Heating the Keg

[still_stirrin]

ManicD,

Don't say we didn't warn you. You haven't acknowledged any of the guidance given here...just like the movie...Rogue1.
ss

[Bushman]

I am a little late to the dance but I have a few comments after reading through the thread. On my keg I welded a 1" half coupling to hold my element, if I could do it again I would use the Still Dragon set up just because it gives you and easier way to remove the element without having to remove wiring, etc.
My other thought is three elements need to be placed safely away from each other and with three wires moving and cleaning the keg will be more difficult. I have a 4" column and can actually reach inside my keg, also having a drain port makes it easier (with a drain port you will now have 4 holes in the side or bottom of the keg). Since my drain port is low but not on the bottom I still have to tip my keg to clean it and I wipe it down at the end.

[manicd]

Hi I have listened and shall be going with one element there isn't any ss welders here who i can trust to keep there gobs shut you know the saying "loose lips sink ships" so will prob use the camco job.. please believe me I would rather have it welded..

[NZChris]

As for the STC-1000 when i said reliable i meant mechanically I shall use the reading as a guide to whats happening I know that you get different temps form differnt area's its all gonna be a steep leaning curve one I am going to enjoy especially with all the help I'm getting ..

More like a bumpy road than a learning curve if you try to use an STC-1000. What, exactly, do you think you are going to keep an eye on, and what decisions do you think you might be making based on the numbers?

[Squint]

Hi I have listened and shall be going with one element there isn't any ss welders here who i can trust to keep there gobs shut you know the saying "loose lips sink ships" so will prob use the camco job.. please believe me I would rather have it welded..

If you use that CAMCO adaptor make sore you use a different gasket, I use a ( as The bake said '' Teflon'' ) oven tray to cut out the gaskets,

wrap the element thread with ptfe tape, to be honest there is not any area of the adaptor that comes into contact with the wash if gasket are cut and fitted correctly,

I also dismantle the fitting on a regular basis, also have an adaptor for the drain tap, and there again I dismantle and clean on a regular basis, refit new gasket each time,

if you know a welder you could tell him it is for brewing beer and have a coupling welded on, will save you all the faffing about lI do.

[The Baker]

Squint said,' I use a ptfe oven tray to cut out the gaskets'.

That would be Teflon, right?
Geoff

[Squint]

Right,

[manicd]

my second thoughts the stc-1000 was going to be used as a temp gauge just to help me not to over do the heat until i get used to things
have used them for years but at much lower temps and as been stated there prob not so reliable at higher temps so prob knock that on the head
i have seen some builds with a gauge on the top is that not a good idea?
as for gasket i was going to use cork and ptfe tape but I may have sourced a welder here's hopping .....

[NZChris]

my second thoughts the stc-1000 was going to be used as a temp gauge just to help me not to over do the heat until i get used to things

I thought so, but....
You can't change the temperature of a boiling charge (without changing the pressure). The boiling point is what it is for that %abv and there is nothing you can do about that.

The best position for a thermometer in a pot still is in the charge, because there it tells you the boiling point of the charge and you can use that to calculate it's abv. Even there, you shouldn't be making decisions based on it, you should be keeping records for future reference when making the same product. For the records to be useful the thermometer needs to be accurate to within 0.1 degrees in the temperature range you are distilling at, and STC-1000s are not and are not claimed to be by their manufacturers. They are really useful tools and I have about a dozen here doing various tasks, but none are on a still.

[manicd]

Thanks for that yeah the stc's out the picture and thanks for the very useful info

[rad14701]

Thanks for that yeah the stc's out the picture and thanks for the very useful info

That "info" is just one aspect of the theories and fundamentals that you should already know from what we consider mandatory research... If you didn't know that "info" then there is most likely a whole lot more that you need to know but don't... It's never to late to do the research... You need to know what you need to know before you need to know it...

[manicd]

Sorry if i seem to be diving in blindly but the reason behind the original topic "heating the keg" was that in the UK 1" heaters are hard to come by without special ordering and i wonderd whether or not three small ones was better than one large element and its gone from there
I get idea's and throw them out there this is not a popular sport in the UK therefor no one to chew the fat with so was pleased to find this forum
I have read lots but i thought i would start from the bottom and work my way up so to speak I'm in no rush the "info" gleamed from this has been great and muchly appreciated and brought to my attention some of my bad idea's (stc-1000,camco adaptor and temp gauge) to name a few.....