Cheers from the states, delightful videos, I like how I get to learn things with you, instead of you just being some super expert talking through something s/he's already done 500 times, I feel like the experts have already forgotten the mistakes i’m likely to make myself.
Hey RJ Dieken, thanks for the comments..... I try to style the Vids along the lines of I am learning too so we all can grow together. My next Vid will be making Potato Vodka. It took me so long to make, and then it FAILED.... So, I thought I would still upload it as a lesson and diagnose the problems at the end. The camera work is done, just need to edit the shots and add comments.
It would have sanitized the water killing any contamination from bird droppings and decaying plant matter on the roof, and any algae growth within the tank. I do not use this any more, I have made a very effective water filter - link to video here th-cam.com/video/SNtJI_i8pKE/w-d-xo.html
Hey Mark. This has happened with me before. I tried filtering, running through the fridge filter and I never had a problem free run until I started using filtered spring water from the shop. Might be worth mentioning that before I moved to my present home I was living in a 30 year old home and used the tap water with no problems. When I moved to my present home, the water tasted terrible and smelled like PVC (thus the bottled water) Worth having a look at the Home Distiller Forums. I checked them and this info was there "Add your spirits TO the water, not the water to the spirits, and that should solve y'all's clouding issues. If that doesn't fix it, try varying the temperature of the water used at the time of diluting, also(but ALWAYS ADD THE SPIRITS TO THE WATER, NOT WATER TO THE SPIRITS)"
I realise you've moved on from this, however for anyone else reading these comments in the future... You don't mention if you check pH of your tank water or wash? Municiple tap water pH is usually between 6.0 and 8.0 (neutral to alkaline). Rain water straight from the sky is neutral. Rain water run off from a roof, etc. tends towards acidic. Boiling water moves the pH more towards neutral. If your tank water was acidic to start with (likely, given contaminants from roof), and you added citric acid as part of your normal regime, then the pH could have been way low. * without a buffer, pH naturally decreases during fermentation, so this would explain your fermentation kicking off initially while the yeast is reproducing, then stalling In my experience, checking and adjusting pH during fermentation is important. I add a bunch of crushed and cleaned oyster shells in a stocking to my FV's, which act as a pH buffer (calcium carbonate dissolves as required to maintain a more neutral pH). All other things being equal, a stalled fermentation is, in 95% of cases, one of two things: incorrect temperature or incorrect pH. Correcting these will usually kick fermentation back off after a stall. Grab yourself some oyster shells (or eggshells) and use whatever water you like, or check pH daily and adjust with calcium carbonate or bi carb, and you'll be fine.
Cheers from the states, delightful videos, I like how I get to learn things with you, instead of you just being some super expert talking through something s/he's already done 500 times, I feel like the experts have already forgotten the mistakes i’m likely to make myself.
Hey RJ Dieken, thanks for the comments..... I try to style the Vids along the lines of I am learning too so we all can grow together. My next Vid will be making Potato Vodka. It took me so long to make, and then it FAILED.... So, I thought I would still upload it as a lesson and diagnose the problems at the end. The camera work is done, just need to edit the shots and add comments.
Thanks great tip but what does boiling the tankwater do
It would have sanitized the water killing any contamination from bird droppings and decaying plant matter on the roof, and any algae growth within the tank. I do not use this any more, I have made a very effective water filter - link to video here th-cam.com/video/SNtJI_i8pKE/w-d-xo.html
Hi mate, I've had problems with spirits turning cloudy when adding water I've used tap water and filtered,it docent happen all the time,any thoughts
Hey Mark.
This has happened with me before. I tried filtering, running through the fridge filter and I never had a problem free run until I started using filtered spring water from the shop.
Might be worth mentioning that before I moved to my present home I was living in a 30 year old home and used the tap water with no problems. When I moved to my present home, the water tasted terrible and smelled like PVC (thus the bottled water)
Worth having a look at the Home Distiller Forums. I checked them and this info was there "Add your spirits TO the water, not the water to the spirits, and that should solve y'all's clouding issues. If that doesn't fix it, try varying the temperature of the water used at the time of diluting, also(but ALWAYS ADD THE SPIRITS TO THE WATER, NOT WATER TO THE SPIRITS)"
hi from the states, what is tank water? is that water you collected from rain?
never mind
Yep.... Cheers
I realise you've moved on from this, however for anyone else reading these comments in the future...
You don't mention if you check pH of your tank water or wash? Municiple tap water pH is usually between 6.0 and 8.0 (neutral to alkaline). Rain water straight from the sky is neutral. Rain water run off from a roof, etc. tends towards acidic.
Boiling water moves the pH more towards neutral. If your tank water was acidic to start with (likely, given contaminants from roof), and you added citric acid as part of your normal regime, then the pH could have been way low.
* without a buffer, pH naturally decreases during fermentation, so this would explain your fermentation kicking off initially while the yeast is reproducing, then stalling
In my experience, checking and adjusting pH during fermentation is important. I add a bunch of crushed and cleaned oyster shells in a stocking to my FV's, which act as a pH buffer (calcium carbonate dissolves as required to maintain a more neutral pH). All other things being equal, a stalled fermentation is, in 95% of cases, one of two things: incorrect temperature or incorrect pH. Correcting these will usually kick fermentation back off after a stall. Grab yourself some oyster shells (or eggshells) and use whatever water you like, or check pH daily and adjust with calcium carbonate or bi carb, and you'll be fine.