![]() ![]() Once you’re confident that their are no leaks shut down the still, pour out the vinegar solution, give the inside of the boiler, column and condenser another scrub and fully rinse with warm water. Leaks could cause a serious fire hazard when you start running your mash later. If you find a leak fix it before you proceed. Take a moment to check the still for leaks, to do this use a small glass mirror ( I found my wife’s hand mirror works perfect for this ) and check all soldered joints, seals or compression joints. At this point liquid should be exiting the condenser instead of vapour. Step 4 : Run The Condenser – After running the still for 30 min turn the condenser on and start running your still as you would if you were distilling mash. Failure to maintain liquid level will cause heating element to burn out. Because your not running the condenser vinegar vapour will be exiting the still causing the level of vinegar solution inside your boiler to decrease over time. Note 2 : If you’re heating your boiler with an internal element make sure that the element is fully submersed below the vinegar solution during the entire 30 min cleaning process. If this is the case check that the valve is fully open if it is and no steam is passing through it you can try capping the still but make certain the take off valve is fully open so that no pressure is built up within the still. Note 1: If you’re cleaning a Vapor Management (VM) still you may have trouble getting steam to pass through the take off valve. If you’re cleaning a reflux still there is no need to add packing material we are simply trying to clean the column and condenser at this point. You’ll want to do this either in your garage with a window open or outside as you will be producing quite a bit of moisture during the cleaning process. I personally like to leave the condenser turned off during this step as it allows acidic steam to fully clean the entire inside of your still and condenser. Step 3 : Turn On Your Still – Fire your still up and allow the vinegar to boil for 30 min or so. If your using a stove top or propane boiler a gallon should suffice. Step 2: Add Vinegar Solution To Boiler – Fill the boiler with a gallon or two of white vinegar making sure if you’re boiler has an internal element it is fully covered with vinegar, if it’s not add more vinegar. After you have soaked each part of your still for a few hours give the insides a light scrub with a long tube brush. Now give it a rinse out with warm water. ![]() Vinegar is considered a weak acid and does a fantastic job of cleaning copper. Step 1 : Soak the column – Using a 50/50 vinegar water solution soak the condenser, parrot and any other smaller parts in the vinegar solution for a few hours. If you follow these steps you’ll fully remove any contaminants from the inside of your distilling equipment.Ĭleaning Procedure For Newly Built Copper Pot or Column Still To make your life easier I’ve laid out 5 steps to follow when cleaning your home-made copper still. On top of that removing the flux, bit’s of solder and carbon deposits was next to impossible. The first time I built a still I struggled with cleaning the inside, trying to get a brush inside was very difficult. Before you start running your mash through your new still you’ll need to clean it. So you’ve successfully built your own copper still! Hopefully you were able to make use of one of the many home-made still plans I’ve posted. ![]()
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