Hello from South Aus

HI guys, Been on here for a while now so thought I should make a proper introduction. I am based in South Australia on the Fleurieu Peninsula. I have only been distilling for a couple of months but feel it has been a steep and enjoyable learning curve. I am currently using a Keggomax CM reflux still on a 50L boiler with two 2200w elements. I have made improvements to it using the SD power controller and adding a 510mm packed section (also from SD). With these additions i have been able to produce a very decent neutral at 95%. In my fermenters at the moment is a 3rd gen Weetbix/All bran wash. I am going to add cornflakes to the fourth gen and make my first ever whiskey instead of neutral. The next stage of my adventure is to get myself a mapp gas torch and some solder and flux. I intend to stick with the Keggo until I have made it the best still it can possibly be. I am going to build a liebig for it so that I can strip a lot faster. At the moment I am restricted by the poor quality product condenser. I also intend to make either a coldfinger or coil to improve the reflux condenser as I am only able to achieve full reflux if I reduce the power to about 65%. Anyway I look forward to chatting to you on the forum. Higgo

Comments

  • Hi Higgo!

    Welcome! I once tried cornflakes, but it was nothing I would do a second time. The taste was somehow odd, not very pleasing. I am curious how yours will turn out.

    StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area

  • Well I will keep you updated then :) I'm only keen to try it because it is easy and in the tried and proven section on a couple other forums. I'm sure once it's aged and paled it will taste ok.

  • Welcome. I lived with a too small condenser for a long time and trust me, having a really nice one (SD 2") will make your life a whole lot easier. Makes stripping go a lot faster.

  • 1.5C this morning outside New York City - Adelaide sounds really nice.

  • And your full reflux numbers don't look bad at all. 4400 watts total, and you can hold full reflux at 2800-2900? That's within reason, I mean, at that point your coolant temperature and flow rate is probably more important than any of the hardware.

    Bang for the buck, focus on the product condenser, only because the Liebig will always be a bottleneck on a strip. Shotgun/tube in shell is the way to go.

  • Haha sorry Grim I should have clarified!! I only use the second element for warm up and switch it off as soon as I get to temp. Full reflux is at 65% of 2200w so about 1300w. Not good at all! And my current PC has to be run flat out with one element in a strip run. Inprovements need to be made. Never soldered before and I am not a DIY enthusiast so figure a Liebig is a nice easy start. I can always upgrade to a shifty later on if a find out I can actually do it!

  • Oh and it's still 23•c here and it's 11.35pm

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