Super Reflux Still - Ink your Drink : Purposely.

[linkway]

Hi all again. I have an update, and a couple of questions.

First, I upgraded myself a little bit and moved from an Air Still to the 5 Liter Super Reflux Still. The Air Still worked fine, and for my needs, I really didn't have to move to anything else. But I guess like any other hobby... You spend more and more the more you get into it.

I have yet to run the S.R. still, and have a question for those of you who have used similar units.

My plans are to go at it as directly stated with the provided instructions for my first runs. It will be a 'molasses wine' to spirit, and solely for the learning experience. I have a problem though, that I'm looking for a plausible solution for.

Cold water is NOT abundant in my area. The outside temperatures where I am can get to be a cool 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. My idea for this it basically getting a much longer tube (of similar material as the original: PVC) to run from the faucet. My intentions is to coil the tube to an appropriate diameter, within a bucket, and fill the bucket with ice. I envision multiple coils in this fashion within the bucket.

1. My question in that regard is: If I do the above, will it matter that I am not using copper tubing in the "ice tank" ? Copper is way to expensive here, and quite frankly brings about to many unneeded questions.

2. My second question is concerning the raschig rings. I'm a little confused over where exactly the rings are to be placed. The instructions kind of make it seem as if they belong WITHIN the condenser. I was kind of under the impression they belonged within the pot to avoid heating / boiling problems?

3. My last question is concerning Magellan Gin. The process to make that gin results with a flavor and blue colored spirit do to the last part of their distilling process:

From their website: "... After triple distillation, the head of a small artisinal copper pot still is opened and the juniper berries and fresh botanicals, wrapped in a special cloth, are added to the neutral spirit and immediately redistilled a fourth time. ..."

It turns out that process involves the vapor passing through the 'botanicals' during the fourth distillation. Infusing the flavor and coloring from their choice herbs.

*My thought is: If I were to place the botanicals within the condenser during one of my runs (wrapped and placed within in a safe manner), would I be risking to much with a reflux still? I would like to try infusing 'flavors' with the Magellan process.

[heeler]

Quest.#1 No dont use plastic tubing to run HOT vapor through...it will leach substances from the plastic.
Quest.#2 Raschig rings go in the tower, you want the distillate vapor to go through them. It helps clean up the vapor by causeing many distillations to accure.
Quest.#3 Not a clue........sorry

[mtnwalker2]

Semi good upgrade. Hard to make good cuts with that size, but doable. Make a stipping run then reflux. As far as the cooling water goes, I would use a container at least as big as the boiler and have 2 l jugs of ice on hand and a good aquarium pump, or else just a constant flow from the hose. Get a really cheap hose and direct it to lawn or garden etc. This is what I do, but I have constant flow spring water that doesn't cost me anything. But if you are in a drought area, you have to water anyhow and this is good way to do it without waste.


#2. Yes, the rashig rings will go into the column, though their efficiency is way less than copper mesh and lower down SS scrubbers. Both are much better. I use rashig rings as boiler chips in the pot. Lets me know by sound how hard the boil or simmer is, and breaks the boil up into small bubbles instead of large ones that can puke into the column

My understanding, there are 4 ways of makeing Gin. One like you say, a bag of herbs suspended above the neutral spirits in the pot. Another is in a gin head above the columnm before vapor take off, another is in a thumper, before final condensor, ant finally a masceration with the herbs with neutral orpartially distilled essential oils. All 5 are commercially done for different gin flavoring and quality.

I would never place the botanicals into the column or condensor, unless it was a special type of thumper. Too much chance of clogging, pressure buildup and explosiion.
I am not a gin maker, just passing on what I have read.

Originally Posted by linkway

Hi all again. I have an update, and a couple of questions.

First, I upgraded myself a little bit and moved from an Air Still to the 5 Liter Super Reflux Still. The Air Still worked fine, and for my needs, I really didn't have to move to anything else. But I guess like any other hobby... You spend more and more the more you get into it.

I have yet to run the S.R. still, and have a question for those of you who have used similar units.

My plans are to go at it as directly stated with the provided instructions for my first runs. It will be a 'molasses wine' to spirit, and solely for the learning experience. I have a problem though, that I'm looking for a plausible solution for.

Cold water is NOT abundant in my area. The outside temperatures where I am can get to be a cool 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. My idea for this it basically getting a much longer tube (of similar material as the original: PVC) to run from the faucet. My intentions is to coil the tube to an appropriate diameter, within a bucket, and fill the bucket with ice. I envision multiple coils in this fashion within the bucket.

1. My question in that regard is: If I do the above, will it matter that I am not using copper tubing in the "ice tank" ? Copper is way to expensive here, and quite frankly brings about to many unneeded questions.

2. My second question is concerning the raschig rings. I'm a little confused over where exactly the rings are to be placed. The instructions kind of make it seem as if they belong WITHIN the condenser. I was kind of under the impression they belonged within the pot to avoid heating / boiling problems?

3. My last question is concerning Magellan Gin. The process to make that gin results with a flavor and blue colored spirit do to the last part of their distilling process:

From their website: "... After triple distillation, the head of a small artisinal copper pot still is opened and the juniper berries and fresh botanicals, wrapped in a special cloth, are added to the neutral spirit and immediately redistilled a fourth time. ..."

It turns out that process involves the vapor passing through the 'botanicals' during the fourth distillation. Infusing the flavor and coloring from their choice herbs.

*My thought is: If I were to place the botanicals within the condenser during one of my runs (wrapped and placed within in a safe manner), would I be risking to much with a reflux still? I would like to try infusing 'flavors' with the Magellan process.

