Sorry about the confusion. The run took 16 hours: 3 hours in total reflux to allow the column temperatures to stabilize, and 13 hours in vapor management drawing off the alcohol. Also, my column is not a plate column, it is packed with copper mesh. I'll try the PBW and citric acid wash on all my components before I try again. It will take me some time as I still have a few more trial runs of all grain bourbon I want to get through before I get back to attempting clear vodka.
@Lamanzo seems to me that you are wasting a TON of time distilling maybe 3 liters of total product off. Your column prolly doesn’t need stabilization more than maybe 5-10 minutes, and the run should take maybe 3 hours if you are really milking it.
You are gonna get much better results if you do the following for your vodka:
- strip off the alcohol as fast as you can keeping above about 60-70%ABV (honestly it doesn’t matter much)
-combine your stripped “low wines” into a larger spirit run, dilute it to about 30% ABV or less, and take it off above 90%.
It shouldn’t take all day for an 8 gallon still to run. 16 hours is nothing short of wasting time and is probably the reason for some of your problems. It’s total INSANITY and 100% wrong way to run it.
If you dont like it after dilution from 90%, then just run it thru again a third time and try for 93%+
You are just not going to get good product from one run on that rig.
Steve a 2" boka or VM column will only run at between one and one point two litres an hour. If you fill a keg boiler with 40l of 40% you have 16l of 100%.
Allow an hour for heat up, an 1/2hr for stabilization then say 1.5 hours to drip heads off you still have 14l left at 1.2l/hr.
The run time described is about spot on.
Upgrading to a 3" column will move your hearts collection to 4-5l/hr, the early stuff takes just as long but the net reduction is very well worth it.
@punkin said:
Steve a 2" boka or VM column will only run at between one and one point two litres an hour. If you fill a keg boiler with 40l of 40% you have 16l of 100%.
Allow an hour for heat up, an 1/2hr for stabilization then say 1.5 hours to drip heads off you still have 14l left at 1.2l/hr.
The run time described is about spot on.
Upgrading to a 3" column will move your hearts collection to 4-5l/hr, the early stuff takes just as long but the net reduction is very well worth it.
He said he had an 8 gallon or 30 liter boiler. At 10% wash that’s at best 3 liters of strip. Maybe 1.5l of hearts being optimistic. Was this a spirit run? Maybe I missed that.
It’s also been a while since I ran a vapor management still. I’ve forgotten how slow they are when you throw limited heat at them.
@punkin is correct. I had already completed multiple stripping runs, and was making an 8 gal spirit run. Looking back through my notes, I would guess @punkin estimate of 40% ABV charge is pretty close. Result was about 3 gal of high purity ethanol, (95% ABV by the alcometer).
Comments
I think he means the run took 16 hours overall including stabilising.
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
Hope so, creating all sorts of crazy compounds refluxing that long.
Sorry about the confusion. The run took 16 hours: 3 hours in total reflux to allow the column temperatures to stabilize, and 13 hours in vapor management drawing off the alcohol. Also, my column is not a plate column, it is packed with copper mesh. I'll try the PBW and citric acid wash on all my components before I try again. It will take me some time as I still have a few more trial runs of all grain bourbon I want to get through before I get back to attempting clear vodka.
Thanks again for all the thoughts and help!
@Lamanzo seems to me that you are wasting a TON of time distilling maybe 3 liters of total product off. Your column prolly doesn’t need stabilization more than maybe 5-10 minutes, and the run should take maybe 3 hours if you are really milking it.
You are gonna get much better results if you do the following for your vodka: - strip off the alcohol as fast as you can keeping above about 60-70%ABV (honestly it doesn’t matter much) -combine your stripped “low wines” into a larger spirit run, dilute it to about 30% ABV or less, and take it off above 90%.
It shouldn’t take all day for an 8 gallon still to run. 16 hours is nothing short of wasting time and is probably the reason for some of your problems. It’s total INSANITY and 100% wrong way to run it.
If you dont like it after dilution from 90%, then just run it thru again a third time and try for 93%+
You are just not going to get good product from one run on that rig.
Steve a 2" boka or VM column will only run at between one and one point two litres an hour. If you fill a keg boiler with 40l of 40% you have 16l of 100%. Allow an hour for heat up, an 1/2hr for stabilization then say 1.5 hours to drip heads off you still have 14l left at 1.2l/hr.
The run time described is about spot on.
Upgrading to a 3" column will move your hearts collection to 4-5l/hr, the early stuff takes just as long but the net reduction is very well worth it.
StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand
He said he had an 8 gallon or 30 liter boiler. At 10% wash that’s at best 3 liters of strip. Maybe 1.5l of hearts being optimistic. Was this a spirit run? Maybe I missed that.
It’s also been a while since I ran a vapor management still. I’ve forgotten how slow they are when you throw limited heat at them.
Thank you for the clarification.
@punkin is correct. I had already completed multiple stripping runs, and was making an 8 gal spirit run. Looking back through my notes, I would guess @punkin estimate of 40% ABV charge is pretty close. Result was about 3 gal of high purity ethanol, (95% ABV by the alcometer).