 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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I have the PSII/high capacity. Everything that I have read says to let it re-flux for an hour or so before you start to draw off the distillate. Here is my dilemma????? I do not have a valve to turn to prevent the distillate from running into the condenser or ???? Is it done by running lots of cooling water to the column ???
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 Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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"Hi Mark,
Yes, you control the rate of reflux with the water to the column, but you may also need to control the heat input as well. I use propane so it is easy to do, but is also possible with electric.
The one hour is a good time of total reflux for the 2"" columns. With the 3"" HC i think you will find that 15 to 20 min. with insulation will work just fine for you. Over twice the reflux and volume with the HC> Then, take off the heads slowly. When you hit the hearts, you can speed things up. When you hit the begginings of tails, you can restore full reflux for a while and get some more hearts out."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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I have the HC unit with hotplate and did exactly what is posted above with the exception of speeding up during hearts and retrieved 10 1/2 quarts of 94-95% neutrals that were pure and clean, wont need no carbon for this but i may try some on a small batch anyway and sample some side by side to see if there is a difference only because i have a big bag of carbon sitting here! I have the water control valve and opening it wide open keeps my column pretty cold with the 1500w hot plate maxed out. My hot plate doesnt cycle when maxed so thats where I keep it all the time and use the water control valve to adjust temp at the heed!
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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Wade, You've talked me into getting one of those hot plates. I like propane, but sometimes its just too cold, wet and windy and I don't like useing flame inside, though I have time to time.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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Imsure it takes a lot longer though!
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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" Originally Posted by: Wade  Imsure it takes a lot longer though! Yeah-well. When its snowing, and wintery etc. And I wouldn't have to monitor it as closely as when useing propane inside. Will have to use the normal pot though, as won't work with my keg. Darn!"
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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Yeh, you will have to cut down to 6 gallons at a time! :)
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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I have been experimenting with boiling water times. I have both electric...1500 W and gas...118,000 BTU. Electric was on for more than two hours trying to boil 4 gallons of water and the top of the column never got above 30 degree "C"....TWO HOURS... I switched to the gas burner and fresh cold water (4 gallons) and it took less than thirty minutes to come to a hard boil. 100 degrees "C" at top of column (slightly higher) and steam roiling out of the condenser. Just thought that I would share that, although I don't know how easy it will be to make minor adjustments on the gas, but I think that with the time saved on heavy boiling I will use the gas
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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I start getting product in about 1 1/2 hours with a 6 gallon load(temp right at 76-77*C, dont know why yours wouldnt! Did you get the 1500w plate off this site, thats where I got mine and its a Broil King! Do you have it turned as far as it will go? Are you using a diffuser plate?
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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Wade. I forget which site I bought it from. It is Cadco cast iron,1500Watt flat top cooker. I swear it is slow. I like the idea of using gas and then maybe switch over to the electric, but when I finish fermenting my first batch I am going to use my gas cooker and just watch it closely. I just started my sugar,Turbo wash today. I am trying not to rush, but I have a problem with anxiety and tend to rush things,but this I will take my time. Right now I am just trying to read as much as I can and gather information and discard some info and store other info. But, I guess it will take a lot of trial and error and patience.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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Wade, I am not using a difuser plate and yes it is as high as it will go. it is terrible
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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If you can use gas then do it as it will be much faster, I just cant as my neighbors are just to close for that! Good luck!
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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Wade, I live in the middle of 3 acres, and my next door neighbor is very cool That is the smallest lot in the development and lots of trees between us all. When we move to Madison county it will be in the middle of 47 acres that we bought two years ago when my wife's Dad died.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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Must be nice yo have all that land, here in CT. I live on 3/4 of an acre which is a decent size (not huge but not small)around here!
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/17/2007(UTC)
Posts: 167
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"i have the same hotplate from brewhaus. cadco is the commercial line of broilking. i can get a 5 1/2 gallon run going in about 90 minutes to 50c then in about 15 to 20minutes to 78c. it does cycle though. i am currently trying it with a router and the guard bypassed(cant think of the right term). just got the router today and my boss rigged the plate. i will let you know how it goes. are you running water when you heating your unit.
i dont turn on the water till it its 50c. i hope this helps. i am running the eeiic."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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i could be getting product out in 1 1/2 hours as Ive done it before, thats before i knew to let t boil and hold back for about a 1/2 hour on the HC or about 1 1/2 hours on the smaller unit.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/17/2007(UTC)
Posts: 167
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hi wade, my comments were directed to mark. i don't understand how after 120 minutes he only had 30c. i thought he might be running the cooling water. i know water has a boiling point of 100c( depending on altitude) but he should get more heat. i have very little time with this hot plate. but tonight it took 60minutes to get to temp and about 120 minutes to strip a 4 gallon mum wash. this is with the modification and router. the router didn't affect the run as it was wide open. tomorrow i will do a run with 3 1/2 gallons of low spirits with 2 gallons of water and learn more. my product has a fairly clean finish but i am looking forward to improving it. i haven't had to use carbon in a while but every time i think i have it down right i find a way to improve it.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/8/2009(UTC)
Posts: 159
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Yeh I knew that. Just threw my $.02 in just to give him an idea of what my circumstances are with this set up.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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Thanks guys for all the help. I have not tried to by pass the switch. I do not like altering items that I have bought. It is not a problem to bypass the switch. I just would rather not. I will use my gas because it is so much quicker. I will just pay extra special attention to it when I do a neutral spirit run. But, until my wash ferments I am in limbo.... Actually I have thought about going to the store and buying 10liters of Ernest & Julio Gallo or some other cheap wine and boil it down.... anybody ever do or try that. Just for practice...same thing right????
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 22
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"Hello Justme. Nope, I am not running cooling water. I was doing a steam test on my PSII/HC distiller and could not believe how long it was taking it to heat up. I did however have my Copper scrubbers in the column but I don't feel that they would prevent it from heating up that much. Because, when I hit hit with the propane it was very quick to heat up those four gallons and shoot steam out of the condensor.
Wade or was it Mountain I did take your advice and buy a digital thermometer and when it arrives I am going to do another steam test just to make sure everything is good to go. But for now I am still waiting on the sugar wash to ferment. I started it fermenting on Saturday night(5-16-09)."
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