Time for a showdown. I'd like to know how the efficiency, flavor, speed and yield of a bubble plate compares to a packed column. Could you run the same mash back to back on the packed column and the bubble column and share the results with us ? Including the volume of heads ? Do bubble plates smear cuts ?
Please do this comparison with Chore boy scrubbers and spiral prismatic packing. All copper comparison and then possibly and all stainless scrubbers and spiral prismatic packing?
$70 dollars?? Just been looking and for a 4 plate 76 mm / 3" unit like that it was at least $180 plus shipping of over $65.. do you get "mates rates" or something ;) All the ones I can find by searching 3" bubble plate have cast top and bottom clamps with 4 metal rods so look much stronger than the unit you have there which seems to have only 3 rods and sheet metal for the rods to clamp through? Ebay the cost is over $285 (free delivery)
@@TechGorilla1987 interesting, it says 3" yet all the choices are for smaller than that. 1.5" 2" 2.5" not 3" even though thats in description. The 3" is more money, when in description and on drop down choice of size.
@@williamarmstrong7199 Here is a site that has all sizes: shoppingcart.aliexpress.com/order/payResult.htm?cashierRequestNo=24885042001588475229644654&redirected=true&cashierRequestToken=3%4020990301103200423580478134200&pmntId=20990301202200502974274254200&paymentId=150201101288120050201061007&pgData=needsRedirect%3Dfalse
Another home run from the King of home distilling thank you for all the fantastic information George. I've been subscribed for over three years and no one has come knocking on my door so let's go people hit that button and let's get our buddy George over a 100k he deserves it for all of the time and hard work he puts in helping us all be better at our thing. As always stay safe and #HappyDistilling
@@Stoutluvr I heard him say it,, so I went to the Barley&Hops youtube page,, and looked through about 30 videos and didn't see where he showed the build,, when he says something, new I always go to home page and look,
jbrunson1949 , I was just wondering. I just built one of his PID’s to control my 5000 watt element in my boiler. Have made three runs and really starting to learn it and like it. I just set a temp and forget it. Just adjust my water to my deflagrator and final condenser during the run. At the same time just ease the temp up 1° at a time. Very nice.
I seriously just bought one of these and was scouring your channel trying to find this video... That hadn't been posted yet. Teacher and mind reader is there nothing you can't do. Cheers
You have to be careful buying copper mesh as well there are many that are coper coated. I use 3 in sanatary sight glasses with a bubbler plate stuck in there. On thing to look out for make sure you dont over tighten the bolts and tighten them evenly. If not you can crack a glass. Replacement glass is hard to get.
Really cool. Didn't think that you would get to it so fast. THANK YOU!! But after all is said and done I guess I don't understand what this really does and how makes your distillate better. Thanks for all you do. I am a far better distiller because of you.
Very nice to see it run. The risers are not supposed to be dripping any liquid down, only vapor should be coming up and bubbling through the liquid layer on the tray. The part of the downcomer above the tray functions as a weir to maintain the right liquid level. The inverted cap on the downcomer bottom is a liquid seal that prevents vapor bypassing. Every plate has a small pressure drop with the bottom at higher pressure. In the case of such a small column it will be very small. If you were able to generate a lot of vapor, you would back up the downcomer and flood the column.
Your basic small reflux still, but able to be scaled up without requiring a ridiculously large amount of packing. These plates are a great way to scale up a reflux still, and it's how the big boys play. Really cool to see this with glass walls. Seen windows before, but this is a great view with a good explanation and breakdown. Really appreciate your videos!
Hey George. What proof are you getting from that setup? If I try all my tricks at once I can get about 192 proof and I'm wondering if that would allow you to get higher proof or to just do it faster and easier since they all seem to control their own levels with the downcomers. But more importantly, it sure does look cool and give you more to watch.
Runs much quicker than a regular reflux. 190+ proof depending on defleg adjustment. Rememebr that 196 is the scientific max through distillation. That would be a perfect run.
I always enjoy the uploads, whether they are relevant for my distillation or not. 2 more gallons of single malt mash to run, that little Mr Distiller takes forever, but it does make a nice drink ! Thanks George, #HAPPYDISTILLING
Would there be any benefit to add a single bubble plate on a two inch column without any other addons? Do you need the condenser above it or would packaging allow it to load?
