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I wanted to post a question. my easy still is venting pressure by one side of the lid lifting.and hot vapor/liquid is coming out. is this normal? I don't remember this happening the first few runs. it first started when I tried to do a 2nd distillation of 4liters that I had diluted to under 50%. then this morning I tried doing a wort with about 400ml of tails. and after about 8- 900ml it started again. Im not filling past the fill line. any help would be appreciated.
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Hey Rick help!, doesn't seem to matter what the run. Some of us guys chipped in on one as a going away present for a buddy of ours, that took a teaching job some place in Micronesia. Well he used it a couple times without a problem, and then one day he had it running in the kitchen, next to the gas stove and WOOF! the vapor had escaped from the seal and the fan caught it and thinned it just enough. He is scared to death of it, and shipped it back to me. I tried it with a gallon of cheap wine, and with no gas stove. what happened is it started leaking vapor out the back and concentrated it inside the cooling head to the point it was running down the electric wire almost into the fan plug when I caught it and shut it down. He was running at 85- 90 ambient. The test was at 68 ambient. 7 total runs including the test one.
This is a serious issue and the normal operation of the unit is either going start a fire or shock someone.
Rick, are there any fixes for this? What about a refund or credit towards something else?
I feel bad because my buddy is out his going away present and several of us had to chip in on it to begin with.
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My first thought is that with the unit working the first couple of runs, it is functioning correctly. That means that there must be something that has changed, which we need to find. The two things that come to mind from what you have described above are a possible leak in the gasket, and over expansion or foaming.
The leak in the gasket can be from a tiny cut, a piece of grit, or simply being shifted out of place very slightly. This should be inspected to rule it out. We had one other similar problem that was completely resolved by checking the gasket.
The second possibility is more likely. You can rule out over expansion of the liquid by reducing the amount of liquid that you place into the unit. Foaming can still be an issue, and with anything such as a wine you can get excessive foaming. This will wreak havoc with the system, and virtually guarantee you 'popping your top'.
Finally, if the unit was not specifically purchased from us ,or one of our resellers,, then it likely does not have all of the modifications. Without going into details, not all of the modifications are done by the manufacturer, so the copycats generally do not have all of the modifications.
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Hi Rick, we had a good chuckle about his woof story.
This is one we ordered from you a while back. I am primarily a wine maker, so I don't know a whole lot about these things, but I read up a bit now. Trying to see what was common.
1. The gasket is in perfect shape so that is ok.
2. We gave him the turbo and essences, so turbo was his base. Mine was store box style wine.
3. I asked him and he was at the fill line. I was there too. he said the wash was clear but I never saw it myself. the wine was store bought cheapie not my good wine.
Talked to an old timer that knows some of this stuff and he said to 'control the heat' on a small unit. well I could get him a dimmer, but the fan would run slow then?
Then he said to add seasalt about a teaspoon per gallon, then stick a stainless steel salad fork or two in the bottom of the pot and we wouldn't have anymore problems.
Does this sound right? I think its to stop foaming? Its not like its the space shuttle or somthing so foaming has to be the cause.
My bud says the folks there want him to get this thing back now. Apparently it was a big hit.
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There are several ways to reduce foaming, although these are new to me. But you are correct- the idea is to ensure that you have no foaming. The expansion can potentially be of concern, especially if there is any foaming whatsoever. Try reducing the volume to an inch or so below the fill line, and also add an anti-foam agent. This should solve your problem.
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RICK! You Da Man! it was headspace and foaming. Half to three quarters of an inch below the mark and it ran 80 proof to 160 purring away like a kitten. I just dumped it off in shipping, going back. He lives in a place called Chuuk there.
BTW didn't do the fork, but I told my bud so he's good if its needed.
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I am really glad to hear it. Another crisis averted. ;-,
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I was very impressed with the unit being so self contained and easy to use. No hoses,pumps, gas burners or hot plates. It couldn't be any easier. Nothing to adjust, plug it in and in an hour toss the first two tablespoons, wait 120 minutes and rinse it out and put it away. I sure wish wine making was like that.
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"After fighting the Pop the Top problem, we retired our unit. I ran it 1/2 full, with anti foam. Cut with distilled water, all to no avail.
Our House voltage is about 132-138 volts. I now suspect this may be the problem.
I could rewire the fan, and attach the unit to an adjustable stepdown transformer, but the price would be prohibitive (sp)."
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" Originally Posted by: MikeVagg  After fighting the Pop the Top problem, we retired our unit. I ran it 1/2 full, with anti foam. Cut with distilled water, all to no avail.
Our House voltage is about 132-138 volts. I now suspect this may be the problem.
I could rewire the fan, and attach the unit to an adjustable stepdown transformer, but the price would be prohibitive (sp). Sounds like you are running without boiling chips - Raschig Rings or similar - a small chain like a kitchen sink plug chain will also work. This is to prevent surge boiling which is one big bubble - boiling chips make many small bubbles."
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I've had this unit for about a year and have had a ball. It has popped it's top three times to date, but only on second distillations averaging 45% or so to start. I now reduce the fill to 1" below the line on all second runs and make sure they are diluted to 40% abv to start. Works fine.
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