"Hey all---


I'm not ENTIRELY new to this, still somewhat of a greenhorn though. I run a PS2 7 gallon reflux still. As of late, have been running simple sugar washes in pot mode with center column removed, and one roll of copper in the column. The reason for the simple washes, I've been interested lately in experimenting with different flavoring techniques, and not wanting a lot of money wasted when something doesn't turn out well.

I know that I shouldn't expect much more than a 20-25% yield, and off of a 5-gallon mash, I generally get about 3 full quarts of decent drinkable stuff, ranging in proof from as low as 40 on the beginning and end hearts, to 100-110 on the middle hearts. There have been a few times when I sampled a bit more than I should have , and felt pretty good the next morning, so I know the purity is there, especially for being a simple sugar wash.

My questions are these:

1) I generally have around 3.5 gallons of liquid left in the kettle after I stop getting distillate output. This seems in line with the expected yield, but what exactly is left over? Is it pretty much just water at that point?

2) Running in pot mode, I've been pleasantly surprised that I'm consistently turning out a small portion (maybe a pint or so) of ~100proof out of each batch, so what are the advantages/disadvantages of running with the middle column removed, if the only difference between pot and reflux is whether or not I have the column condensers turned on?

Thanks guy, happy hooching!!

Travis"

I thought I might hear that. I've continued to put off getting familiar with reflux mode because I'm unclear how to operate the column condensers (i.e. 1/4 on, 3/4 on, etc.). Any tips?