How to wind a perfect coil condenser.

[Bushman]

I thought I would revive this thread as I made a small discovery. I have used this method with a lot of success making both 1/4 and 3/8" coils. I have not been able to do it with the 10' - 1/4" copper from lowes without salt. Yesterday I rolled 2 coils from some 1/4" tubing that was marked fro refrigeration that I was able to get at a reasonable price. The first one I added salt as per the ones I have made in the past. The person I am making it for wanted it a bit longer than I usually do so I added 3 more raps. This has been a bugger to clean so I decided since it was a bit different copper that I would try without salt. It worked great, the reason the refrigeration copper is a bit softer and doesn't kink as easily as the other. Both turned out nice but the latter took a lot less work. The basic difference between them is that the one without salt does flatten a bit but not much and will not effect it's performance. The diameter difference between them the one with salt is 1-7/8" while the one without is 1-5/8". Hope this helps anyone about to attempt a double condenser coil.

[Denis Zen]

Being an ex hvac guy I got used to bending crazy configurations of copper line and recently building a distiller I thought I would share some of my experience and knowledge.

When making a coil for a condenser believe it or not sand is going to be your best friend.

The way it works is from the inside. The pressure from the bend is displaced evenly amoungst the grains of sand lessoning the chance for catastrophic failure.(a kink in the line. )

"Bending coils or springs" control or disperse the pressure on the outside of the pipe which allows for internal collapse.


What you do is you take the length of copper pipe and you plug one end and tape it closed, now FILL the pipe (FULL!) with small grain sand. Cap the "fill side" end so the sand doesnt leak out. This will allow you to bend and form the copper pipe without it folding in half on you and kinking.

If you start to suffer a kink you are trying to get to sharp of bend or you dont have enough sand in the pipe but dont panic as you can tap it out with a rubber mallet.

USE SILVALLOY TO BRAZE YOUR PARTS.
You can find this at hvac supply stores or on line.

Lead has a way lower flash point and will contaminate whatever it touches when heated.

BE PATIENT AND SLOW *** FORMING YOUR RADIUS GRADUALLY AS YOU GO AND NOT TRYING TO BEND THEM INTO PLACE IMMEDIATELY. THE SLOWER YOU GO THE BETTER THE BEND.

If you get to a point where you can not bend the pipe anymore because of the pressure within, dump a little of the sand out shake the pipe so as to redistribute all of the sand evenly and continue with your bend.

This works on all size pipes.

You should be able to make a nice coil if you take your time.

Good luck!

[Bushman]

The finer the sand the better, I did switch from salt on my first coil to silica sand used for sandblasting.

[EDP_80]

New guy here beginner lvl 0 when it comes to distilling, but when it comes to making it happen I’m a solid lvl 3. Just an idea has anyone annealed the copper tubing before you start to bend it? The annealing process should make the tube more flexible easier to bend! The amount of pressure that it would have to handle is only tap pressure it should not be an issue. It could just kink and not roll at all. If any one has any scrap tubing and you try it please let me know how it works out!

[Saltbush Bill]

Most people buy a coil of pre annealed copper tube for the job.....without annealing it would be all but impossible.

[Rumhead]

I just wound my first double coil for a VM build. No prior experience with metalwork. If i can do it, you can too. I followed this guide but took a 22mm metal pipe 40cm long, drilled three holes in it and zip tied the 6,3mm or 1/4" fuel pipe to the 22mm pipe. It was tough on the hands, really tough on the arms but it is very possible to do.

Took just a bit more than 30 min. First bend and coil together with the last bend was the hardest by far.

If the pipe is bought in a flat coil, don't wind it up before you start winding the coil, let it be coiled and work with the coil.

[Bushman]

This is probably the best thread on how to wind a coil. Members have used other material besides salt. I had problem with water on a few that I wrapped do to air pockets. Silica sand worked best for me.

[ecir54]

Built multiple 1/4 and 3/8 copper condenser coils over the years. Done by hand around a pipe with a roll of refrigeration tubing. The tubing stays round without having to use anything on the inside. Now with the presentation of using ccst I don't bother anymore, you can have a coil done in a matter of minutes.

60" CCST version for 3" pipe.

[ThomasBrewer]

Ecir - How does that work in practice? That looks quite small.

[ecir54]

picture is deceiving this one fits in a 3" pipe at top of LM nixon stone rig with a 2" column. 60" CCST can knock down allot of power with less than a liter per minute, very efficient, overkill on this rig.

[Bee]

How do you fill a coil of 1/4" copper tube with salt/sand?

[Dancing4dan]

How do you fill a coil of 1/4" copper tube with salt/sand?

Does not need to be filled to form it. The C in CSS is for corrugated. Those ribs help it retain its shape and prevents kinking.

[Salt Must Flow]

How do you fill a coil of 1/4" copper tube with salt/sand?

I crimp one end closed. I unroll the tubing to make it reasonably straight. I tape a funnel to the open end and pour salt into the copper tubing. It helps if you elevate the open end, like get up on the roof of a house or something like that. It helps the salt make its way all the way down easier. It also helps to jiggle the tubing too.

What diameter is your column? I used 5/16" to make a double wound coil for my 3" column.

[Bee]

What diameter is your column? I used 5/16" to make a double wound coil for my 3" column.

2".
Was gonna use 1/4" tube.

[Salt Must Flow]

What diameter is your column? I used 5/16" to make a double wound coil for my 3" column.

2".
Was gonna use 1/4" tube.

1/4" is appropriate for a 2" column. I was just curious just in case you had a larger diameter column.