Did some work on a chemical separation prototype unit 18 months ago. Got to meet some very cluey Phd type chemical research scientists in the process and picked their brains as much as I could in meetings. They swore black and blue that packed columns where the best option whether scrubbers or structured packing, until your column gets out to about 2 foot diameter, at that point they said it was more efficient/practical to start using sieve or bubble plates.
Interesting. All the small commercial distillers seem to use bubble plates, but they are separating their cuts at each level. Maintenance and cleaning is probably a lot easier with bubble plates too. It would be helpful to see a head to head comparison with small three inch systems. Going the bubble plate route, even DIY, is quite a bit more expensive than stuffing a column.
Once again, that is so freaking cool. I am a very visual person so watching this explains sooooo much. George, thank you. I have gotten a better education and understanding from your presentations than I could ever buy in a formal course. Their is no substitute for experience and being able to translate that to us the hungry masses. Personally I started off on Sugar Washes to manufacture out of necessity. ( Sanitizers and fuel) And it works great, now I am learning the art. To turn that quick process into a palatable desired product. And you my friend are the Headmaster of the School. Thanks.
George... This was exactly what I wanted to see. THANKS. Could you please put the Ali links in the description? When quarantine lets off here I will be building a three-inch still. Get ready as I will be asking for your advice.
Here is a link to Ali: shoppingcart.aliexpress.com/order/payResult.htm?cashierRequestNo=24885042001588475229644654&redirected=true&cashierRequestToken=3%4020990301103200423580478134200&pmntId=20990301202200502974274254200&paymentId=150201101288120050201061007&pgData=needsRedirect%3Dfalse
Would a 4" column set up take more Wash to make it run "best", or is a larger diameter just require a larger wattage element to maintain column temperature ?
bloombrews The larger the column the more vapor that can occupy it... therefore the faster you can distill a given quantity of liquid. If a reflux column is properly balanced it’s size won’t affect quality... just time.
does it have to be a dangalflopper on top of the plates? or can i run like the three tubes through the top of my column before the bend? im thinking the befragnater is just there to keep the plates loaded?
if you have one of the 3 tube reflux part you should be able to do the same thing, by running it in reflux,, that is all the deflegmator does is puts it in reflux stage till all the bubble plates balance and are all driping from their downcomer..
@@jbrunson1949 i dont have one but im going to drill the top of my column and put some in, im also making three bubble plates to put in line with some two inch sight glasses. i know i should have done my home work before buying the column. if i would have found gorges videos before hand i would be in better shape but i didnt so now im frankinstining my crap together.
Great I'm learning more and more to improve my still column. If you thinking of Popcorn thumb keg it sort of work at the same principles, cheers George
With some experience in boiling water, back in my canoe club days nearly 50 years ago. I'd call em' "Output or Discharge Risers" unless they have a better name. Excellent Video !
THANK U, I purchased a SS 3" bubbler flute a few months ago. After seeing this video my ABV hit 92, with ease, before 89 maybe 90- ABV. NOW even my temp head is 1C lower. Too much coolant=too much reflux or bubbling. The video improved my run completely. As for people saying chinese products can not be trusted, I understand and partly agree, but except for maybe Mile high, it's mostly made in China. Love to see it change, but it is the truth.
Can you add a bubble plate column to the base of the reflux column on a Mile Hi Mini? All the images/videos I see show the the bubbler column connected to the top of the still column directly below the reflux chamber, which doesn't appear to be an option for the Mini...
Goerge - really recommend a video explaining running the still explaining controlling temperature and output as the distilling progresses. This one really explained what bubble plates are. Please make a video operating manual for this bubble column.
Hey George, i'm not from America and have questions, can i use 6000watt heating element pid connection with one 40da ssr for 20 galleons? And will it be sufficient?
Hey, I'm an old follower of your channel. I just started this account. I'm in progress to build my on still. My goal is to make single pot whiskey from malts. I have the following question. When using reflux, why not control the cooling water flow with PID (3-way valve) and let the heater work full capacity?
"There's no right way to do the wrong thing" !! Your the best George , the best . Thanks for all your great videos . So much fun and a wealth of knowledge. Take care
I have been looking for these bubble plate columns and you showed the source for them. Their shipping is a little high, but at least I could get them. Thank you. I am excited to try them.
