5 Gallon Keg

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Ferthy
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5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Still in the researching phase of building my still. My plan is to make a pot still with a 5 gallon boiler. Originally, I was planning on buying a nice SS stock pot. However, now the more I think about it, and have money that I can start using to buy supplies, I have been thinking more and more of buying a used keg. Now a 1/2, and even a ,1/4 barrel is bigger than what I have room for or can heat properly. My question is would a slim 5 gallon keg with a Sanke top work well? I have seen old posts of people using Corny kegs and others have spoken out against using those. I have found it very difficult to find any sort of keg in my area aside from 5 gallon kegs or Corny's.

Also I plan on using an internal 1500w heating element to heat my still.
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bitter
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by bitter »

My worry is the shape. It would be unstable and easily knocked over. Ideally why no go with a 15g keg?

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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by rad14701 »

A 5 gallon boiler charge will take ~1 hour to bring up to temperature using a 1500W element...

Virtually any stainless steel vessel can be made into an adequate boiler... All of mine are made from stock pots in 2, 3, 4, and 7.5 gallon sizes... The 3 and 7.5 can be run on either gas or electric at 120V or 240V... I may have a lead on an old unused 15.5 gallon keg from a friend of a friend that would also be modified for 240V electric...
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by still_stirrin »

A 1/6 barrel (5 gallon) keg will work OK. But you'll be limited on the type of electric element you can use because of the diameter. A short 1/4 barrel would be better both for stability and footprint, again so you could use a 4500 or 5500 watt ultra low watt density element. A 30-liter keg is slighty larger diameter than a 1/6 barrel and slightly taller too.

But, what ever size you choose, the stainless keg is a great foundation to build upon. Stock pots work (I even have one), but the keg boiler is solid, "right-sized", and easy to maintain.

I contracted my welding to a professional and it was an investment (not cheap). The triclover welds are sanitary and will last forever. Incidently, I have 2 elements (4.5kW each) that run on 120VAC. That effectively lowers the watt density even more, so running washes that aren't clear is no worry to scorch.
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Ferthy
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Bitter

Yeah that was a thought I had. Though if I needed to I could make you some sort of support stand. My thought also was that the tall and skinny shape might make it a little more difficult to heat, but maybe insulating it might help with that. One of the reasons I'm looking to keep my boiler on the low size is that I don't have room on my electric box to add anything capable to heat a 15 gallon keg. Also don't have the space to store all the shine one of those would produce. I have thought of giing with a 1/4 keg as that is only a little larger than a sixer.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by StillerBoy »

Quarter keg would be the best way to go.. they are about 10 1/2" wide by about 22" high.. not much bigger than a corny keg, and there are a lot more choices for elements..

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Ferthy
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Thanks for the input everyone. I think what I will plan on doing is keep an eye open for a 1/4 keg. Currently, I only will be able to run a 1500w element. However the wife and I plan on building a smaller house later this year with a 200amp box. Though we will only need about half of that amperage due to the size of the house. That should give me enough room to have a dedicated cicuit or two to run the still more effectively down the line. If I have to right now I will just keep my charges a little lower if heat up time with 1 1500w element is a pain.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by rad14701 »

Ferthy wrote:Thanks for the input everyone. I think what I will plan on doing is keep an eye open for a 1/4 keg. Currently, I only will be able to run a 1500w element. However the wife and I plan on building a smaller house later this year with a 200amp box. Though we will only need about half of that amperage due to the size of the house. That should give me enough room to have a dedicated cicuit or two to run the still more effectively down the line. If I have to right now I will just keep my charges a little lower if heat up time with 1 1500w element is a pain.
You can run a second 1500W element just as long as it is powered by a different circuit that has enough unused amperage... For example, each plugged into a different room supplied by a different circuit breaker or fuse... Keep cord lengths as short as possible...
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Rad yes that was definitely my plan after building our house most likely. However, now I have a wrench in my current plan. I live in the basement of my brother in laws. I was planning on building a house on their property with my wife. We sort of have a family commune with us them my sister in law and mother in law on a large unzoned property. Anyways we are sharing a living space with them. My brother in law just had the idea of building me a small room in his workshop and possibly giving it it's own circuit possibly a 240 volt line for me to distill in peace. I will still stick with a 7.75 gallon keg but now my plan to heat it is most likely up in the air but in a good way.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-93-GALLON-30L ... 2091079026" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Any thoughts on this guy? I have seen a couple older posts with people making stills out of these rubber coated guys using electric of course. Would the European Sankey be a problem?
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

About time I said something. I love my 5 gallon tall and skinny keg. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them. I feel very blessed that I built it first. When you realize that electric heats up, it's efficent. And, only a gallon to cover the element. Zero problems with stability. I used a 1500w, and it came to boil in an hour, and was done in an hour. You can get a 2000w if you have a 20 amp outlet somewhere. Tall and skinny is the best thing I did for a small still.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Well thanks all for the advice. I did some cold hard thinking, a bit of soul searching. I came to the conclusion that right now with my current living conditions with space being a hot commodity, and electrical limitations I should go with a 5 gallon keg. I bought one as well as a ferrule and clamp. Now I have to pick up some 2 inch pipe and fittings to bring it down a 1/2 or 3/4 in worm.
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

You will be happy :lol:
IMAG0558_zps6cc93342.jpg
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
Ferthy
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Nice! How long is your column Shineon? I'm thinking I need to get about 2.5 to 3 feet of 2 inch pipe. And some stuff for a simple power control on fleabay.
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Well, admittedly, I didn't need that much. You only need enough to go over the keg, and over. But i could only get 5 ft sticks, so about 3 ft total in the picture. Maybe 2 ft up, and 6 " sections on the cross over? Anyways, the other 2ft became the shell for my shotgun for my 15 gallon that I built a couple years later.

Oh, and when I started trying to wrap my head around electric and pricing all the parts around flea bay, I just said screw it and got this.

http://stilldragon.com/index.php/diy-la ... oller.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Is everything you need in one order. And it has step by step instructions, and we all can help you, as is standard parts. Headache free. There's a small box one for $37, but you would be surprised how fast you run out of room in those boxes :shock:

Oh, Larry is stand up and a member here. Good to support our own, I say. :thumbup:
"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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Bushman
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Bushman »

This is the 5 gallon still I built for essential oils using a stainless milker I picked up for $30.
image.jpeg
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

It's hard to believe that is 5 gallons. But nice :thumbup:
"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: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Nice bushman. I saw several of those on Craigslist but most were around $100-120. And shineon would that control work well for a 120v 1500w heat element? I looked at one of those but could never find the specs. If so maybe that would be an easy route.
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

That's what you see in the picture. I have bought 2. One is 120, and I built the second 240. Only difference is the gauge of the cord, and the ends, of course.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

True. So I would just need some 12 gauge cord for the inside of the box, and a 120v power cord? Sounds simple enough. And they send the wiring configuration.
Ferthy
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Sorry I just read in your later post about there being instructions. think I'm sold on this power controller. But I'm going to look into it just a bit more since it is completely different than what my plan was.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Shineon if you don't mind me asking. What brand heating element did you use for your 5gal keg still? I'm thinking of going with this one https://www.amazon.com/Camco-02853-Scre ... B000KKVZUO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Which ever one falls off the shelf at Home Depot. But if would be nice to see what a ULWD 1500 would do. That looks cool.
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Re: 5 Gallon Keg

Post by Ferthy »

Yeah I hope it does the trick. I have seen mixed reviews from Homebrewers that use it. I'm going to check quick on the electrical forum to see if anyone has any feedback before I buy it.
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