 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/1/2007(UTC)
Posts: 50
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"OK, I think I have read almost all references to carbon filtering, but I have some slight details to clear up.
Most posts as does Bert G say to use 50% abv, while others say full 90-95% is fine.
1. Which is it? And if it has to start with 50% and go into a tube with charcoal and water, does that not further dilute it, and if so, might I not end up with possibly less than 40% (80 proof)? I don't do math good enough to figure that ratio out.
2. Along those lines, could one not just put the wet charcoal into a tube, fill with the alcohol and let it sit a bit before startng the filter process? Wouldn't that eliminate the air bubble channels?
3. I presume regular home store pvc liikely is not ok to use with alcohol, so what material to use and where to get it? Seems like copper is pricy and a pain to clean, glass? too fragile. stainless? way too pricy.
4. Or is simply the easiest and best to just dump it all in a jug with the charcoal and let it sit for a week, shaking once in a while?"
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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"Davey,
I have a commercial charcoal filter, used it a few times over a year ago, and nevermore!
I dump it into a glass jug, and let it sit, with ocassional swirls, not hard shakeing, until I am ready for it. I carefully pour it off, and filter through a coffee filter lined 8"" ss very fine mesh strainer. Works great for me. I use a 6.5 gal. glass carboy, and take out about a gal. at a time for whatever uses. I don't top it off, with fresh. When that last is used I start all over.
I strip run, then a careful reflux collecting at 95%. It tastes great as is, but was totally surprised, when I went to do the cleaning of the carbon, how much oils and stink it had caught. Really yucky!"
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 4/1/2007(UTC)
Posts: 50
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appreciate the feedback. Anybody else got any thoughts??
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/15/2007(UTC)
Posts: 12
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"Davey, I'm slightly newer to the hobby but have going at pretty strongly since I started and I've found that carbon filtering makes everything that I make even better and smoother. I've been buying the carbon that Rick sells and using a homemade filtering tube - yes it is 1 1/4 PVC. I bought my tubing from Lowes and I did check to make sure that the off the shelf type used in homes would be alcohol tolerant. As you can see from the pictures I placed two bends in the tube to break up the flow as the alcohol goes through. At the end is cap with a threaded fitting, inside of the screwed in cap is a very fine piece of SS screen that I purchased online. At the end of the 3/8 tubing is an unbleached coffee filter just in case any carbon get through the screen. At the top I'm just using a funnel but do intend on attaching a two gallon container with a 3/8 supply tube. All told, without the carbon I've got about $20 in materials and an hours worth of time, if that. Best of luck," High_Wine_Guy attached the following image(s):  DSC00813.jpg (88kb) downloaded 0 time(s). DSC00814.jpg (65kb) downloaded 0 time(s).You cannot view/download attachments. Try to login or register.
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