Cooker pictures

[Codgerness]

Pics of my cooker

[greggn]

I *think* I know what's going on there but some text would help clarify things.

[Bushman]

That is what you call "in the shed". I have a friend that has a nano brewery in a shed not much bigger.

[Danespirit]

I *think* I know what's going on there but some text would help clarify things.

I also think I know what's going on there..
I'd ditch that plastic funnel and the synthetic hose on the outlet of that worm, though..

[Pikey]

Nope - that coil confuses me. looks like a preheater arragement, but it's the wrong way up. I think it must be for steam from what looks like the worm to heat that top pot. But why then doesn't that thing which looks like the off take from what looks like the worm have a valve ?

If that really is a worm, why is the cooling water so small and have no inlet for fresh water or outlet ?

Why the picture of the gauge, showing needle in the red area between 205 / 210 ?

Why no picture showing a heat source ?

Where does that big tri clamp fit - What are we NOT being shown ?

Lost it completely

[Codgerness]

The beer keg with the flange/ plate on it has a ss coupling welded to it for the discharge of the coolant water through a garden hose. You see that garden hose wrapped around the still hat in one of the pics. This is for a little "reflux action" on the sides of the still hat. The inlet for the coolant water is on the backside of the keg and near the bottom, (as heat rises), where you can't see it, out of view. I have 50' of copper refrigeration coil, (was brand new, out of the box when I built it), 5/8ths i.d., coiled inside of the keg carefully to avoid low spots. I flattened some 3/4" "M" copper pipe and drilled holes in it to thread "tig" welding rod through to secure the 5/8ths copper coil to and keep it separated, all inside of the keg. The temp on the gauge reflects near the end of a run as temperature rises as the alcohol is stripped off. I wouldn't take the numbers to the bank, (not calibrated), but it lets me know what to expect and when. It spits a little around 160deg and then starts coming on a steady drip around 170deg+ which I pitch a healthy amount, (save for solvent in my auto hobby). I would NEVER,NEVER,NEVER!!!! put a valve on a worm or anywhere after the boiler, (distilling101!). You see that garden hose is not wrapped around the hat in the other pictures where the still is on the deck. Hell, I don't know if wrapping it around there does all that good, but what can it hurt anyway!!?? The water is free and cold. I have more than enough exchange. As for the 4" "tri clamp stuff" or "clover fittings", in one of my posts, I said I was "lazy", and when I get a "round tuit", I'm cutting a hole the exact size of the weld neck portion of that flange to fusion weld it in the top of the hat, the piece I cut out will get welded to another 4" flange so as to be able to continue using the still "as is". I have plans for columns, bubbler plates, site glasses, rashing rings, deplalghlamator, coil w/cold finger, and I have some ideas I'd like to try for a "Carter Head I've been kicking around. Where I grew up, there are some very potent "juniper berries" in abundance and it wouldn't take many, (Gin). I heat with and old "Griswould" double propane burner. To bring it up to heat, I hit it with a propane weed burner underneath, then turn it over to the Griswould. I since have put a union to my "parrot" where you see that water grade tubing. I know I should have hade an oak twig stuck in there to drip from. As far as the hammer, I don't do anything without the hammer. I tried to cover all answers/ concerns, and welcome more. I'll try to show my keg/condenser in more detail. I guess I have to show the pics in another post as I don't see that paperclip.

[Codgerness]

4th attempt at downloading more pics to answer some of these questions. Is there a limit to how many? Maybe they are going through and I don't see it. Maybe 5 pictures at a time is the limit? Anyway, I hope this answers your questions or even raises more!!!

[Codgerness]

I have since added castors to the legs for freewheeling and a parrot that allows constant monitoring of the run. BTW that is excess cooling water from my source and NOT ethanol! Just sayin. When I was a youngster, rumor had it that our neighbor up the river lost his house to a fire in his basement due to an "unattended" still. Expensive lesson learned at his expense.

[yakattack]

My first and for most concern is the take off for your likker. Get rid of that tubing. Get or make urself a copper or ss funnel. Put funnel in collection container and container under the output. Otherwise good job

[Codgerness]

Thanks for your comments. The funnels, ect are "food grade" (bought from Midwest Supplies) complete with a screen although one of my favorite is a S.S. version. I haven't noticed any break down or melting of these items, or taste from the high end of the run. I'm mindful of piesining myself or others. Even though there is nothing wrong with the food grade,(NFS),35 gallon trash can I bought from a restaurant supplier you see in the one pic with an aquarium thermometer, I do prefer an all SS round tote with castors that I use. It has a 2" clover fitting near the bottom where I welded a 1/2" nipple off centered in a blind so as to be able to rotate it far or closer to the bottom to adjust the amount of sediment I want to avoid while pumping off the finished beer. Works out good. It is time to try it on a white sugar/rice run. I need to find a good source for amylase asap! Preliminary quantities somewhere in the neighborhood of 40lbs of rice to about 20lbs of sugar. I'm going to study the VSSR(?) rice recipe found on this site that was suggested to me. I'm stressing a little about boiling up that amount of rice into a big sticky glue ball. I like the idea of the paint stirrer. I'm thinking about circulating the lighter stuff back into it with my chugger pump to break it down. The recipe should be my "benchmark" but hoping to adjust consistency with water and sugar while watching the s.g. Help!

[Pikey]

The site has a serious aversion to any form of plastic in the vapour path or at the "High alcohol" end of the process. (with an exception for ptfe) - you Must change that plastic, and collect in glass, or you will never hear the last of it !

{Edit - plastic in fermenters etc is fine as long as it's "Food grade" }

My concern is for the "Lyne arm" connection fron the "Top hat" to the worm. That must be stainless or copper (Preferably copper)

Other than that, I can see the apparent advantage of the hose coiled around the top hat. I'm all for a bit of passive reflux - Do you think it makes a measurable difference to abv ?

[Codgerness]

The plastic tubing left with the addition of the parrot. The Hat is made from an old style double coffee maker. It was the old tall version with site glass. The coffee was heated by means of a water jacket on the outside of that hat you see. The lynn arm is the original piece from the coffee maker that went from the vessel,(now my hat), to the pull valve on the coffee machine. It is a nice machined piece that is silver soldered to the piece that had the pull valve on it which happens to be 1/2" NPT. After this is my makeshift temp gauge in the vapor path. Then it goes to a length of the same 5/8ths tubing I used for the worm. I don't believe anything is coming in contact with anything that it shouldn't. I wouldn't mind looking at your set up to compare notes though. BTW that is a brass nipple, (yellow), leaving the condenser and a brass union between it and the parrot. The union looks just like that one on the beautiful hammered copper Alembic still on the cover page.

[Codgerness]

I haven't ran any test comparisons wrapping the hose around the hat so I really don't know for sure if it is making a notable difference. I've been wrapping a full 50" of that black rubber garden hose tightly around the hat from top to bottom. Even though I have a fairly fast and cold water exchange, I can feel the discharge water and can tell it is picking up heat. It can only help, condensing the vapors on the inside, sides of the hat, letting them drip back down and into the boiler for even a little reflux.