try keeping it under reflux longer with water to the head to stack the different fractions before letting the distillate flow. You should get higher ABV then

when making a neutral, I keep it in reflux for about 30 to 45 min then gradually cut back on the water flow to the head

Concerning the original post......I have a difficult time bringing boiler temps up in a fairly short time AND keep the head temp from getting too hot too quickly. So many people talk of throwing high heat at it early and then backing off when they get to a certain temp before flow. I realize we all need to know how each rig runs before we can really dial it in BUT I'm assuming bringing the temps up slower and allowing the column to stabilize WELL before flow is the best way to run a longer reflux before collection. Is this what you guys have found??

Gotcha. The problem I'm having is I can't seem to get the head temp to 173-176 without having it start to spill over. I'm collecting but it's obviously foreshots and some heads. If I turn the heat down or the water flow up I lose head temp. I guess what I'm trying to say is I can't figure out how to get the head temp to proper level and then run at reflux for any length of time to stack the fractions because I start getting condensed vapor down the Liebig. Water temps in the cooler have been monitored with thermo and I try to keep at a fairly reasonable range. Say between 40-55 F. I've been playing with the flow to the head but just a very minute change in volume drops or raises the head temp dramatically. I even wait a few minutes to see if I can regulate it by allowing for some equalization but then it either keeps rising or falling too far. It seems like 175 is the sweet spot but I'd love to find a way to get it to reflux for a time like you guys suggest. I'm getting a good return though. 1.5-1.75 gal of 94 ABV out of a 26 l wash of turbo so I guess I shouldn't complain. But like everyone else , I'm always striving to do better

Thanks Hokey. Appreciate it. That's kind of the answer I was looking for. I know that we want to collect around 175-177F but that temp sets me up for collection at a substantial rate. So what I was trying to figure out was........ I set up propane and 2 ea 4500 W 220V elements running at 120V In a 13.5 gal SS hi cap. I watch my temps when I start to get heat thru the second column. Then I turn off the propane and dial back the upper element to about 1/3 to 1/4 with an RSC and leave the lower element on full blast. This works well for a 6- 7 gal load in the boiler. Seems I can control the heat pretty well from this stage on. Then it starts spilling over around 157-160 (fores). I didn't know if I should let it run like that till around 177 THEN turn the water flow up to cool the head after I get my fores out of the way. Seems like that would be the way to optimize collection. Then let it sit and reflux for a little while with the water flow turned up to retard collection. After say 30-45 min (Dieselduos suggestion) turn the water down slightly and let her start to spill over. When the run gets towards the end, the temps start to fluctuate and then all of a sudden I get ol faithful geysering out of the parrot. I can't seem to get the end of the run to smooth out. Too much heat ?? even though I turn the heat down and the water up?? Too much packing?? (Don't think so although I am open to advice). Water is cooled via frozen Gatorade bottles Ina cooler augmented by a fresh shot of well water at 45 degrees when needed.
Any and all advice is welcomed as I am taking notes on everything and hope to be of some help in the future to someone else as you guys have been to me through this extraordinarily satisfying hobby

Edited by user Sunday, November 15, 2015 8:55:17 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Miss type, typo

Neither do I ... and that's what diesel & hokey are suggesting as well. Forget about temps. The reflux ratio is what matters. The thermometer is just there to fill the hole in the bung.

After you draw fores, then stabilize, you need just enough power to maintain a reasonable take off rate while maintaining a good ratio ... without driving your column too hard. That's the sweet spot that takes some experience with your rig to "dial in."

, you need just enough power to maintain a reasonable take off rate while maintaining a good ratio ... without driving your column too hard.

I've got a PSIIHC and. I use 2, 2000 watt elements during heat up and 1 element with controller the rest of the way with a 12 gallon still charge. Less power may give you a more consistent run.
Keep us posted.

Hi, Sorry for the delay. Both elements are 2000 watt, 110 volt elements run on different 20 amp circuits. The bottom one is controlled by the controller I built similar to the "My alternative to a speed controller" on this site. When I get up to temp I can use only the bottom one. Although the controller is almost all the way up. I run in my pool house during the spring, summer and fall but will soon be moving into the garage due to the fact that it is getting freezing up here in New England.