@△ TRiANG-ouL's avatar ▽ @Kerokeronim

I have a pot still and reflux still and both are open to atmosphere at all times. You don't want a still to be sealed, that causes explosions, you want the steam to be able to freely go from the boiler through the condenser.

Unless your still is very poorly designed or is somehow very fucked up two things that should never happen are - steam building up or steam escaping the condenser.

Basic diagram of how a pot still works (the machine I'm currently operating), may help you understand what is actually happening by looking inside. Sorry for shoddy quality of image but notice there is no way for it to blow up, it's more like a kettle for boiling water than a pressure cooker.

I do regular checks of the distillate while operating to make sure it's nowhere near boiling temp and also check the pipes before operating to make sure there are no clogs or leaks.

Home distilling is fun, safe, and cheap!
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