Little boiler

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Pikey
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Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

Just bought one of these - for a fiver - (Horeca soup kettle)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HORECA-GSK100 ... SwImRYK0WV

Destined to be a little still (pot) with the facility for a gin basket. So i can do "experiments" making a litre or so at a time.
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still_stirrin
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Re: Little boiler

Post by still_stirrin »

I believe the heat element is thermostatically controlled. So you'll likely have to modify the circuit. Perhaps bypassing the controls altogether and using an external control might be the easiest. Food for thought....
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
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Still Life
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Still Life »

That'll never work with that weird electrical plug. LOL
What'cha gonna put on there for a column, etc.?
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

still_stirrin wrote:I believe the heat element is thermostatically controlled. So you'll likely have to modify the circuit. Perhaps bypassing the controls altogether and using an external control might be the easiest. Food for thought....
ss
I expect so ss - same as my tea urn. I will bypass everything and use a power controller I made previously to control the electric. The (wierd) kettle plug will plug into that direct and the lead on the controller will plug into the "Wall".
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

Still Life wrote:That'll never work with that weird electrical plug. LOL
What'cha gonna put on there for a column, etc.?
I think I'll come off with a 2" tri-clamp SL - I already have a stainless VM column in that diameter and a stainless "Pot head" with a Leibig which fits both and some stainless welding sticks for my "Arc" so give me a chance to improve my skills there too.

Also have about 4 metres (13 foot) of 2 " copper I'll probably make a modular "gin head" out of, to fit low in the vapour stream.

Sealing the lid shut is something I'm a little unsure of though. :?
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Still Life
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Still Life »

Yeah I was hoping you had a solution for the lid.
Been wanting to do something like this myself as I've been getting into custom recipes and could stand to spend less on experimental grains.
Post, please, when you find a solution. I want to steal your idea.
At worst ---dough mix and weight on the column/lid.
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

Looking again at the lid flanges on the photos, there seems to be a bottom flange as well as a top flange and a gap of maybe 3/4 " between the bottom flange and the casing. The lid seems to have a depression which might give horizontal stability, so maybe just a little pastry and a slack handful of these would do the trick ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... s&_sacat=0
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

I pick it up tomorrow afternoon :D - Here's a bit more information

https://www.horecaproducts.com/bar-cate ... e-7055010/

If that thermostat trurns up to 95C, I may try it without the bypass first - :?

Also - if it's a "Bain marie" type, it should run on mucky washes / mashes without scorching - shouldn't it ?

Mind you - at that price, I'm tempted to just sell it on again for a profit ! :lol:
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Mikey-moo
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Mikey-moo »

It's only 400W though... so even at just 10l it'll take ages to heat up and run.

I've run from a pot with great temperature control... nothing came out till the boiler till at least 98ºC, but if you're putting 40%abv in to start you'll probably get something out at 95ºC. It'll need some work to be controllable though.

Could be good - let us know how you get on :-)
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

True mikey, but as it's a bain marie - nothing to say the outer has to be filled with Cold water is there ?

INteresting temperatures you quote there mate, my pot starts spewing about where you'd expect - around 77C although not much and the temp rises quickly into the low 80's. But it tkes as long as it takes - I see 5 Litres being the normal charge size (demijohns as fermenters for little batches)

Yes 400 w is not huge but likely to be a pretty relaxed - If I get bored waiting - I won't use it much lol.
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Kareltje »

High five for a fiver!

Soup is not supposed to cook, but a fiver is not much money and you can always use it for brewing.
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Pikey »

True Kareltje :)

So I picked it up and it works. Comes with a full set of instructions :D

in Spanish, Italian, French, German, Greek and even Turkish ! - None of which I speak, but have an 'O' Level in french from forty years ago, so that was what I chewed my way through !

Stuck a chicken carcass in there to cook up for the dog and to test it. Boiling water in the outer, boiling water poured over the carcass and yes it heated. No boil achieved, so if I need to get "Up there" bypass needed.

Couple of irritations - No external handles, so when it's hot you can't really move it. and what looks like a "Hinged lid" is actually a slot in hinge, easily dislocated and the top becomes a hot missile. Then there's a little "Cut out" in the edge of the lid which would prevent a proper seal without a little adaption.

SO what we have is a soup making machine - which does 10 Litres - (Great there's 2 of us) or bypass everything and we could have quite a nice little gin still. or add my power controller (with facility for thermostatic control, which is a leftover from when I thought we could run a pot by temperature) and we could easily have a sensible sized "sous vide" cooker, or more in our line of thinking, a thumper, which could be started at a fairy high temperature and being 10 Litres, might sit quite well on the end of my 25 litre tea urn.

In fact with that thermostat and a little ingenuity connection wise - I see no reason why it can't fulfil All of these functions.
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Re: Little boiler

Post by Squint »

No boil achieved, so if I need to get "Up there" bypass needed
Pikey, is that outer boiler insulated ?
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