I've learned quite a bit so far, Thanks George ! I'm building my first unit. Trying to decide on stainless vs. copper. I am also trying to make it possible to convert from a pot still to a reflux still. With what I've seen so far the cost is not that much different and stainless seems to be a good choice from a cleaning aspect. My question is for a reflux still pre condenser, which is the best way. An inserted coil, the cross tube or the shotgun style I've seen a variety and my first choice was cross tubes, but I am concerned with soldering cross tubes in stainless ? I can use all the advice you can give me out there
@@americantherapy1366 I'm using a 12 inch dephlegmator on mine with a ball value to control water flow but am going to switch to a needle value to get better control I'm also going to split the water supply and run to separate systems because the dephlegmator water is melting my ice to fast and doesn't have to be as cold as the condenser so that will be tap water and the condenser will run ice water from my cooler I will also save the dephlegmator water for my next batch.
Rick - you HAVE TO HAVE copper in your distilling path somewhere. There’s a reason moonshiners and ALL distilling companies use copper stills or significant copper elements in their stills. When you ferment any kind of a grain or any kind of a fruit you will produce a very small quantity of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is almost as toxic as hydrogen cyanide and in very very small quantities will create a foul sort of rotten smell or taste that will get into your final product . Hydrogen sulfide in the vapor is absorbed by this the copper and it forms copper sulfate on the copper surfaces. (Hence the need to periodically clean it.) The copper in the plates or in scrubbers will actually convert the hydrogen sulfide to sulfate that sticks to the copper plate and removes that off-flavor. So especially when you're using a stainless steel still you'll always want to have some copper in intimate contact with that vapor in order to absorb the hydrogen sulfide.
In terms of run time there would be little improvement. You are going from 2 inch with an adapter to 3 inch which in actuality is a 2 inch column. The vapor flows faster in the 2 inch and when entering the 3 inch it will slow down (following fluid dynamics) so unless you increase the temperature the output rate remains the same. Increasing temperature can lead to scorching or early arrival of tails.
Hello, I need help, I'm new to distilling and I used a recipe I found online. I used 8lbs corn, 10lbs brewers sugar and 2lbs 6row barley, 5gal water. I heated to 180° (new burner and equipment heated water too much) stirred in sugar, let cool to 160°, stirred in corn, let cool to 140-150° stirred in barley, let cool to 90-100°, stirred in yeast and let sit 12days. The problem is the whole carboy is cloudy and looks like its all sediment. If I look closely i can see a thicker layer of yeast on the bottom. I ran through cheese cloth and my ABV is only 4%. I'm about to distill now but I don't have high hopes for high yield. I did something wrong but have no idea where the hard left took place.
Cool video! Have you ever done anything with jack distilling, by freezing the worst as opposed to heating it to remove the water? (Traditional Apple Jack) I know it can be dangerous because of the height concentrations of methanol and other toxins. I imagine if you would but it in the still and heat up to and hold 170° for 15 minutes it should remove that and then freeze distill it it would be safe...
(double check what i claim before acting on it) i dont know anything about jacking other ferments than apple - this is only about apple jack: i beleive that most of the methanol in hard cider is 1) already present in the raw apple juice, 2) produced by fermenting pectin. commercialy available ap juice (the cheap stuff in supermarkets thats preserved with vit c), has been pasteurized which removes most of the methanol, and its been cleared, which means the pectin has been stripped. so if you ferment that, there should not be significant methanol content, as opposed to using fresh, untreated ap juice. you dont generate methanol in freeze distillation, so your ap jack will only be as dangerous as your hard cider, ie not very. it does have all the congeners and tails, so its hangover material though. if you are going to distill it, you will get ap brandy, not ap jack. in brandy, most of the flavour is in the heads. ap jack has all the heads, brandy usually doesnt. so its a different product. the point of freeze distillation is that its cheaper, low key and easier than heat dist. if you make and drink hard cider and you havent gone blind, you should be able to jack it too. just make a note on how much hard cider gives you how much jack. ie 1 pint hard cider = 1 shot ap jack, and then consume according to that. so if 4 pints of your hard cider = zombie hangover, dont do 12 shots of jack from that hard cider and expect to leap out of bed with a postive outlook on life next morning :)
Awesome video. Just used my reflux still with 4 copper plates yesterday to make some 90 % for some sanitizer. I found that I had to turn the water way down in the defleg otherwise the temp would slowly drop. All worked out well and collected some high proof 90 % ethanol for some sanitizer. And thanks for the how to vid on the sanitizer, that was very helpful. 👍🏻
one more thing i have seen these on ebay but i dont know if china can ship to us right now, my question is, did you just order that? or did you get it before the world took a dump?
