I need a Liebig pump that runs off a 12v car battery, help?

[BoredInAlaska]

I've been reading a few hours a day for a week and I still cant choose which pump to order, we have one store in my location and I'm not good at ordering stuff I don't know about online, at this point I'm very frustrated and confused. It has to run off a car battery and hook up to a garden hose so I can distill away from electricity. I don't want a worm, the ground is too uneven to deal with all that. Can someone recommend a pump for me to order? I've found this one but it seems overpowered but it's the cheapest one that comes with clips for the battery I've found. Would it drain my battery too fast?

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-d ... gJ3ofD_BwE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[NZChris]

You didn't give us much info, so don't expect great answers.

When off grid, I control the condensate temperature using a solenoid controlled by a 12V temperature controller, gravity fed out of a reservoir which I top up by bucket or with a tiny 12V pump. That system uses as little water as possible without me manually changing the flow for every little change in the heat from the fire.

[Yummyrum]

Like NZChris said , you haven‘t given us much to go by .How much the pump needs to pump will depend predominantly on how much heat you throw at the boiler . Then there is the question of how cold is your coolant water ? How efficient is your condenser ?

So most of these questions can be hard to give answers to .
But as a general rule , you will need about 6-10 times the coolant flow to condense the product .
So.. if your gas burner or fire is producing an output stream of 10 liters an hour ( a pretty typical fast stripping rate ) , then your pump will be needing to push typically 60 - 100 liters an hour through the condenser .

On a spirit run you’d be running maybe 1-2 liters per hour ..... so your pump would be needing to pump somewhere between 6-20 liters per hour .

This is all based on lugging a few 20 liters of wash through the bush and maybe a 50 liter keg .
Again .... we got know Idea about the scale you are talking about .

So getting back to your harbour freight pump . It can do 290g/h ... thats over 1000liters / hour ..... so this implys to me that that pump is about 10 times more powerful than it probably needs to be to do a typical distilling job .

Now another thing I noticed is it draws ( at full power ) 9.4 Amps ...... now that is going to suck the guts out of a typical car battery and running flat out for several hours would most likely kill a good battery pretty quickly .

So guess what I’m saying is its the wrong pump for what I imagine you are trying to do .

[BoredInAlaska]

I'll be running a pot still column on a 15.5 gallon keg, I'd be using propane but I'm unsure as to the BTUs as I haven't ordered one yet so I'm not sure what the heat output will be during a 10 gallon stripping run. I want to order all the stuff at once. I won't be only stilling near the creek but in my backyard when I'm lazy with a 50 gallon water reservoir.

[NZChris]

I won't be only stilling near the creek but in my backyard when I'm lazy with a 50 gallon water reservoir.

If that is your only water and you want to recirculate it, that is a different question again. You might have to get clever with how it's plumbed, flow control, and how efficient your condenser is. My setups use very efficient condensers and the hot water is dumped, used to make up the next ferment, wash the dishes, etc..

[CuWhistle]

It's a 50 Watt pump so running on 12 Volts it will be pulling about 4.2 Amps. A car battery will generally run 45 amp hours from fully charged so you could expect to run that pump for maybe 10 hours. If you have sunlight a small solar panel will extend it. This is best case scenario and you may not get the full 10 hours. A bigger battery may run it for longer but you'd have to test it to see the actual V theoretical.

[decoy]

The pump you provided a link to should work but it is dependent on how and with what it is used.
If you are just recirculating water and the only pressure imparted will be that of the head head height, than that will work.

Most sellers will provide a chart like this, to show how many L/ per Hour at what head height.

Your site only has basic info 290 G p/hr at 0 head height, then it jumps to 0G at 40ft..

This is how you work out head height, if you are pumping from a bore where the level can change dramatically you need to take that change into consideration.

different_head_flow.gif (9.03 KiB) Viewed 2238 times

I use a 12v Diaphragm pump like this to feed multiple 1/4 and 3/8 condenser coils through a transmition radiator.
You do not need very high PSI, you need to balance flow v pressure to suit your needs.
Pump power consumption is proportional to the pressure and flow rate needed.
you can also add a DC speed controller to control flow rate.

here is an ebay search link:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... &_osacat=0

[decoy]

Do not use a standard car battery cranking battery, although better then a car batter dont even use a heavy duty marine, they will flatten very quickly and can be damaged easy.
In order of preferance, use a Lithium ION, AGM or Gel cell.

You can put a battery pack together from scrounged bits from scrap and E-Recycle yards.
Also try your local classifieds like Craigs list.

For Li-ion: very light and you can run them 100% flat without damage
old laptops drills etc.. 18650 are common as.

Gel Cell's: heavy and can only be discharged to %50
are very common From UPS's.

AGM's; heavy and can only be discharged to %50
Talk to your local Battery Trader, they have 2nds for about $1 and AMP/hour

[Sunshineer]

Try marine boat supply store bilge pumps will work better at a much lower drain on your battery and lower cost also.

[heynonny]

I used a $50 bilge pump for 7 8 9 years, dropped & broke it. Newer models, so no parts replacement. bought a new one ($70 now). Run off a battery charger. High (relatively) current till primed, then current comes waay down. Made to be underwater. doesnt prime itself. its about 3" 4" above water tank. I have to 'suck' on the discharge hose to prime it.

Remember, bilge pumps are designed to keep your $100.000,00 boat from sinking = very dependable!

