Welcome Trais, and congradulations.

I think you made the best 2 choices, and the very same I made when starting out. The High Capacity is phenominal. Please don't do like I did and rush your first couple of washes. Let them settle completely. Insulate your column, and go slow first several times.

The very best of luck to ya.

Welcome Travis,good luck with your new h.c unit.
From what I hear,those things are great.Im kinda new at it too,but an old hat at wine and beer.
Everyone here is helpful,so feel free to ask questions,because someone will have,or find the answer.
wineo

Hey Travis,
My vote in the consensus would be to not stir. The main reason for an airlock is to keep out the oxygen, though a friend of mine has his 6 year old stir his wash daily. John and Rick might jump in here with a definitive answer and the whys of it.
Another mistake I have done a couple of times is to start the distillation too late in the day and have had to stay way later than I ever need to again!
That, and heat slowly.
Good Luck and Have Fun!
Yours,
PJ Lily

Travis,
Having made my own still I blessed the moment I thought a few trial runs could be helpful. Wow! As things started happening, oops - didn't have this, oops - forgot to do that, oops - where am I going to put those. You get the picture.
Be patient with the heating. My temptation was to heat too hard too long. What happened to me was that the temp crept up - 16C to 30C in forty minutes - and then jumped up to 85+C in 30 seconds. I now have my heating technique 'mastered', but would suggest to you to heat slowly.
And having only done 20 distillations or so that's about all the advice I feel comfortable giving!!!
We gonna see you at the Jamboree? I'm such a cheerleader.
Yours,
PJ Lily

p.s. and don't drink the heads. pjl

I can see where one could get impatient...with the temps and other stuff! I like the idea of the aquarium air pump...I'll incorporate that into my next two batches. Wilco on the yeast in the jar/fridge.

What are the details on the Jamboree? Weather permitting we could fly up and camp on-site ,airport or jamboree, if there is a airport close by. We would need transportation after we arrived...hint..hint...

Travis

Welcome Travis!

Glad to have another analytically obsessive member on board ;,
Siding with John, I think you made an excellent choice for you first few runs. The t-48 is very versatile and picks up easy, and the high capacity still is a seriously formidable beast.

My $0.02 about pit falls would be your packing. Tighter packing ,and I mean tight, would give you a much cleaner separation, if using copper, be sure to boil it in a vinegar solution ever 1-2 runs and then in clean water. Copper soaks up a lot of nasty stuff and starts imparting it into the distillate after only a few runs.

As for stirring the wash, Like PJ said, there are varied opinions on this. I personally am a big advocate of daily stirring, though it does have to be done without removing the lid and air lock.

Cons: it will take a little longer for your yeast to naturally settle after fermentation Cons: it will take a little longer for your yeast to naturally settle after fermentation ,it kicks up dead yeast and other sediment back into the wash,. Nothing a little settling agent wont fix.

Pros: The yeast"s weight makes it harder for the yeast to stay suspended in the wash ,Nutrients often have dead yeast husks which are lighter to help the yeast latch onto something,. Stirring helps redistribute healthy yeast around your wash and balance out the supply and demand of sugars ,preventing pockets of one or the other,.

Stirring also helps "break lose" some the dissolved co2 is the wash, co2 can raise acidity levels and slow down the yeast"s metabolism.

With the 5gal buckets, I just lift them up and stir them around manually without lifting the lid or airlock ,prepare for some serious activity in the airlock, I electric tape another foot of hose extension to my airlock to prevent it from blowing off all its liquid,.

Another method I"ve been experimenting with is a sterilized water pump, wired thought the lid. I set it on a low setting and just let it go continuously.
Seems to be working rather well so far, I"ll know more when fermentation stops so I can time the results.


Sorry for being so long winded guys!

My two washes...end of day 2, are currently at 22 & 23 C per the stick on thermometers. I have been trying to get them cooled down.

Am I right in understanding that the cooler the temp of the wash as it ferments, the fewer nasties you have...and the longer it will take for the fermentation process to complete? I have been trying to get it to the low 70's ...sorry 20-21 C, but I don't want it get any lower...if I am understanding this simple process.

John had mentioned to me about using a digital thermometer. I want to do that...but would appreciate some recommendations regarding a brand/type/features to look for. Thanks again!

Travis

Travis,I have done the t-48 at 75-78f with no problems.I have also done it at 62-65f with no problems,but took a few days longer.I cant tell any difference in taste or anything!So relax,dont worry,I dont think you can hurt the stuff as long as it didnt get real hot,or real cold.If its warm where you are,you can put your buckets in a plastic storage ben,and put some water in it.It works like a swamp cooler,and will lower the bucket temp. by 4 or 5 degrees.
I do this in the summer when making beer,and it works good.I have a sunbeam digital thermometer that I bought at walmart for $15,but it is off by 4deg.C and 6deg.F. Look for one that is +- 1 degree,and you will be happy.I just compinsate for the difference,and use the alarm so every time the temp. changes,it goes off,and i set it up 1 deg.it has a remote probe so I dont need a ladder.
wineo

Travis,storing the wash is no problem{as long as everything is good and clean}.Giving it time to settle out,then racking it again will clean it up.The cleaner the wash the better.It wont nasty up your packing as bad.Theres plenty of alcohal content in there,and it will keep for years,if you keep it on a airlock,and keep the light exposure to a minimim.
I have a friend that used to fly for A.A.He flys for a local company now,there corp.jet.I used to fly my uncles planes when i was young{with him on board}and loved it.Mostly cessna single engines,and a J3 piper cub.Man that thing was slow.We were flying out of chicago,and all that traffic from ohare was freaking me out bad!It looked like we were going to be mowed down by those big planes,and that J3 was real slow in those crosswinds.If it was real windy it felt like you was going nowhere!Anyway good luck with the brew!

Travis,I have a different setup than yours,but since your running sugar wash,all you want to do on the first run is get it done,and clean it up a little.I run one or two small S.S.scrubbers when I strip sugar wash.My columns both run better this way,but im not sure what yours would do.I just run the 1st one hard and fast to get it done,and collect up to 209F.I throw away the first 150mls that comes off,then collect everything up to 209F.I dont seperate the heads or tails,because I will do that on the 2nd run.
I put 2or3 tbsp of baking soda in each gal,and just save it all for the 2nd slow run.Dont use any reflux on the stripping run,and never use baking soda on a unstripped wash because you will get ammonia.I only use baking soda on sugar wash,and sometimes on other stuff like heads or tails run,or something i didnt like the taste of.
If you make some whiskey or rum or anything that you dont like,you can slow reflux it to 190proof neutral,and use it for vodka.
wineo