This is great timing. I started adding on to my Chinese still. I’m wanting to utilize The 18.5 gallon pot as a column still. My only question is. I believe my Chinese still has a 2.5 “ tri clamp set up on the lid. Do you know of any adapters that will go from 2.5” up to a 3” column?
George can you tell us from start to finish how you set up a still even including putting a liquid in and how you turn it on... how you said set's element that everything please
George you ran this, so how much weight do you think is safe to hang on the top, I would think the glass being weighted to the side with the hang off of the condenser might lead to the glass breaking, are they really that strong.. #HappyDistilling
@@chrishayden3854 so adding a SS gin basket and the condenser should not be a problem, with the weight off the side,, I hope is what you are saying,,, it would sure be a lot cheaper than a SS column w/bubbleplates,, those things are $1000.00 plus ,,
Hay Goerge Thanks so much for all your hard work in teaching everyone how to make some great boose. I use a 2.5 in. Crystal dragon made by Still Dragon and it works just like your unit. I would like to point out that when you take off the first bad stuff like 200 mil's at the start of your run. Turn off your deflagulater so the bad stuff can get out of the still. Then run like no tomorrow.LOL
can u make a video about water like i watch moonshiners and thay say thay gota use limestone water and other types but i use tap water theres crap all thru it i wanted to steam distill some water but told it strips everything out so whats the best water to make the mash or beer or what ever we want to call it be we still it and what water is best to use for profn down after its distilled remeber waters round the world are diff we have fluoride in out water here in new zealand
yes water makes a difference. RO WATER has many useful elements removed. I am fine with a really good filters (s) to remove fluoride and other materials after you have a water analysis done to identify what's in your water. There are analysts available online of good water profiles, I find them mostly in the brewing sites.
maybe you can help me with the following comment.Hi Michael, We include many items with our distillers that are not even available elsewhere, such as a water control system. However, I extremely highly advise against using a PID controller to try to control your temperature, as it causes cycling of your heat source which makes it impossible for equilibrium to be reached in the column, resulting in a lower purity/quality product. To control the speed of the boil you should use a voltage controller, which allows you to reduce the heat output of your heater without causing cycling. The result is easy control of vapor production speed while maintaining a consistent speed of vapor production. Your head temperature will be able to remain constant, with a much higher final product quality. Please let me know if we can be of more help or if you have any more questions. regards, Rick BrewhausHot Sauce Depot5951 Park Vista Circle, #125Keller, TX 76244817-750-2739www.brewhaus.comwww.hotsaucedepot.com
If you don't know Rick you should, he's an expert. And he funded the first effort at changing the law in Washington several years ago. Great guy. Use his site for all your supplies. Plus, Tech Ingredients channel bought their still from him for their distilling videos and distillation explanations.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing This thread on the home distiller site says that the bubble plate makes off-flavors. homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28592 What does your product taste like?.
George Ive seen other videos where they flush the copper with vinegar before the do a run....whats your opinion on that? In the vid it appeared to work, produced a blue tinted distillate which was supposed to be build up on the inside of all the copper
I’m living in a country where there’s no brew shops at all , i will be grateful if you could give us some alternatives for the stuff we need to make homemade wine, for instance: campden tablets, potassium sorbate, bentonite, and yeast energizer.
Most everything can be bought at a drug store just look up there scientific name as for yeast energizer I boil two cups of bakers yeast to kill it then crush a couple of multi vitamins for every five gallons. Warning bring the water to a boil first then add the yeast and turn the heat down to a simmer or your going to make one hell of a mess let it simmer for three minutes cool and add it to your mash.
I am not a "subscriber" person, but I subbed after about 3 videos over a year ago and have enjoyed your videos ever since. I have never distilled, but I love the data and who knows...
If I am going to be using a pot still with a thumper tank/keg on. Where is the most critical point to measure temperature? The pot itself, the thumper tank/keg or maybe both? Been through most of your backlog but have not come across this.
