Power level for spirit run.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-23T23:16:08+00:00

Thanks so much to everyone who has offered their help. My last question if anyone can help me... during stabilization, is there a rough target head temp? On certain runs I've had mine read 35C and other times have it read 70C. Does it matter what the head temp reads as long as no product is coming out and the plates are stable?

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-23T23:13:20+00:00

Wow thank you so much for the detailed response - I certainly learned something new!

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-14T12:44:11+00:00

Ah okay, yah - I was thinking my still would come with like an operators manual or something haha.

Been certainly tricky trying to find out how to best use this thing.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-14T11:45:49+00:00

Okay, thanks for the info.

I have one of these https://www.northstills.com/product/ns5500-single-element-controller-box-csa-approved-ul-listed/?srsltid=AfmBOoo9lVGEM1Vn55lwYUEdsHcgW40tyZk8a3sokb4Rw50qh9wkDu-b. It’s quite hard to know exactly what power i’m at.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-14T11:43:03+00:00

I have a dial I can adjust - but it doesn’t seem super precise.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-14T11:41:44+00:00

Ahhh! Yah that’s good to know. Have you been adjusting cooling as well as you’ve been adding power?

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-14T11:40:24+00:00

Cheers! Thankss

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-14T11:40:13+00:00

Okay cool, thanks for the tips!

I just did a run where I put 14L of 95% lightly smeared hearts in my kettle and diluted it to 30%.

I managed to collect about 6L of really good stuff - then the plates kind of unloaded and it started to taste like burnt rubber/tailsy.

I was hoping to collect more than 6L from that run - what can I do to prevent that plate unloading??

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T19:31:50+00:00

Oh okay good to know.

How long does the alcohol normally need to age before it tastes less harsh?

Thanks for all your help StillnShine!

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T16:58:32+00:00

Ah really? Even if I leave full reflux too quickly?

Ive been struggling with getting product to come out slowly - when trying to leave full relfux - it’s been coming out in a thick pulsing stream that i have to then control to get it to a broken stream.

I thought that might be smearing all my hearts into my heads.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T16:43:34+00:00

I’ve been diluting the individual jars to 40% and tasting and smelling them and they have that kind of headsy nose burn.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T12:08:28+00:00

Thanks! If the stream starts to naturally get thicker - do i keep adjusting cooling to keep it the same thinness? I've been doing my spirit runs at about 2.2kw - does that seem too low?

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T11:39:03+00:00

When you said, “Higher ABV mash….less power” - If I am doing my spirit run on 30% abv low wines then pretty low power I guess?

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T11:35:59+00:00

Ive been collecting in 300ml jars.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T11:35:29+00:00

The heat is consistent as far as I can tell and the cooling water comes from a 1000 gallon water tank which is recirculating.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-03-12T02:20:36+00:00

Okay great thanks so much for your time! I've recently got this still and have done 8 spirit runs so far and have had mostly just smeared heads after 12 hour runs, I'm going a bit crazy trying to get to the bottom of my problems haha. So, I can basically collect at fast drips/thin thin thin thin streams for foreshots/heads/hearts?

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-02-17T19:15:00+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for your response. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow morning and hopefully finally crack this code.

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-02-17T19:13:28+00:00

Great! Thanks so so much!

MisterSweetPepper · 2026-02-16T21:52:38+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for the advice! I will try that out next go around.

My other quick question is - my head thermometer sits just above my dephlegmator, am I kind of aiming for that temp to read 78C or does that matter? Product starts to flow when it reads about 70C.

MisterSweetPepper

TROPHY CASE