Wineos after Spirit run

[grasmere]

keep a constant temperature measurement going
I meant Alcohol content

[howard]

I I am surprised seeing 144 views that not one has a good word to say about the Brewzilla 35 Ltr and that it should not be run the way manufacturers intended it to run. I am sure 'unwelcome advertiser' Home brew supplies would have something to say about that.

the brewzilla is a good piece of kit for all-grain beer with the mash tin, recirc pump and temp control etc
when i added my distilling gear i found that the choices of element power (500w, 1900w or 2400w) were not ideal.
after i re-wired the 1900w element i can now have it at about 1200w, which seems to suit my setup.
don't forget, i re-wired the 1900w element so i can switch it back to normal operation through the onboard electronics.
i find the pump useful for pumping out backset & dunder.
it's lightweight, easy to carry, access for cleaning is great.
concealed elements are a bonus for not scorching.
ha ha HBS will sell you anything.
i was lucky, when i bought the brewzilla, thankfully the other distilling gear they sold was out of stock.

[grasmere]

So Howard, Why am I getting so much Heads and very little Hearts and no tails

[bluc]

The boiler you talk about uses a pid. Pid logic for stilling =bad.

You want a constant voltage variable is ok but you dont want "variable" to be constantly chasing "x" temp.

Instead you want to adjust "variable" to "x" output rate. And leave it there whole run.

Output rate is directly affected by
Colum diameter. On 2" drip drip dribble is sbout right. 1.5-2l hour.

They are a great device for what they are intended mashing not distilling.

My 2c leave it at max power buy a voltage controller and control output by that.

[howard]

So Howard, Why am I getting so much Heads and very little Hearts and no tails

apparently, according to other experts, it is not possible to use a voltage controller on a un-modified brewzilla.

"I ran the brewzilla the way it is intended to be run. Cooling Water started about 60c, started dripping at 78.5c with base temp of 86c, set at 102c"
this is how i start, but as soon as i get a dribble (or before on a spirit run), you need to able to adjust the power.
you are just smearing the whole lot.
it sounds like you are still fixated on temperature, when you should be looking at more important aspects, like power, flow rate and ABV.
to learn, maybe you should be timing how long it takes to collect 250ml, and work out your l/hr output.
raise the output tube so you can observe the flow into the glass jar, you should be looking for drip-drip-dribble
feel, smell and taste the product coming off the still.
i used to test each jar with a alcometer.
try at least to turn one of the elements off after you start to produce.
have you got the 500w/1900w combo?
originally, before modifications, i found the 500w isn't enough to produce on it's own.
turning the 500w off and just leaving the 1900w on at least slows it down a little and you may notice better separation of fores/heads/hearts/tails.
throw it all back together and re-run it.
there's a lot more to be considered, like water control etc etc
(and getting a sparky to modify the brewzilla) :smile:

[RC Al]

So Howard, Why am I getting so much Heads and very little Hearts and no tails

Pid issues - everything said above is correct, I sure as heck dont play with my gas valve trying to hit a temp in my boiler.
The whole anti pid/ temprature thing is not a sinister agenda of some hooded group with a secret handshake, its just the plain facts about physics in relation to distillation and it gets pretty frustrating for us when people argue, many things are counter intuitive and will lead to "ah huh" moments down the line, chill, read lots

If you cant remember spending -all- day swapping jars, it didnt happen and you obviously were running too fast

We are not dissing the boiler, its great for making beer, hbs's are very beer oriented, very few have run a still, let alone one bigger or with more bells and whistles than the one you have and thier understanding of distilling is rarely of any use to anyone who has read and UNDERSTOOD what is in the newbies section here. There are some good ones out there, but few and far between. Today for example i called into one i was driving past and mentionded using a particular type of yeast they had for a rum im about to start, they were horrified and said you cant use that - blah, blah blah... when i know fully well that many people have used that one for that job with good results (wasnt even going to mention bakers after that lols). It was a good shop with obiviously good staff and a bunch of SS fementers and classes and a club etc - but it just highlights that there is a lack of retail level of support for our end of the brewing hobby on many levels

Relax, have a read on the run protocols above, work out how to change over to power controll with what you have, or suck it up, put it down to experience and grab a different boiler for distilling and use this one for mashing or simply sell it

This is a game of patience and mistakes happen, especially early on

[grasmere]

Thank you all for the advice, which I am still trying to get my head around.
Someone mentioned Mains Power Meter. I looked up one of the popular Retailers selling this. Is this a place to start with getting the equipment?

[howard]

Thank you all for the advice, which I am still trying to get my head around.
Someone mentioned Mains Power Meter. I looked up one of the popular Retailers selling this. Is this a place to start with getting the equipment?

no, thats just a device you plug in between your mains outlet and any device.
it will tell you how many amps the device is using (among other things)
you need a voltage controller.
look in 5 star store.
https://www.5stardistilling.com/?s=controller

not forgetting, you can't use the voltage controller on a brewzilla unless it's modified.

[bluc]

Interesting why cant you set temp to max then use controller :think:

[howard]

Interesting why cant you set temp to max then use controller :think:

i think there are only certain things that you can use a voltage controller on.
when i got mine, i tested it on a plain old halogen spotlight. worked fine.
that's why i said 'according to the experts'ATTE
ATTE it works on an plain old electric drill, but not on a brushless drill.
works on a plain old pedestal fan, but not on a fan with a fancy remote control (i tried that one)
probably would work on an electric kettle, probably not on a microwave.
would it slow my computer down? probably not
i've personally have not tried a voltage controller directly across a brewzilla, and can only guess the result and maybe the repair bill.
but i think a voltage controller may only work across a simple resistive load, and not anything with any smarts connected.

[Professor Green]

The power controller will starve the internal electronics causing them to malfunction and they will subsequently interfere with the delivery of power to the elements.

[MartinCash]

I I am surprised seeing 144 views that not one has a good word to say about the Brewzilla 35 Ltr and that it should not be run the way manufacturers intended it to run. I am sure 'unwelcome advertiser' Home brew supplies would have something to say about that.

This is a common misconception. The HBS staff's job is to sell you gear and ingredients, not to ensure that they're fit for purpose or produce a good quality product.

IMO you would learn to be a better distiller if you completely forgot about temperature for a while, and just focused on output rate (by controlling power) and taste.

You have what you have and I'm not familiar with the gear (other than having heard that they're good for brewing beer), so I can't recommend how to mod it to get it to work. As everyone else has said, the most useful thing you want to be able to do is to MANUALLY control power going to the elements so that you can control the output rate.

Please don't follow any advice about trying to automate your still until you're a competent stiller (and particularly forget anything you may have learned from George on YouTube). It does not work how you think it should and almost universally leads to disappointment if you don't fully understand the variables involved and how they affect the product. There are people out there with very good semi-automated setups, but I can hazard a guess that they learned to distil first, before going down this route.

MC

[grasmere]

If the top temp and base temp are steady, why would I need to control them, until the fractions inside change?

[The Stig]

Your not changing the temp, your changing the power , hence the speed at which your distillate comes out.
Slower is sometimes better .
I don’t see why you can’t understand this :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

[grasmere]

Surely the power is controlled by the temperature which is controlled by the base temperature probe

[The Stig]

Are you for real ??
Surely this is one big troll post

[grasmere]

Don't get upset Stig. What is controlling the power inside the boiler?

[Wellsy]

I think you might be right Stig, water boils at 100 nothing can change that, all we can do is change the rate of the boil with controlling the voltage. It has been said a few times now but somehow it keeps getting over looked.
Hell I have only been running a pot still for 48 days now but even I seem to have gotten my head around that. Mind you to be fair I needed to be told several times as well :)

[grasmere]

I think you might be right Stig, water boils at 100 nothing can change that, all we can do is change the rate of the boil with controlling the voltage. It has been said a few times now but somehow it keeps getting over looked.

The base temp doesn't have to run at 100c to get to 78c at the top of the reflux, where the liquid starts to run off

[Sam.]

Mate your really not understanding the basic concept of what’s going on here and that is probably the cause of why you are getting shit product.

As much as I hate saying it, you may have to go back and do some better research in the newbies corner to understand what is going on