All Stainless CM Still
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
Nice looking still. Have you ran it yet? My only concern is the condenser being all stainless. Stainless has horrible heat transfer, and I found for my still that I needed to use copper for the condenser.
To answer your question about the auto shut off stuff. There's no doubt that any large distillery has atleast some form of automation. My guess is that someone sits in a control room monitoring everything. Even the micro distillers must have some automation built into them. Most of the people on here get all riled about the whole automation thing, but I find it interesting as well from a hobby point of view. There's no way I would go out an buy a 600 dollar controller, but I have built my own using arduino components. Its not exactly automated, I still have to do the cuts and what not, and I still watch it. But it does what you want. I have 2 temp sensors, one at the top of the column, and one in the boiler. I can set it to turn down the heat input to a predetermined value (say 30%) once the still reaches the boiling point. I can also have it shut itself off at a predetermined temp, say 94* C in the boiler. It will also tell you the guestimated alcohol content of the mash based on the boiling temp of the mash. I will be doing a run with it tomorrow and will post some pictures up in the electrical forum.
To answer your question about the auto shut off stuff. There's no doubt that any large distillery has atleast some form of automation. My guess is that someone sits in a control room monitoring everything. Even the micro distillers must have some automation built into them. Most of the people on here get all riled about the whole automation thing, but I find it interesting as well from a hobby point of view. There's no way I would go out an buy a 600 dollar controller, but I have built my own using arduino components. Its not exactly automated, I still have to do the cuts and what not, and I still watch it. But it does what you want. I have 2 temp sensors, one at the top of the column, and one in the boiler. I can set it to turn down the heat input to a predetermined value (say 30%) once the still reaches the boiling point. I can also have it shut itself off at a predetermined temp, say 94* C in the boiler. It will also tell you the guestimated alcohol content of the mash based on the boiling temp of the mash. I will be doing a run with it tomorrow and will post some pictures up in the electrical forum.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
When I first read your thread I thought the LED would be an indicator to warn of a high pressure condition in the boiler. I see that was incorrect. Now I have some questions.Kraqa wrote:i got the ports in the boiler all tig'd today. pics will follow. the guy who is sharing this build with dropped off some doetch connectors for the control box.
-a 6 pin connector will be for the two boiler thermal probes (liquid temp, steam temp) and a high pressure LED for inside the boiler.
1 What is a "high pressure" LED?
2 How much pressure do you expect to have in the boiler?
3 Why do you want to light the inside of the boiler?
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
I might be able to answer all of those for Kraqa. High pressure was probably a typo, they said high temperature the first time. No pressure should be expected in the boiler.skow69 wrote: 1 What is a "high pressure" LED?
2 How much pressure do you expect to have in the boiler?
3 Why do you want to light the inside of the boiler?
And to answer the third - have you ever looked inside a keg? They're very dark on the inside - a light in the boiler would be great for checking liquid levels, watching for an impending puke with a foamy mash, checking to make sure the keg's clean after rinsing...anything you'd otherwise have to grab a flashlight and awkwardly point it in there to see.
Last edited by carbohydratesn on Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
I would be leery of a light (electrical connection or bulb) in the boiler. Let's see fuel, oxygen, ignition source...Now we have two of the three!
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
They're machining and assembling it to be sealed, if I'm not mistaken...as long as the LED is solidly connected - soldered, hopefully - it'll be perfectly safe, and the potting epoxy they're planning on using is just extra icing on the safety cake. A lot of things would have to go wrong in exactly the right ways for that to become a potential ignition source.
The heating elements most of us use in kegs are more of an ignition hazard.
The heating elements most of us use in kegs are more of an ignition hazard.
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
Got a point there.carbohydratesn wrote: The heating elements most of us use in kegs are more of an ignition hazard.
tp
Caution: Steep learning curve ahead!
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
high pressure wasn't really a typo. for the still there will be no pressure. but i plan on using these LED's for our tanks at work. they run around 30PSI. this LED is designed to operate well above 30 PSI. but in the still application it will only see temperature.
i have abandoned the automation. i'm 100% certain it can be done and for not much money. but in reality. i would never leave a still running un attended so there is no need to put the effort towards that.
about the stainless steel. there are several companies out there who make all stainless stills and condensers and they seam to work fine. i am not recirculating my water so i dont have to worry about maximum heat transfer.
i hope to wire up the control panel this week and do a test run. i have about 10 projects on the go. including running a business. so my time is spread kind of thin.
i have abandoned the automation. i'm 100% certain it can be done and for not much money. but in reality. i would never leave a still running un attended so there is no need to put the effort towards that.
about the stainless steel. there are several companies out there who make all stainless stills and condensers and they seam to work fine. i am not recirculating my water so i dont have to worry about maximum heat transfer.
i hope to wire up the control panel this week and do a test run. i have about 10 projects on the go. including running a business. so my time is spread kind of thin.
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
A good decision to drop the automation, Kraqa..
Of course stainless will work..mine is all SS (except the refluxcondenser).
Never had any problems with it. I should say my column is insulated, so will my boiler be as soon as i have the time for that.
Many professional distillers use stainless, as it is easy to clean and copper rises to hourendous prices these days..
Anyway you should have some copper in the vapourpath, it helps binding the sulfides.
I am anxious to see your LED idea beeing mounted in the boiler..
Of course stainless will work..mine is all SS (except the refluxcondenser).
Never had any problems with it. I should say my column is insulated, so will my boiler be as soon as i have the time for that.
