"Tracyman,
It's good to hear that you're getting familiar with your rig and getting better results!
Quote:One thing Ive always been hung up on since getting into this hobby was TEMPERATURE <<SNIP>> Some guys tell me dont even watch it or worry about <<SNIP>> I decided to run anyway because my mash was done, even with that 'running blind' feeling.
I fall into that school of thought -- I don't pay any attention to the thermometer. The thermometer is just there to fill the hole in the bung. The collection rate can tell you everything you need to know, even when doing a reflux run. So you can shake off that 'running blind' feeling.:)
While you're waiting for your new bung hole plug to arrive you have a great opportunity to experiment. If you don't like the results you can always dillute and throw everything back into the boiler and give it another go. I'm assuming that you're using your column (fully packed). Try this while you're waiting:
Bring your wash to a boil with no water to your column condenser and leave your product condenser water flowing through the entire run. After the fores come across, reduce your power until you get a steady output of maybe one or two drops each second. Then cut in your cooling water to the column condenser and let it sit for about an hour (full reflux -- no output). The basic idea is to get some separation, hopefully get the column equalized. If you push the column too hard (too much power) you won't get any separation -- you may believe that's what's happening -- but it won't really happen. Pumping too much power just pushes everything further up the column ... the different components will be smeared at the top.
After an hour, all things going well you should have some separation ... like a jar of oil and vinegar that has been sitting undisturbed. And just like the jar, if you want to skim things off the top, you'll want to do it slowly so things don't get all mixed up again. So slowly back off the cooling water to your column condenser until you get one or two drops a second. The only goal here is to skim the volatiles off the top. Collect small samples, maybe 250 mL or so in each jar. As you collect, use your nose. You'll notice when the smell of paint thinner changes to fruity and then eventually fades to something closer to vodka.
When you detect that clean smell you can increase your collection rate by reducing the cooling water to your column condenser ... the output looks like a string of small beads. You may have to bump up your power. If you do increase your power you might want to go to full reflux again for about 15 minutes or so. Then just continue collecting.
When you're done, cover your collection jars with a piece of paper towel or coffee filter, etc. and let them sit for two days before you sample. When you sample the jars start in the middle and work your way out towards both ends. Take a teaspoon of distillate and mix it with two teaspoons of clean water. Dilluting below what you would drink it at will make it much easier to detect various flavors and aromas ... some you might find pleasant, others will be offensive. Too much alcohol just hides the flavors and aromas.
Anyway, that's how I do things ... and there's no mention of any temperatures. You can get very good results just managing your power and your collection rate while you use your nose. Please remember that this is just
my way, not
the way. Other folks whom I truly respect do things differently and get good results as well. But since you don't have a thermometer, you might want to give this a try to see if the shoe fits.:)
Regards,
--JB"
