Length of ferment and other stuff!

[hicup]

Ok, so assume limited knowledge, assume lack of experience...
Started out in this hobbie recently, although i have been practicing on the tasting side since a young age.

My daughter's boyfriend and I have shared the expense of building a pot still based on a 50 litre thielman keg with a 2200w ellement. The main question we have at this point is about our first ferment.
We have decided on a corn/sugar wash like the ujsm with the only real diff being we brought the corn up to a boil.
Here is what we did...
Using cracked corn/polenta from a feed store (Thomsons brand) (no preservs, pesticides) we calculated we needed 17 kgs for our 100 litre ferment.
Using our 50 l keg, we split the water and corn quantities into three batches and brought the mix to a boil. After reaching boiling point, we powered off the keg and added the mix to our 195 litre food grade plastic drum...

Once all three water corn batches were in the fermenter, we had 100 litres of mash.

We addede 17 kg of fine white sugar to this and stirred the crap out of it.
The drum was cleaned with water, then vinegar and water, then water and detergent, then once more with tap water.

There is a slight smell of citric acid still coming freom the drum but it is only faint.

The drum was sealed straight after these steps were taken to allow the mix to cool down to a safer temp for the yeast pitch...

The next morning, 6.30 am Temp of the mash was a little over 40c.

Had to leave for work so decided to take a punt and add our brewers yeast. I added a litre of the mash to a clean jug and mixed in the yeast (90grams)

A little after 9.30 i rang the missus at home and she said that the airlock was going off bubbling like a beauty...

I did not take a sg reading before ferment started, I have no PH meter but i know the temp of the mash is sitting at around 22c.

It has now been bubbling away like bogan on a bong since monday morning, (now thursday night)

There is no reading showing on my alchol meter and the sg is at 1020 as of today at 5.00pm.

Anyone have any ideas as to why at this stage the bubbler has stared to slow down, the smell of the ferment is still sweet and the alc (abv) is not reading??? :sad:

[R-sole]

It's just doing it's thing. it's slowed down because it's too cold. It's not reading on your alcometer because alcometers don't work on wash, it never will.
Just use your hydrometer.

Give it some warmth with an electric blanket or heat pad and leave it to finish off down to .990 or so. It will take a little while. If you get impatient just put another wash down in another drum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Cane Toad]

Punkins spot on,just leave it sit with the electric blanket wrapped around it,it'll finish when it's ready :handgestures-thumbupleft: get another one on the go,you'll have more piss than you can poke a Buddha stick at in no time :handgestures-thumbupleft: It just requires a little patience :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: I'm one to talk :laughing-rolling:

[law-of-ohms]

100W aquarium heater off ebay is what i'm using (180L drum), but with the cold weather its still taking a couple of weeks.