Run times

[Edhdan]

I have a 5 gallon still and it seems to take a very long time to run a batch. I was wondering how long a run should be taking me? I know it all depends on a number of different variables but can you give me a ruff estimate? I have a parrot kit and watch till I get to about 20-30proof before I turn it off.

[Richard Coleman, Jr]

A 5 gallon spirit run in my clawhammer still with a packed column takes between 5-8 hours- just depending on my starting ABV and how quickly I am running it. I always run my tails down between 10-20% ABV. I like to keep my still around 5-8 drips a second (pretty much right below a stream)

How long is your current run taking?

What is your starting ABV?

[Ryan30523]

What temp would u say right below steam is please

[Edhdan]

Ok I have the same set up and my run times are the same. Iv only made a handful of runs in my life and didn’t realize it would take so long. My starting APV has been anywhere from 150 to 110 proof. My first run came out a little green in the middle cuts because the still got a little hot since then iv been very cautious about running it as cool as I can.

[Edhdan]

So does a 10 gallon still take 10-16hrs to run? I cant imagine the guys running 200plus gallon stills are sitting there for days running a batch.

[Zymurgy Bob]

Speed is not dependent on boiler size, but on heat input rate. Of course, when you start moving vapor faster, you need to go to a larger riser or column cross-sectional area, and of course the condenser must be big enough to condense all that new vapor, so mostly faster rate means larger still parts.

Also most folks run a stripping run way faster than a spirit run. My run last week was 16 gallons of ~5.5% corn wash, an I stripped it in about 3.5 hours (after the boil started). That with a Bayou Classic propane burner, which is a lot of heat.

[Ryan30523]

Richard what temp would u say right below steam is please

[Ryan30523]

> So if I have a5 gallon stovetop steel and a 5 gallon mesh mix should get me
> one gallon of fluid now my question is sometimes I’m coming up short one
> time I got three quarts the other time I got two could you please tell me
> why or what you think would be the reason thanks

[Zymurgy Bob]

Ummm, if you have, say, 4 gallons in a 5-gallon still, you can get all 4 gallons as collected distillate, if you do a complete distillation, that is to say, boil off and condense all the liquid. Of course, none of us ever do that, because such a complete distillation would give you the same ethanol concentration you started with, and that loses the whole point of the effort.

So instead, we all make decisions about when we stop distilling, and that decision is what determines how much distillate we collect. Because the ethanol and other flavorings in tails has value for me (either for making junkahol or for adding back to a stripping run), I generally run to a head temperature of 98C or 99C, which leaves a wash in the boiler of from 2.5% to 1.0 percent (roughly). I’ll accept that I am probably burning more propane than makes sense for the yield, but that’s a personal choice, or maybe just a habit.

At any rate, if the amount of distillate is your only criterion, just don’t turn off the still until you get whatever amount you feel you need. Most of us use other criteria.

[Author]

Posts