[linkway]

Heeler: The tubing is not for the evaporation. It's for the cooling water that goes through the condenser. I'm just trying to find a good means to cool the water, as I don't have cold water from the faucets.

mtnwalker2: Thanks for the "don't do it" advice. Pressure build up did pass my mind when I posted. Good thing that I did.

As for "stripping run". I'm going to look that one up. I have not done one as of yet.

I'm going to go with placing the raschig rings within both the pot and the condenser. I like the idea of getting an audible sense of what's going on inside without being able to look.

***** ***** ***** *****

mtnwalker2. I'm a little bit curious about the semi good upgrade statement. I was thinking for my purposes that my new unit was much better than an air still. I'm a little lower than a novice in my opinion with this hobby. Taking it a step at a time. What would have been a good next step for me from an air still?

[mtnwalker2]

Hi Linkway,
First a stripping run is just to run the wash or whatever you have, as fast as you can collecting everything without cuts. As fast as your condenser can handle. Then you would cut to 40% ABV if neccessary and do a spirit run. In actuality, most do several stripping runs and combine for the spirit run.

Upgrade? Depends on how much you want to drink and or share. Assume you make a 15% ABV wash. Best you'll get is about .64 L in a 5 L boiler. After running and makeing cuts for heads and tails, the most you will get is about a third of a L at best of good clean hearts, and you will have to run it super slow to make the cuts. Then as you progress and want to make a flavored drink like a grain mash, or brandy, and make an 8% run-- well!

For me, time and energy, 25 L is minimum. A 50 L keg run is perfect. 3 stripping runs with that and then a spirit run vs. 40 runs in a 5 L boiler? Plus the cuts are so much better.

However, that 5L outfit will be great for makeing essences and such.

Just my few grains of salt, which you can easily toss over your shoulder.

Originally Posted by linkway

mtnwalker2: Thanks for the "don't do it" advice. Pressure build up did pass my mind when I posted. Good thing that I did.

As for "stripping run". I'm going to look that one up. I have not done one as of yet.

I'm going to go with placing the raschig rings within both the pot and the condenser. I like the idea of getting an audible sense of what's going on inside without being able to look.

***** ***** ***** *****

mtnwalker2. I'm a little bit curious about the semi good upgrade statement. I was thinking for my purposes that my new unit was much better than an air still. I'm a little lower than a novice in my opinion with this hobby. Taking it a step at a time. What would have been a good next step for me from an air still?

[linkway]

I have placed some pictures up in an album called: "Whining".

[url]http://www.brewhausforum.com/album.php?albumid=4[/url]

Within this album, I have a couple pictures of the "Ice Bucket" idea to help cool the water.

Any thoughts or ideas? Of course they are welcomed.

[LWTCS]

So if i understand what i'm looking at, I'd say that you are reducing the ability of your circulated water to release heat. That hose will act as an insulator and contain heat.

Additionally you are adding more head pressure to your pump with all that extra hose.

Since it is cooling water in the hose and cooling water in the bucket, I'd say you'll get much better thermal transfer by only using enough hose to add discharged coolant back to the bucket.

Even let the discharge water fall from a distance into the bucket to allow for air mixing to help cool return water. A colleague even recommends that a spray or showerhead type return back to the bucket can further aid in displacing heat.

[linkway]

@ LWTCS: The bucket will contain ice within it. The tubing / 'ice bucket' is a replacement for the section that goes to the condenser from the sink faucet. I do not have accessible cold water to run through the condenser from the faucet. So I conceived this idea in order to provide me cold to cool water.

I wouldn't think I was reducing the ability to circulate cold water. My thought was that I am increasing the amount of cool water, by increasing the surface range the warm to mildly hot faucet water passes through the ice bucket, within the tubing prior to reaching the condenser.

I guess I can run a temperature test at the faucet and at the exit of the 'ice bucket' tube (prior to connecting to the condenser) and see if there is a useful temperature change??

A quick question. I was thinking the water, after passing through the condenser, was just going to run off into the sink drain. I didn't think it was 'recycled' with this system, and I haven't planned on using the same water over.

*********************

@ mtnwalker2: Thank you for the advice. I'm considering it a heavy grain of salt. I have an opportunity to purchase the "TURBO 500 DISTILLATION SYSTEM"; and your comments are definitely taken under consideration. Any thoughts on that system?

[ratflinger]

The tubing is a really poor radiator and you won't get much heat transfer. Try getting a used heater core from an old car. Fairly small & having it in the ice water would transfer a bunch of heat. Transmission cooler would work also.

[mtnwalker2]

Originally Posted by ratflinger

The tubing is a really poor radiator and you won't get much heat transfer. Try getting a used heater core from an old car. Fairly small & having it in the ice water would transfer a bunch of heat. Transmission cooler would work also.

Excellent heat exchangers. An idea to conserve ice or eliminate its need entirely is to make a simple swamp cooler. We had these when a kid before airconditioning. They would cool a large room 10 deg F. With one of those rectangular storage buckets make a frame to suspend a large towel from with the bottom just in the water. Take a piece of tubing PVC with one end capped and drill holes along one side and attach to frame so as to evenly drip across the top of the towel. Attach the return line from condensor to other end. It cools dramaticaly via a little evaporation and dispersing the heat into the air. A fan magnifies that many times over. When finished just put the lid on and save your water.
Ice gets expensive for a long run, plus haveing to check it all the time adding more as needed. This has been much used in the deep south.