"I continue to be frustrated by the lid blowing off the Easystill.I only do one run so it hasn't been charcoal filtered before the run.
I have never tried the anti-foam agent.Would using the agent guarantee it not to keep blowing off?
I stand there when it does it and immediately pull the lid.There is no sign of any foam but the mash appears to be boiling as I remove the top.
I don't understand how it blows off as there is no resistance when you turn the top over and put the plastic drain hose that comes with it into the small hole and blow easily so how does it build the pressure to blow it off?
Seems to me that every time it does this you are loosing the alcohol in the steam?"

Never used an easystill, but assume it has a hose to a collection jar for makeing cuts and collecting. If so, like any distiller, a U in the collection line or the end of the colletion tube immersed instead of free dripping can indeed build pressure. Just my ignorant thoughts.

"

The drip hose never has been immersed in liquid.It sits atop of the charcoal and no liquid builds up there."

"

What? Does your still have menapause symtems? Hot and cold flashes. Did you get your yeast from your wife? A man desighned the still, he just didn't know the perameters he faced. Just kidding folks. Have fun."

Until then, you can prevent foaming by useing an oil like Olive, peanut or even butter or lard. Same as I do for beans and black eyed peas and others when cooking in a pressure cooker. That can get dangerous without it.

"Mine is blowing off also. I have no idea what it is, but it's not foam or overfilling. I filled it only halfway with water and low wines, about 60% of that was water, to slow the process down some as a test.

It's really making me upset. I'm about to tear apart the lid and make a more traditional still where the vapor runs down. I'm starting to think that the vapor is condensing in the tubes, blocking them, and that it's not enough of a downward slant for the liquid to come out.

My other thought is to run velcro along the lid and pot, then just forcing it to stay down that way. Maybe when the pressure builds up, it will push the liquid that's blocking the tube out.

Has anyone tried this?"

Put some pennies or a fork or marbles in it.
Just Me
At the end of our first date the girl told me I was crazy
in the head and I should be committed to a mental institution.
Why do women always want us to make a commitment?

Although we have not tried it, you can use a small amount of olive oil as a crude anti-foam agent. It may, at the very least, tell you if foaming is the issue.

"I know that a lot of folks around here are not too keen on the air still, but I have one. I also have a PSII HC that I am learning to use.

I bought the PSII first but I realized that I needed something that I can set up and run while on conference calls, the Air Still fits this perfectly.

I typically use it to strip out my 25L washes 4 liters at a time whenever the mood strikes.
I can"t always take over the kitchen to setup the PSII.

While running Molasses washes I was confounded by puking and cloudy distillate.

After even more reading it seems that Molasses is prone to foaming.

As I continued to dig into this I read all kinds of things about anti-foaming agents. I am hesitant to use any more chemicals, but I was ready to pull the trigger.

I came across a couple of older threads about using oil, olive or nose or other. I began to think about that and how the older folks would use a little Olive Oil in the pasta water to eliminate the boil over.

I broke out the air still and a newly finished and racked Molasses wash to give it a try.

Not wanting to add any extra flavors to my distillate, I reached for the Corn Oil. I folded a paper towel into a tight square and held it over the mouth of an inverted bottle of the oil. I was not looking for saturation, just a little wetting of the towel.

I proceeded to lightly wipe the inside of the airstill kettle from just below the liquid fill line up to the top of the kettle. I charge the still with my molasses wash and let her rip.
This is the same wash that had been puking in my PSII and also foaming up the lid on my air still previously.

I collected in small jars 150mls at a time.
I am on my 4th run and not one of them has foamed over or delivered a cloudy distillate using this technique.

I keep these washes pretty low usually SG 1.080 and EG 1.010 approx ABV 8.8%
The breakdown after throwing the first 50ml as fores of each run is as follows:
Run 1
Jar 1 150ml ABV 60
Jar 2 150ml ABV 50
Jar 3 150ml ABV 42
Jar 4 150ml ABV 28
Jar 5 150ml ABV 18
Run2
Jar 1 150ml ABV 58
Jar 2 150ml ABV 53
Jar 3 150ml ABV 44
Jar 4 150ml ABV 34
Jar 5 150ml ABV 24
Run3
Jar 1 150ml ABV 58
Jar 2 150ml ABV 52
Jar 3 150ml ABV 43
Jar 4 150ml ABV 30
Jar 5 150ml ABV 20
Run4
Jar 1 150ml ABV 58
Jar 2 150ml ABV 53
Jar 3 150ml ABV 47
Jar 4 150ml ABV 38
Jar 5 150ml ABV 29

I am going to toss some of this back in with some dunder and re-run using the same technique; if I get good clean runs with no foaming I will try this on the Kettle of the PSII.

I am running in Pot mode on the PSII as my intent is to make Rum.

Cheers,
Butch"

"I have been using my easystill for a while. While experimenting, I've been a lurker on this site: thank you all for your helpful advice and insights. I have never had a problem with my easystill. For me, it has lived up to it's name: it's easy peasy stillin' fun. My results have been fantastic!:)
I don't want to oversimplify other peoples problems or insult anyones intelligence, but what I'm reading in this thread makes me wonder: are you sure the plugs are all the way plugged in. If the plug that runs the fan that cools the coils isn't all the way plugged in, then I imagine pressure could build up in the pot and it could blow.
Otherwise, I would contact Brewhaus or whoever you bought your easystill from, and talk to them about the possibility that your easystill is defective. Like I said, I'm getting GREAT tasting high proof spirits. I can't imagine the problems that you are describing."