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These instructions have been copied from the Still Spirits instruction sheets for this still.
To Assemble:
Fit the condenser to the domed lid and tighten securely.
Situate the still on a firm heat resistant base close by a cold water tap, drain and power socket.
Place the marble into the top of the condenser where it will sit on the indentations on the inside of the reflux condenser. Fit the thermometer so that
the bulb appears on the inside of the black bung by 20mm.
Then fit the bung/thermometer into the top of the condenser.
Distillation using wash made with standard or TT turbo yeasts:
Pour the wash into the still being careful to leave the sediment behind.
Fit the lid, complete with condenser and hoses, onto the Still.
Plug the element in. When the wash has warmed up, but before thermometer reads 50o C, start the cold water running through the condenser.
During most of the distillation process the cooling water flowing through the condenser should be flowing at about 400 mls per minute. To measure the flow,
fill a calibrated jug from the outlet pipe for one minute. nb. 400 mls per minute is the ideal flow rate for cooling water that is under 20o Celcius. If
your cold water supply is warmer than this then a higher flow rate may be required alternately cooling the incoming water by connecting it via a copper
tube and submersing this in a container of iced water.
Collect the first 50 mls and discard this. This is the Head. It is non drinkable and must be discarded as it may contain by-products that will substantially
reduce the quality of your spirit.
Collect 3.95 litres of the Body which contains the Ethanol (drinkable alcohol) at about 70%/V. Make sure that the spirit outlet tube from the condenser stays well
above the level of the spirit.
If using a standard turbo do not collect more than 3.95 litres of distillate. Any spirit collected after this amount will reduce the quality of your spirit.
The more cooling water that flows through the condenser the lower the temperature in the reflux column, this will show on the thermometer. The
temperature of your water also influences the amount you need. (i.e. In summer you may need more water than in winter when the water is cooler). The slower the
cooling water flows through the condenser, the higher the temperature will rise producing a faster flow of spirit. Running the cooling water at less than 400
mls per minute may result in a loss of alcohol through steaming from the spirit outlet. If you run more than 500 mls of cooling water through the condenser then
this will slow the process down.
The thermometer temperature will slowly rise as the alcohol is boiled off. Should the temperature exceed 92o C and you have not collected the full amount
of distillate then increase the flow of water through the condenser to hold the temperature at 92o C. If the flow slows down substantially then this would
indicate that there is no more alcohol left in the wash and that it is time to stop collecting.
From a standard 25 litre wash produced with 7 kgs of Dextrose and Still Spirits Turbo you should collect 4 litres of alcohol at 70% strength in 4.5 hours.
Remember to always measure the strength of your spirit at 16o Celsius or refer to the Temperature Correction Chart to make the relevant adjustments. Remember
that you have extracted the alcohol so the rest of the wash contains fermentation byproducts and water and should be discarded. nb. This makes a fine
garden fertiliser but should be cooled before pouring over your plants.
Points to watch out for:
If for any reason the wash has not fermented completely, (i.e. above 990 SG all the sugar has not been converted to alcohol), then you will not collect the full
amount of distillate through the Still.
If you have not collected the full amount of alcohol, check you have:
used the correct amount of sugar/ dextrose in the Wash; and/or the specific gravity is below 990 before distilling; and/or there is no steam leak during
distillation. A typical wash will take about 4.5 hours to run through the still. It will take about 1 hour and 35 minutes to heat up before any condensate will
run out of the condenser. It will then take about 5 minutes to collect the Head, and nearly 3 hours to collect 4 litres of alcohol at 70%. This is a rough guide
only.
If the wash is not fully fermented out, then the unfermented sugars can foam causing the wash to come through the condenser with the distillate. In this
instance Distilling Conditioner can be used to increase yield or avoid problems.
Sugar used & Alcohol yield for 25 Litre Reflux Still
| Temp |
Turbo Used |
Sugar Type |
Sugar in kg |
Spirit Collected |
Spirit Strength |
| 20o-30oC |
Standard Turbo |
Dextrose |
7 |
3.95 litre |
70% |
| 20o-30oC |
Standard Turbo |
White Sugar |
6 |
3.95 litre |
70% |
| 20o-40oC |
TT Turbo |
Dextrose |
7 |
3.95 litre |
70% |
| 20o-40oC |
TT Turbo |
White Sugar |
6 |
3.95 litre |
70% |
| 20o-25oC |
Turbo Extra |
Dextrose |
9 |
5.95 litre |
70% |
| 20o-25oC |
Turbo Extra |
White Sugar |
8 |
5.95 litre |
70% |
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