Still Design - Is this all OK?

[Joeka101]

I have never built a still before but am keen to do so.

My design is basically Bokabob's / Pikluk's but I had to convert all the measurements to millimetres and change a few things because of local availability (in the UK).

Can some of the pro's have a quick look over this please and tell me if it all looks ok to go ahead? Ive been reading this site and many others until my head hurts but figured an expert opinion is needed!

Also, does anyone know any useful suppliers in the UK? Just so you all know, all the copper seems to cost about 3 x more here than in the US!!

Many regards,

Joeka101

[duds2u]

Looks like my original one. Just make sure there is a ventilation hole in the end cap for safety and insulate the column. I used air conditioning pipe insulation. You can solder the slip coupling on to the column and then seal the condenser side of the joint with PTFE tape.

[Joeka101]

Cheers duds2u, I was wondering about the soldering.

Also, is the reflux ratio is changed by altering how much liquid is drawn off and also the flow rate in the condenser? Should i just follow the guidance for a generic reflux still?

Thanks!

Joeka101

[duds2u]

In a Bokabob the amount reflux is controlled by the take off. That's why you need the needle valve.
As for running the still the guidance for a generic is pretty close. Each still has their own pecularities though and you won't find them until you have built it and run it a couple of times.

[Hawke]

That is Identical to the way I put my 3" version together. Just made a 'pot' run with just the head on top of the boiler. Left plenty of flavor in my UJSM. When I ran the reflux, I got as high as 93.5% abv and the cuts were real sharp.

As for controlling reflux: Simply a matter of takeoff rate. I have a contol valve on the discharge side of the condenser, set it to where the output is just a little warmer than the input and forget it. (don't put a shutoff on the input side, control water from the output so as not to get air trapped in the condenser)

[Joeka101]

Cheers. One other thing... Whats the best was of attaching the plastic tubing for the water input and output to the copper piping? Im thinking of using hosepipe, which has an inner diameter of 12.5mm and a reducer to expand the 8mm at the top of the condenser to 12mm, then using a screw clamp thing to seal the hosepipe onto this. Can the copper stand the strain of being clamped?

Regards,

Joeka101

[Hawke]

No problem on using hose clamps.

Edited to add:
You could also just use tubing that fits your condenser, then use a barb to hose adaptor. That would cut down on the amount of weight pulling on the top of the column.

[tracker0945]

As for controlling reflux: Simply a matter of takeoff rate. I have a contol valve on the discharge side of the condenser, set it to where the output is just a little warmer than the input and forget it.

I found with mine that I have to run the condenser discharge quite hot otherwise as the take off is reduced, the reflux rate naturally increases which results in an increase in liquid (of a cool temp) returned down the packing which causes a drop in temp within the column.
If I maintain a hot condenser (just enough to condense the vapour) I can fiddle with the take off rate without upsetting the equilibrium within the column.
Cheers.

[manu de hanoi]

make sure the needle valve can be plugged inside the 8mm output pipe. Most valves I get here have 8mm fitting which means they plug nicely in a 10 mm pipe.

[guerrila distilla]

just one thing i noticed. going on advice from other people, a 3kw powered boiler may be too much for the column. i use a 1.5 kw boiler and that works just fine on full power. 3kw may result in ethanol vapour being produced faster than the condenser can condense it all and the only way it can go is into the amosphere. this has 2 problems. firstly you waste your precious ethanol. secondly, you are potentially creating a vapour bomb. remember hot ethanol has quite similar properties to hot petrol and it ignites just as easily in a vapour form. as duds2u said, make sure you have a vent hole ( after the condenser). a sealed or blocked still has sent many an inexperienced (and experienced) moonshiner to the great pub in the sky. apart from that the design looks good.

Also, make sure you're thermometer isn't sitting in the cold refluxed liquid. maybe it would be better to put it below the bottom plate as once the vapour passes the packing it has very little time/resistance to cool it down much more and the extra centimetre lower will make very little difference to your readings. i've seen a few designs recently where the thermometer is 2/3 up the column siting in the packing. maybe a more experienced user could explain better the reasons for this.

i'm from the uk as well, i know what you mean about the materials here. a lot more expensive here. if you're looking for tubing/valves, i've used maccmodels.co.uk before. they're a steam model shop and they sell copper/stainless tubing up to 3" as well as a huge variety of sheet metals (even brass sheet), small gauge valves and lots of other useful bits. they're not the cheapest but i can't find anywhere else with a selection like that. a shop on ebay is selling t316 stainless steel tubing which is food grade, in 2" to 3" diameters for £15-£18 a metre. they do sell in smaller lengths as well and they are advertised as custom exhaust tubing.they're already polished to a mirror finish and are ready to use. the same shop also sells flanges at a good price. you'll find a lot of materials in the strangest places. have a look around and see what you can find. i was dropping some rubbish at the tip yesterday and noticed a 30l stainless steel immersion heater with a t316 stamp on it. after pleading with the guy from the tip he let me have it for a tenner. the perfect boiler (well, nearly, if it was copper i'd still be hopping around now ). if you do use stainless steel make sure it is food grade steel. i only found out a few weeks ago that not all stainless is good for our uses (thanks hookline).

anyway, good luck with the still and let me know if you can find some good sources over here.