"Hello!

I was all excited to do my first run of mash on my Essential Extractor PSII High Capacity 15 gallon premium kettle. Im running it as reflux with

a 1500 watt broiler king hot plate. I have the rubber stopper plugged in at top with a digi therm going thru it. I notice as I started getting

close to 100 degrees my column was leaking from the middle clamp and the one below. I figured they werent tightened enough because I only

hand tightened them so i tightened them more with pliers however it continued to leak a little. Even though Im not using an open flame i figured

its better safe than sorry so I turned in off. My question is should I just tighten them more? I read somewhere this is an open system so no need

to worry about explosion? Any truth to that? Any suggestions? Ive read a lot and watched many videos however it seems simple stuff like this

is hard to find lol.

thank you for your help and happy Holidays!


kotura"

Greetings Kotura

• Did we wash every thing well and check the little tracks in the fittings to make sure no goo or particulate were in the tracks where the nib of the gasket rides?? If'n so, cool, then on to the next...
  
• Did we also wash those black gaskets in a good soapy mixture and then rinse well?
  
• spread distilled water around each side the gasket prior to seating it. Some around my locale use Spit - Gross!
  
• Hand align the column(s)/Gasket and take an eyeball around the pipe (you may need the wife or helper to hold stuff the first time or so)
  
• Make sure the Clamp is seated well around the column
  
• The Clamps I have w/my PSII HC have a hole in the middle - After I tighten them by hand as far as I can, I use a socket extension bar (3/8") thru the hole to gain better leverage. Your pliers handle will work ok too - Be sure and secure the clamp fairly tight. These are tough clamps but there isn't a need to super tighten them - Moderately snug is good for starters.
  
• YES - there is an explosion hazard if you allow EtOH gas to build up in a room - It can also affect humans too. Just because you are not using a burner doesn't mean some other ignition source couldn't present itself.
  
• As she warms you want to check those clamps a'gin - as metal heats - it expands and.. So do your clamps...I find that when she's about 50 degree's ahead of the boil, I check the clamps head to toe and occasionally find one that needs attention. At the end of a run after I pop my bung off the top and let her cool, I take some of the tension off those clamps before the rig completely cools and the clamps are on there like a lug nut on a semi-truck tire.. (Metal contracts when it cools )
  
• Finally, do all of this and check with a water charge to see if it's fixed
  

You could have a defective gasket, but I'll bet it's a crimp/alignment (As Sir Scotty of the realm suggested) or dirt in da skirt of the fittings...

Cheers