"I've worked with a homemade extractor for a couple of years and just bought the Brewhaus High Capacity and made a couple of runs in the pot mode.

The wash was 8lbs sugar 2lbs mollasas, nutrient, epson salt and 1118 on the yeast. The other wash was 8lbs sugar 2lbs of malt syrup, nutrient, epson salt and the 1118 yeast both were fermented in 5 gal of water. Each worked for 10 days.

Out of each run I got 5 liters of 80 proof and one liter of 60 proof.

I was just wondering if this is about average, I've never talked to anyone before about this so I don't really know what is expected.

Thanks"

"That is good. So much yeild that it sounds like no cuts.

I'm thinking barely more than 5 liters after cuts.

Don't pay any attension to me. I'm just thinking out loud

That would be 2.5 liters per for a total of 5 liters.

But since it's a rum perhaps a bit more when ya blend a bit-o-tails."

Single run or double?

"The way this worked is :

From a cold start, using the 1500 watt hot plate I got 2 oz of heads off in 1 1/2 hrs. I then cut the heat back some and was getting 1 quart every 25 minutes. Right after the heads were disposed of the distillate was 140 proof. When the temps started to rise I cut the heat back some more and quit the run when the last quart came out at 60 proof. I then ended the run. I used 2 of the copper mesh plugs in the column. Tasted fine. You could tell the difference between the rum and whiskey wash and the rum was really good. So...I guess I'm getting about as much as possible? Would I increase the volume by using 10 lbs of sugar in the wash instead of the 8lbs? Thanks"

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No ph balancer that I know of and I don't have a means of measuring the ph, I've just been fermenting it with the ingredients I listed. I don't know how the epson salts work but I carried that over from some wine that I made before."

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That 3"" column if run slow and careful can actually produce those ABVs, first run. Cuts are tougher with just one run though. Won't be as clean or smooth. A fast first run will save flavors for the second run.

A 3"" column is a totally different ball park from smaller ones. requires much different timeing and heat, and a lot more cooling water. If set up exactly right, you can do a double or even tripple distillation in one run. Its an art unique to that large column."

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I use citric acid as it is cheap and easy to get. Lemon or other citrus juice willl work also. Depending on your water, 2 tsp of lemon juice per gal. I use for my water a tsp and a half of citric acid. Brewhaus sells a buffer if you don't want to do ph strips or a proper meter. Ph is very important to fermentation."

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Epson salt is basically magnesium sulfate with a litte sulfer, you can get it at the supermarket and its cheap. I use 1/4 tsp for 5 gallons of wash. The nutrient I use is just a generic DSP. I use 1 tsp of nutrient per gallon."

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I carried the epson salt over from a potato wash that I tried a few times. It just adds some minerals for the yeast that may not be present to your wash. I don't know if it really does any good but I can't see where it harms anything either. I just got back from Costco and they had 12 lbs of it for $7.00.

One thing I think I forgot to mention on the first runs was the condition of the 2 copper mesh plugs in the column. When I cleaned it I could see that about 1/3 rd of the bottom plug had any actual reaction and it was discolored. The upper parts of the 2 plugs were still shiny like new."