-hey-

[Single Malt Yinzer]

I use a gravity feed. Doesn't need a pump. I have a 15 gallon tote at 8' with a 1/2" weldless fitting and then a 1/2" brass barb. Fed it down to the condenser and then that output to two 5 gallon buckets. Once the one bucket is part full switch buckets and pour the old bucket into the supply tote. Even at full heat it proved more than enough pressure to do the job. I controlled the output at the end of the hose before it went into the bucket so there was no air in the system. When you fill the system keep the end of the output hose above the height of the output of the liebig the air will push out. I ended up getting a pump to move from the bucket to the supply tote as it was easier than dumping buckets. The pump is only on when the water level is up to conserve energy. If you're trying to do electric free a hand pump might work. I've never used one so I can't say water volume/effort. This water never touches the product so any pump will do.

Also with this system if the water gets too warm you can dump cold water in at any point to cool it down. With my 13g still I had to do this for stripping runs sometimes (5500w). For my 5g alembic still I never ran through more than 5-6g of water even at full heat(1000 watts).

[LWTCS]

Inverter ( 12v to 120v) could work too.
Can think of dozens of other uses for the inverter too. So might not be a bad investment, and also you wouldn't have to worry bout a pump that only runs on DC / lower voltage.

[hpby98]

Solar circulation pump - little head but that can be compensated for by raising your cooling loop water to match head height

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00QA8D6XE/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Plus *unlike* pond pumps it can handle the heat as it’s designed for high-temperature water

[NZChris]

Do not use a standard car battery cranking battery, although better then a car batter dont even use a heavy duty marine, they will flatten very quickly and can be damaged easy.
In order of preferance, use a Lithium ION, AGM or Gel cell.

You can put a battery pack together from scrounged bits from scrap and E-Recycle yards.
Also try your local classifieds like Craigs list.

For Li-ion: very light and you can run them 100% flat without damage
old laptops drills etc.. 18650 are common as.

Gel Cell's: heavy and can only be discharged to %50
are very common From UPS's.

AGM's; heavy and can only be discharged to %50
Talk to your local Battery Trader, they have 2nds for about $1 and AMP/hour

I'm using an old car battery that had spent several years in my boat until the one time it let me down on the water. With a small solar panel charging it 24/7, it has no trouble controlling my Liebigs using a solenoid and/or a pump, never getting to below the green on my battery tester after a run.

[NineInchNails]

You didn't give us much info, so don't expect great answers.

When off grid, I control the condensate temperature using a solenoid controlled by a 12V temperature controller, gravity fed out of a reservoir which I top up by bucket or with a tiny 12V pump. That system uses as little water as possible without me manually changing the flow for every little change in the heat from the fire.

That's a slick sounding setup.

I'm not sure if your system is automated or not, but if it isn't, this is an option I have considered in the past. If you don't mind a pump running nonstop, you could install an overflow in your elevated reservoir that drains down to a reservoir sitting on the ground. The pump would constantly pump water from the lower reservoir, keep the upper reservoir full while continuously overflowing back down to the lower reservoir. Your 12v temp controller can turn your solenoid on and off as needed to feed water through your condenser. Basically ... the only difference would be your pump would run nonstop, but you'll never have to worry about refilling the elevated reservoir manually or manually turn on the pump.

I know of at least 2 different styles of overflows that can be easily and inexpensively constructed out of PVC fittings in the links below. Both are silent in operation, neither create a siphon, both function equally well, but the Durso Standpipe is easier to make. The attached drawing is missing a valve to control water flow through the condenser:
Durso Standpipe
Stockman Aqua-Silencer

There's a lot different ways to automate your water setup, but the overflow would be the most simple way. You could have 2 float switches to turn your pump on and off to keep the elevated reservoir filled within a certain range.

My thought on the drawing below is ... if I'm going to have a pump running nonstop ... I might as well keep it simple, run water through the condenser and bleed off excess flow using a bypass.

[Single Malt Yinzer]

I use a similar setup to what you have there but I use a float switch to control flow versus a overflow. You can control the top water level and then it turns off when it reaches the low level. No use wasting energy with leaving the pump on all the time.

Here's an example - there's plenty more out there:
https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Pump-92 ... B013K33QQI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[NineInchNails]

I use a similar setup to what you have there but I use a float switch to control flow versus a overflow. You can control the top water level and then it turns off when it reaches the low level. No use wasting energy with leaving the pump on all the time.

Here's an example - there's plenty more out there:
https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Pump-92 ... B013K33QQI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

There are micro float switches for as low as $3.00 to $10 or so. 12v or even 110v versions are available. The lowest prices I saw in a quick search is on eBay.

[NZChris]

Unless a condenser is undersized for the job is has to do, it doesn't need constant flow. A pump or solenoid can be switched on and off using a cheap controller like a W1209 12v Temperature Controller with the thermocouple measuring the condensate output temperature.

I use two systems. Both have output water that is too hot to hold your finger under and probably too hot to recycle using a cheap submersible pump, but because the controllers maximize the efficiencies of the Liebigs, the amount of water going to waste isn't enough for me to worry about. In summer I run it out to a dry part of the garden, in winter it goes under the bananas.

One controls water into a 3 gallon reservoir above the Liebig. The reservoir acts as a weir, smoothing the on/off effect.

The other has a reservoir above the Liebig, feeding via a solenoid.