensor."

"One thing to remember, especially when sterting out, is to learn when to call it quits. You can't get every drop out in a condition that's drinkable. If you aren't carbon filtering it make sure you stop collecting before you get into the tails. You can learn that by your nose but to start with you should quit collecting when your alcohol content drops to say 80 proof or so. You can run it down farther into a different container and pour that back into your next run.

One other thing I just thought of, after your wash has stopped fermenting , let it sit a couple of days and you will notice that the yeast settels out and although off colored it will be more clear. That will make for a better end product. It is hard to not be impatient, especially at the first, but you will learn that if you try to rush it."

I'm in the same boat as Carl, but a little further out to sea.. have made a few pot still runs with the PSII and have a question around temp at the top of the column - ran a batch of cider thru and it came out great but a little hard to keep the temp in the 172 range -- have now run 2 all grain batches and impossible to keep the temp where I want it -- up and down it goes. On a pot still run I've got the water running to the condenser - would it make any sense to run the water through the top of the column to help control the temp or is this hybrid pot/reflux working against me in some way?

I your neck of the woods last week - Downtown Norfolk

Temp maintenance is heat control. On these rigs we control heat via water flow, especially in reflux mode. I only pot still for stripping, but you would need heat source control for making a fine pot run. Electrics - make sure the hotplate has the temp controller bypassed, a cycling hotplate will make it impossible to maintain the correct heat level. Use a router controller from e-bay to do your temp control.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Router-Spee...&hash=item43a2a5c2cd

If you have not insulated the pot & column - then you must. Something as simple as a gust of wind can drop the temp out of range. Reflectix from the box home stores works quite well for this.

In reflux mode I do use 2 pumps and the ball valve is on the output from the reflux tower - very stable, but it worked OK before with just the tee. I have found that stuffing pot scrubbers in t between the reflux tubes helps spread the cooling & the temp control. Still use the copper packing that came with the system too. I have only used a HC so the 2" version will always run slower and maybe take a bit more finesse to operate.

When pot stilling only use condenser water, the reflux tubes stay disconnected.

I've got the 1500 watt hotplate from BH. I've never used the diffuser plate, I always thought that was for propane. Anyway with the thermostat bypassed, in potstill mode, I get the foreshots off in 1 hr and 25 minutes. If I start about 7 am I can run 2 batch's and have everything washed up by 5 pm.

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You must have a different boiler than I, mine is the standard boiler and it has a flat bottom. I always let my wash clear and then syphon it off into the boiler to keep the dead yeast out. I've never had it scorch yet. I'd give the plate a try since you have a recessed area that it fits in."

I went ahead a bought the premium kettle and the plate is made to even out the heat. It is around 1/4 to 3/8s inch of aluminum and heats up rather quick but the kettle itself is another story. I hope the 1500 watt plate fixes this issue.

I am going to try it without aluminum plate to get it going a bit quicker. The boiler is a solid lifetime pot, built like the proverbial tank, solid. The new heating plate is not a coil eye but a solid cast iron solid disk. I try not to let solids to get in the boiler the best I can so I do not think I will "burn" the mash and give it a scorched taste. I can not say enough about the support in giving others a hand up in figuring this stuff out. Going from small pot to reflux is a game changer in time you spend in this venture. The small pot set up is almost the same time frame but just 500ml recovery, almost not worth it but now, wide open full blown fun.