Full or pony keg?

Simple pot still distillation and construction with or without a thumper.

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D-Weasel
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Full or pony keg?

Post by D-Weasel »

Ok, I've tried the search option but I keep coming up with about 7,800 results. So not a lot of help there for me. I'm sorry if this has been posted and answered before.

I'm looking to build a pot still and have access to full size, pony (short fat) and 1/4 (tall skinny). I was thinking of using the short fat pony keg since I don't see myself doing more than 3-5 gallons at a time but wanted some input from experienced people. Are there any issues I should know about, such as stabilization or others that I should take into consideration?

Thanks for any help I can get
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MichiganCornhusker
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

15.5 gallon half barrel keg will give you more head space, just as easy as the shorty to work with, and when you find you want to do larger runs you will be all set. And then you will still have the shorty for a thumper.

Use tall skinny for storing low wines.
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ShineRunner
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by ShineRunner »

Depends on how you're heating it. When using electric, a short, fat 1/4 barrel has the same minimum fill requirements as a full keg in order to cover the element. But it doesn't generally have the ability to fill enough to cover the element throughout the run.

A full size keg is the most versatile.

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D-Weasel
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by D-Weasel »

Does the amount of headspace make a noticeable difference? And is electric the preferred way of heating keg stills?
xyz123
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by xyz123 »

D-Weasel wrote:Does the amount of headspace make a noticeable difference? And is electric the preferred way of heating keg stills?
That depends on what you are running, for washes prone to foam (molasses, ag, not dry sugar washes) it pays to have headspace so the still does not puke.
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still_stirrin
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by still_stirrin »

Dweasel,

Don't overlook your future plans now when planning a build. A 15.5 gallon keg is the right size for a hobby distiller's boiler, especially when electric powered. It would be well worth the investment to plan in that direction. You can do boils with as little as 5 gallons up to 10-12 gallons (reserved for headspace).

And the shorty 1/4 barrel is ideal for use as a thumper as well. Tall 5 gallon kegs work for thumpers, but the short, fat kind are more stable when connected to the piping network.

If you have access to all these types, plan ahead....you WILL increase your boiler charge in the future...it's a safe bet. That way you won't have to upgrade in the future (near as soon).
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D-Weasel
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by D-Weasel »

Thanks, I think I'll go with the full size. No I just need to decide between electric or propane. I still have a lot of research to do. Thanks
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Truckinbutch
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by Truckinbutch »

15.5 boiler and thumper are going to be the most versitile choices . I prefer propane heat and many others swear by electric . Apples vs oranges . Which fruit do you prefer ?
You can always load less in kegs . Hard to poke 10 gallons in a 5 gallon boiler .
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jb-texshine
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by jb-texshine »

+1 for propane.
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

+1 for electric. Run from your couch.
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jb-texshine
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by jb-texshine »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:+1 for electric. Run from your couch.
Add couch to shop...win,win!
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Deo Vendice

Never eat Mexican food north or east of Dallas tx!
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

jb-texshine wrote:
ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:+1 for electric. Run from your couch.
Add couch to shop...win,win!
Sorry, I meant from your 80 degree temp controlled living room with your favorite house shoes in front of your big screen tv, kitchen adjacent, couch.

It's 25 degrees here and a blizzard fight to get to my shed today. We ain't all from Texas :lol:
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Truckinbutch
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by Truckinbutch »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:
jb-texshine wrote:
ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:+1 for electric. Run from your couch.
Add couch to shop...win,win!
Sorry, I meant from your 80 degree temp controlled living room with your favorite house shoes in front of your big screen tv, kitchen adjacent, couch.

It's 25 degrees here and a blizzard fight to get to my shed today. We ain't all from Texas :lol:
Yep , but I wouldn't find nothin wrong with it if we was :crazy:
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Sorry, I should have said, we don't all have the luxury of being from Texas :D

Moved there for a while. Wish I had outdoor stillin temps year round.
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by Blarney Stoned »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:Sorry, I should have said, we don't all have the luxury of being from Texas :D
Another reason to seek shelter beyond the borders of New Joyzee. :thumbup:
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Blarney Stoned wrote:
ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:Sorry, I should have said, we don't all have the luxury of being from Texas :D
Another reason to seek shelter beyond the borders of New Joyzee. :thumbup:
Ha. I moved here from Arkansas, and am originally from Florida. This southern boy don't say Joyzee :lol:
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by Blarney Stoned »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:
Ha. I moved here from Arkansas, and am originally from Florida. This southern boy don't say Joyzee :lol:
From heaven into the jaws of hell.

Condolences sent !!!! :)
The Baker
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by The Baker »

Shineon said,'It's 25 degrees here and a blizzard fight to get to my shed today.'.

We've had about three days of 45-47 degrees CELSIUS maximum and not much less at night, visiting relations and living in a rented house with an old evaporative air conditioner that made it nearly bearable.
Turned cold overnight and today was 22 degrees maximum.
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by Kugeo »

Just my $0.02, but I like the tall 1/4 as a thumper mainly because it's exactly the same height as the 1/2 keg. Makes setup a breeze because you don't have to elevate the thump keg or run more copper than necessary. Here's my setup, and aside from scorching the thump keg with a torch a couple of weeks ago, it's been working great. I have 2" copper going over to the thump, with 1" coming out to the condenser. Copper mesh in the 2" leaving the boiler and again in the 1" leaving the thumper, and I've been able to pull 90% on a slow spirit run. Which leads me to another question that I'm going to post in a new thread...
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nuntius01
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Re: Full or pony keg?

Post by nuntius01 »

i run a half barrel 15.5gal as my boiler with a 5500w element. takes an hour to heat 12 gal of mash to temp. i use a sixth barrel as my thumper.
I'm just the bank and the mule

post your still pics here
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 16&t=66917
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