Many professional distillers use stainless, as it is easy to clean and copper rises to hourendous prices these days..
Anyway you should have some copper in the vapourpath, it helps binding the sulfides.
I am anxious to see your LED idea beeing mounted in the boiler..
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Please chime in when you have run this beauty !!
Re: All Stainless CM Still
EXCELLECT FABRICATION WORK !!!!!!!!!!!!
A Paraphrase of a Joe Walsh Album Title, "The Drinkier I get, The Smokier I Play!!"
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
i waterjet the control panel last night. still waiting on parts to wire the panel with.
fancy switches and panduit.
fancy switches and panduit.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Can you say rhetorical?carbohydratesn wrote:I might be able to answer all of those for Kraqa. High pressure was probably a typo, they said high temperature the first time. No pressure should be expected in the boiler.skow69 wrote: 1 What is a "high pressure" LED?
2 How much pressure do you expect to have in the boiler?
3 Why do you want to light the inside of the boiler?
Heating elements are submerged.carbohydratesn wrote:The heating elements most of us use in kegs are more of an ignition hazard.
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
Those don't seem like rhetorical questions to me - they're practical questions that have real, simple answers. And heating elements are mostly submerged - the fire hazard is on the outside.
Can't wait to see the panel, if it's anything like the still it will be a thing of beauty!
Can't wait to see the panel, if it's anything like the still it will be a thing of beauty!
Re: All Stainless CM Still
i'm still missing the pot to control the SSR for the heater.
this is just a dry fit. the box is getting sandblasted and then powdercoated a candy green with silver flake.
i've got way too many projects on the go. lol
this is just a dry fit. the box is getting sandblasted and then powdercoated a candy green with silver flake.
i've got way too many projects on the go. lol
Re: All Stainless CM Still
each PID is a temp read out for a thermal probe somewhere in the still
-boiler bottom
-boiler head (bottom of the column)
-pre shotgun condensor
-post shotgun (before the leibig)
the black buttons are on/off with ilumonated LED rings for each PID
the screen is a digital amp meter for the heater element. the hole below it is for the POT to regulate the current to the element.
the black button next to the main power is for the in boiler LED.
-boiler bottom
-boiler head (bottom of the column)
-pre shotgun condensor
-post shotgun (before the leibig)
the black buttons are on/off with ilumonated LED rings for each PID
the screen is a digital amp meter for the heater element. the hole below it is for the POT to regulate the current to the element.
the black button next to the main power is for the in boiler LED.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Dude, if that was any sexier I'd have wood.
Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! Can we paint flames on the box? Huh? Can we? Oh please! I love flames. Let's paint flames on the box. OK?
I had a RoadRunner once that was candy-apple green metal flake with flames.Kraqa wrote: the box is getting sandblasted and then powdercoated a candy green with silver flake.
Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! Can we paint flames on the box? Huh? Can we? Oh please! I love flames. Let's paint flames on the box. OK?
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Can't wait to see it lit up.
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
Re: All Stainless CM Still
still waiting on my buddy to wire up the panel.
i really want to get this thing up and running.
i really want to get this thing up and running.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
I got it up and running. I packed the column with too much copper. I ran it as a regular pot still with no shotgun and it was huffing out the Leibig badly. I have a hard time believing that my condenser was not able to handle the output. i wasn't pushing alot of heat.
will too much in copper mesh in the column cause this?
will too much in copper mesh in the column cause this?
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
No it won't. Huffing is either caused by too much power input, or the cooling water being too cold.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Packing can't do it. Why do you think you had too much packing?
Were you getting liquid product also or just the huffing?
What did your ammeter show?
How long is your liebig?
How much cooling water flow?
Temperature of the cooling water? In and out.
You should've painted flames on the box.
Were you getting liquid product also or just the huffing?
What did your ammeter show?
How long is your liebig?
How much cooling water flow?
Temperature of the cooling water? In and out.
You should've painted flames on the box.
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
Very nice looking rig. Maybe you flooded your column. If you check some videos out with SPP you can see that the top of the column can splutter quite a lot, 8 inches at least. So leaving a gap or having some kind of liquid restricter helps in those situations, but it probably doesn't apply here since you're using mesh and not much power. I guess if you remove packing and still have the problem you would know its something to do with your liebig.
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Back from the dead. Moved into my new place and going to get this thing sorted.
I also bought some Pyrex glass tubing to build a glass column with plates. Cause I need another project.
I also bought some Pyrex glass tubing to build a glass column with plates. Cause I need another project.
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Re: All Stainless CM Still
Discussion of a glass column won't go over well here as glass is not considered a safe material to work with.Kraqa wrote:I also bought some Pyrex glass tubing to build a glass column with plates. Cause I need another project.
tp
Caution: Steep learning curve ahead!
Handy Links:
The Rules We Live By
GA Flatwoods sez
Cranky's Spoon Feeding For The New Folk
My "Still Tutorial" CM w/PP mods
Handy Links:
The Rules We Live By
GA Flatwoods sez
Cranky's Spoon Feeding For The New Folk
My "Still Tutorial" CM w/PP mods
Re: All Stainless CM Still
Now that is some excellent work sir!! It crosses the line between art and function, congratulations on a primo build.
A Paraphrase of a Joe Walsh Album Title, "The Drinkier I get, The Smokier I Play!!"
Every new member should read this before doing anything else:
Every new member should read this before doing anything else: