Distillation Conditioner? HBS myth or necessary?

by **BackyardBrewer** » Thu May 17, 2012 8:21 am

I'm just about to run out of that distillate conditioner stuff that came with my pure distilling reflux rig. This is the only thing I still use from the LHBS.

Do I really need that in a 25l TPW in a 30L boiler?

Anyone use these wash tamers?

by **Panda** » Thu May 17, 2012 8:47 am

its a load of shit, stop buying it.
Some guys on here have some different methods to stop puking/surging

by **BackyardBrewer** » Thu May 17, 2012 8:51 am

:))

Thanks, I have 2 X 25L fermenters waiting to run this weekend and I'm nearly out of this wash foam conditioner stuff.

Only reason I ask is it came with the Ultra Pure Distilling rig, it was in the box. Normally (after 10 years of home brewing) I avoid 90% of the crap the LHBS push on customers but being relatively new to distilling I wondered if there was some method in this madness. The manual in the box pretty much INSISTS IN CAPITAL LETTERS that you use this wash conditioner.

by **SBB** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:15 am

The conditioner its self is a myth..........the use of an agent to stop frothing or foaming of a wash and a possible puke is not.
In general stripped washes shouldnt puke .......ones straight from the fementer can and will at times.
The solutions are varied.......some people just use a small blob of butter, others use differnt types of cooking oils.
Personaly sometimes i use something, sometimes not, depends on the wash, the still, and the amount in the boiler. as well as heat applied.
The other myth is that YOU HAVE to buy it from the HBS.

by **BackyardBrewer** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:19 am

SBB wrote:Personaly sometimes i use something, sometimes not, depends on the wash, the still, and the amount in the boiler. as well as heat applied.
The myth is that YOU HAVE to buy it from the HBS.

It's not a stripping run, it's a neutral in a Reflux Still and the wash is Birdwatcher's Tomato Paste Wash @ 25L in a 30L fermenter.

So should I use something? Thoughts from my fellow refluxers running TPWs?

by **SBB** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:26 am

I always used something in my T500 as I always put more wash in the boiler than recommended.........there wasnt much head space left and I never had it puke.

by **maheel** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:27 am

i have never had a tpw puke while stripping or refluxing

but i do normally only run 30L or so in my keg

so if your filling right to the brim of the boiler it might be more an issue ?

by **BackyardBrewer** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:46 am

hmmmm. Technically 5L of headspace left after I pull say 23-24L out of the 25L wash (minus yeastcake at the bottom, generally a litre).

At a boil it might hit the column, but 5L of air from the wash to the lid... Shall I live dangerously I wonder?

:think:

by **crow** » Thu May 17, 2012 2:17 pm

In light of yesterdays ,last nights , this mornings run . Can I just say this I've never used any sort of wash suppressor . I had a tpw puke a little once but last night It puked big time , sediment blocked the condenser and built up enormous pressure ,very dangerous . I filled the keg too full IMO and did not clear the wash much at all . there is no way on gods green earth heat was a contributing factor . I did pump a little out when I realized I'd filled it to the brim , say 600 to 700ml not enough anyway . Bottom line is this , If my wash looks remotely like that or my keg is anywhere near full I'm fucking using something . Got told once a tbl spn of veggie oil is good for this reckon I give that a crack unless anyone can tell me why I shouldn't

by **BackyardBrewer** » Thu May 17, 2012 2:56 pm

Veggie oil does what exactly? Anyone want to 'science' me?

by **SBB** » Thu May 17, 2012 4:22 pm

croweater wrote:there is no way on gods green earth heat was a contributing factor .

Technicaly heat was a factor..........if you hadnt put a match under it......it would never have happened.

by **crow** » Thu May 17, 2012 5:00 pm

SBB wrote:
croweater wrote:there is no way on gods green earth heat was a contributing factor .

Technicaly heat was a factor..........if you hadnt put a match under it......it would never have happened.

:violence-stickwhack: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: yeah ok but a match might have been hotter , see ppl this is where whats technically true isn't technically helpful :roll:

by **Frank** » Thu May 17, 2012 5:14 pm

I've used the HBS conditioner, a few drops of canola oil and nothing over various runs and I reckon there's NO discernable difference.
Mind you, this is in an Airstill with some ceramic boil enhancers and a few bits of copper...... :think:

by **kiwikeg** » Thu May 17, 2012 5:50 pm

BackyardBrewer wrote:Veggie oil does what exactly? Anyone want to 'science' me?

Its breaks surface tension when the liquid boils same as a splash of cooking oil stops saucepans of water boiling over when cooking pasta.
Thats about as scientific as i can get on that one

by **audistiller** » Thu May 17, 2012 7:27 pm

Well if this stuff works, and all the articles I have read so far around the net suggests it does, why try playing around with things that work for the sake of trying to save about 30 cents per 30L wash in a reflux boiler. If the cost was upwards of $12 to $20 per wash, that would be a better argument. I save money by buying what I need in bulk where I can, so throwing an extra dollar at something isn't something I need to lose sleep over, especially when I am saving so much making quality products myself.

Regards

by **R-sole** » Fri May 18, 2012 4:04 am

Because you are adding an unknown ingredient that you have no need to add just for the sake of covering up bad practise.

As said above, let your wash finish, let it clear, don't overfill your boiler and manage your heat and you won't need to add anything.
It helps to know your washes, mollasses is probably the worst and some fruit and barley washes can foam too. It normally happens only on a strip run unless you are throwing massive amounts of heat at a spirit run. Therefore in a properly built pot stil it doesn't matter anyway if it pukes, and can usually be controlled by turning the heat off for a minute and then starting back up a little slower. In fact thats when i had the eureka moment and got a massive increase in taste after my first puke.

After that i started the practise of adding wash to my spirit runs that has been taken up by so many around the world.

by **bt1** » Fri May 18, 2012 8:01 am

+1 5Star

Unless a wash is poorly stripped, over full or excess heat a "std" wash should have no issues. I over fill pot to about 45lt and not had an issue over many runs. i do settle wash for a few days, then strip for another day or so.

Can't comment on fruits never tried.

bt1

by **crow** » Fri May 18, 2012 11:41 am

5Star wrote:After that i started the practise of adding wash to my spirit runs that has been taken up by so many around the world.

Hey 5Star what type of washes do you do this with

by **R-sole** » Fri May 18, 2012 11:54 am

All washes where i want full flavour.

UJSM, rum, fruit vodkas from the potstill etc.

If doing Ouzo i'll add white wine to the neutral and spices before distilling.

by **crow** » Fri May 18, 2012 2:10 pm

ok well I have 2 ltrs of contaminated low wines due to the puking . Do you think it would be worth putting it aside for macerating in case the taste is light on . Sorry BB :text-threadjacked: