Run Strategies for an Inline Thumper

[bluc]

Awesome info :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Atreu]

Thanks Meathead! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

After reading what you were saying with what you've found, I'm going to give running the thumper with wash in it a go - I'm already impressed with the flavour increase, and thats just with an empty thumper... Can't wait to give it a go! :dance:

I've got a couple of washes down of MacWhiskey; I really hope the flavour increase is as dramatic for it, as it has been for rum!

I'm just wondering, if I load the thumper with corn while I run a bko, (3/4 of the thumper filled), how long into a 100 ltr was do you recon the flavour would last?

[woodduck]

I would be very careful about putting corn/small solids in your thumper. I've had problems with bits of grain coming up through the thumper before and blocking the vapour path or down comers and when everything stops bubbling mid run and starts making noises it makes you crap your pants trust me.

[Atreu]

Lol Woodduck...

thats a good point... I had it happen once with an overfilled boiler, and a wash that hadn't settled properly. Not a good feeling, I agree!! :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

So if thats the case, (and its a liquid only thing), is just using more wash (or dunder) the go when you're trying to increase flavour with a thumper? How else can we tweak this?

[woodduck]

I don't know that I'm the one to ask here because my thumper isn't very conventional but I'll have a crack. I find that in mine, the wash I charge my thumper with doesn't stay in there for that long before it clears up from the reflux coming back down forcing it out of the thumper back to the boiler. For this reason I usually don't bother charging my thumper, I use it for reflux storage for faster take off speed. If you are looking for more flavor I would try less plates.

[Atreu]

Ok, cool!!

Probably a silly question, but if the upside is more flavour, whats the downside to losing a plate, if running a thumper? Smearing? :think:

Either way, I'm so impressed with the thumper - I remember Big D saying he wouldn't do another run without it (or words to that effect), and I really can see why. :D ...So much so, I'll probably put off getting the carter head for a while, just so I can get the feel for this!!
:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

[woodduck]

Less plates=less% so probably back to early 90's at a guess

[Atreu]

Woodduck, do you count the thumper as a plate? When I changed my setup, I went from 4 plates, to 3 plates and the thumper... I suppose what I'm asking is, can I take another plate away (down to 2 plates + thumper), or is that simply not enough plates to get a quality product?

[woodduck]

I couldn't tell you that sorry.

The "Duck" was originally a 5 plater and I was more than happy with it's results. Now that it's a 4 + thumper I wouldn't say it is quite the same as it was, more flavour less % I recon. A thumper is similar to a plate but there's not as many bubbles so I would say it most likely isn't quite as efficient. With 2 plates and thumper I recon you'll be struggling to get high % with single runs but would definitely get more flavour.

There's one way to find out, give it a try.

I'm not that keen on real heavy tasting spirits so I'm happy to keep my plates in.

[Atreu]

WD, tried loading the thumper tonight...

100% molasses wash... suffice to say it was an ordeal!!! Lol got it through in the end :handgestures-thumbdown:

its strange, you know. .. its a balance between to much power (and loading the plates), and not quite enough power (and loading the plates)... I cant seem to get my head around HOW this thumper is doing what its doing - and its doing my head in! :)) :angry-banghead: :))

Once I can get an understanding of why and how it does what it does, life will get a whole lot easier!!

Thanks for all your help, too, man...

[rumdidlydum]

WD, tried loading the thumper tonight...

100% molasses wash... suffice to say it was an ordeal!!! Lol got it through in the end :handgestures-thumbdown:

its strange, you know. .. its a balance between to much power (and loading the plates), and not quite enough power (and loading the plates)... I cant seem to get my head around HOW this thumper is doing what its doing - and its doing my head in! :)) :angry-banghead: :))

Once I can get an understanding of why and how it does what it does, life will get a whole lot easier!!

Thanks for all your help, too, man...

Not sure what your struggling with, can you re word it?
It wont really matter if you are over powering it unless the thumper pukes! Running a 100% molasses i found that there was a huge amount of flavor cary over :D

[scythe]

More power and load the plates, use the RC to balance it.
Boiler will be hotter than normal due to lower/no alcohol in it, thumper and column should hold all the ethanol, once you bleed the fores and heads you should be able open it up and drain it all rather quickly.

Thumper just catches the ethanol before it goes back to the boiler, boiler temp increases and keeps the ethanol boiling in the thumper.

[Atreu]

Hi Rumdiddly,

After warmup, the boiler started puking pretty violently, and just kept rising... Once it filled the thumper (quickly, too) it filled the first plate, and then the second - this is all while the controller for the 2nd element was set at 20% (my setting to bleed fores).
:shock:

I think the problem comes back to 2 things: 1, the wash may not have ferrmented out fully - I thought it had at the time, but maybe not?

The 2nd problem, without a doubt was overfilling the boiler. :handgestures-thumbdown: Add to these 2 things, the "pukability" of a molasses wash, and you have my recipe for disaster :))

I did a MacWhiskey run, using the exact same setup and strategy (with no overfilling, and making sure the wash was dry) and it worked a treat - exactly how you would expect it to, without a need to touch the RC. I think the only thing I would change though, is (for bourbons and the MacWhiskey recipe) I would go to 2 plates and a thumper, instead of 3 + T... would that be to much flavour? (Keeping in mind, the flavour increase for rum using the thump is insane...Or is that just the 100% molasses wash? :scared-eek:

Sythe, I have to keep that in mind, although, I really like the idea of running the thumper without the need to touch the RC! :D ...Is there a reason or strategy for playing around with it, or is it more of a "if you get problems, you can play with this" sort of deal?