"If you really want the best and most neutral, then the copper mesh is far superiour. Mine is now 5 years old, has made over 300 runs, as I use it in my stripping runs also. I now use 2 rolls at the top, and ss scrubbers below with good results. Rashig rings didn't work well for me, and by charts are way down the line. They make the best boiling chips though, if useing external heat.

Liqour Quick ferments well and fast, but takes forever to clear unless you use a clearing agent. Its almost a must unless you have weeks to wait. No idea about the vodka turbo."

"PS....I clean my carbon by boiling it and rinsing it several times and then dry it on the oven is that an OK way or should I just throw it out and buy new??
And if cleaning it is OK how many times can you do it??"

"I use all copper, 2 rolls in the top & 2 in the bottom. No problems at all, I just take them out, hose them off & let them dry before putting them away.

Yeast is one of 'those' things. I use SuperStart & can push it to over 20%, but you have to add nutrients & fining agents to get to quickly clear. But I have the fining agents on hand anyway, so no big deal. I push the hell out of it, bump the sugar limits at the start & then after about 3 days hammer the sugar again. Stir it a lot. I've also been using a large box & 1/2 of corn flakes per 6 gallon. Corn flakes make the ferment smell nice & seems to cut the residual sweetness encountered int he final product.

BTW - just to technically correct, you & I are making rum, not vodka"

"OK Guys I got my new still and tried a run it out side?? It is cold out I hooked up the hoses and turned on the water sloooow and turned on the burner??

The temperture was only 56*F at the top of the culumn and stayed at that low temperture, it took 2hrs to boil but the temperture at the top of the culumn did not go up so I turned the heat up and it did not go up until it seemed to boil up the culumn and hit the temperture gage and then it just shot up to 175, 180, 190 I turned the heat down just a little to stop the boiling over but then the temp just started going back down colder and colder with no in between either to cold or to hot.

My culumn is packed all the way from bottom to just below the collector tube with copper

Do I have it packed to tight or can it just be to cold out side to let the culumn heat up all the way to then top

Any help here
Thanks"

"Thank you for your reply I will give it a try
My culumn is hollow all the way up (no cross tubes) it has a water chamber for reflux on the out side (So it is packed from the bottom all the way to just about 3"" from the top just below the flow tube) Is that to munch packing or is that OK) ?
Thanks"

"It would help to know what column type and desighn you are useing. I assume it is a Brewhaus column? Did you insulate it? even a turkish towell well wrapped will work. Yes, check your thermometer with just boiling water in a pot to see if correct. You should be getting much higher ABV. Also, check your hydrometer on a bottle of commercial if you have it, just to check. Are you makeing temp. corrections for it?

Just things to ponder."

Thats one heck of a heat source standing next to it.

A 30" column, 2" can do the job, but it is going ot be really slow and time consuming to get good high proof. I would guess to get really good quality, you might be looking at a 9 hour run to get 95%? Each still is so different. I can personally only speak for mine, but giveing you what I surmise. for your results, I would just run it as a pot still. You can make great stuff with just pot still runs. For flavored, thats really all you want anyhow. For neutrals just collect and run the third time and soak on carbon in 5 gal or bigger carbouys.

I may be all wrong on that column, just my guess...

"

Ha! No, I was talking about the heat source, not the cooler. You explain the function of that liebeg He, He."