"hey everybody! so, i am a noob to distilling and have ran my first 2 semi-successful batches using my PSII and a 1500W hot plate with RSC. My questions are the following, and any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
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How long should I expect for a 10 gallon run to take from turning on the hot plate to finished distilling?

Are there any tricks to getting the mash up to temp quicker to induce a boil quicker?

What are feasible alternatives to using the hot plate? Propane? Keg with internal elements? etc.

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My runs have been taking 12+ hours and generally result in me giving up about 2am and going to bed with only 1/2 gallon of hooch. I am learning a lot more about mash, recipes, and fermentation, so I am working on fine tuning that end, but it would be nice to cut that time down some from what it is. I am anxious to see a whole batch through, but I usually get up about 5am, so when 2am rolls around, I am dead.

I am an Engineer and have a bunch of buddies who are helping me out with this issue, and we have come up with some ideas, but I would like to see what solutions others have found on the forum. Any help you guys could provide would help me out tremendously. Some of our ideas are ""over engineered"" and getting really expensive! haha.

Thanks in advance,

Jason"

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Maddawgs,

Thanks for the info. Sounds like everything is normal for what I have going on, maybe I just need to plan my timing a little better, possibly getting everything ready the night before and setting a timer to start the hot plate at 2 or 3 am, maybe that will take some of the time off, so I can get a full run.

I should have mentioned that after my first run, I wrapped my still with water heater insulation in hopes of heating it up quicker, but didn't really see any difference in time.

Have you ever thought of speeding things up, or is it better to let things take their time and do it right? I am starting to see that the latter is the way to go, myself.

Thanks again,

Jason"

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I have thought about using a wh element, do you use a brewhaus kettle? If so, how and where did you install it? I would love to cut my heat time down.

Thanks for the info."

Hi Jason,
I have the 15 gallon kettle wrapped in refectix insulation with 2 110v 2000w elements with the lower element controlled by an rsc. I had Brewhaus install the npt's when I ordered my kettle. This helps with heat up time (my 12 gallon run heats up in about 45 mins) but once the column starts to heat I kill power to the upper element and start dropping power on the rsc controlled element. You can drive your column hard and fast but all you will really be doing is getting the water out of your product. This is called a stripping run and alot of people do several stripping runs to build up a good spirit run. The key to a good product is to run things slowly. You will get a much better product with a lot less work. Quality takes time but in the end you will enjoy what you make. Hope this helps you out
Maddawgs

JT, I also have the 15 gallon psc II HC, but I've only used it with 10 gallons a few times. Mostly I run a 5 gallon wash. I also have never tried electric, I have a turkey fryer I never used til i got my pscII. With propane it takes me about 45 mins to get up to temp, then I turn the heat way down, and still get a pint every 15-20 minutes. My longest run ever was in the middle of winter before I insulated my rig; I ran 11 gallons and it took about 5 1/2 hours. I said all that to say this; propane really works better as a heat source, IMHO.
Regards,
Farmin