Home Distiller

The crimp marks also need to be in the vertical position when the condenser is assembled and in use......horizontal crimps will or can lead to pooling and smearing. Just now saw this and have no idea what you're trying to describe. I use vice grip pliers to make the crimps. I position the pliers pe...

NZChris wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:19 pm Place the elements as low as possible in the boiler so that you don't get caught out when you want to run a small charge.

Good point! And, also be sure that you have charged your boiler before firing up the element. A dry element will burn out quickly.

From your profile, looks like you're from Canada. I'll assume that your electrical system is the same as in the US, idk. If so, I would recommend 2 phase 240V 30A electrical service - I use my dryer receptacle. For hardware, you will need: - Water heater element - up to 5500W, wavy ULWD. - Hardware ...

Instead of pads for the ends of the legs, think casters (wheels).

I've made two liebig condensers. I crimped the vapor tube in both cases. One was a 1" PVC jacket with 1/2" copper vapor tube. The second was pretty much the same, but with a 1" copper jacket over 1/2" copper vapor tube. The jacket length of both was about 28". Crimping is sa...

Also, no need to read this entire thread for info about the recipe. There's a condensed version here - https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=50167 . It's only 3 pages. It has all the repetitive post and good job type posts edited out. Best just to read that thread for a good overv...

You can check the brix with a refractometer. Check for starch with a drop of iodine.

I use it to steam distill my gin macerations. I put the strained maceration into the thumper and charge the boiler with plain water. I run the takeoff into a 1/2 gallon (or gallon) jug with an alcometer in it and let it run until I reach my target ABV, usually 45%. I don't have to worry about scorch...

Twice through a pot still w/thumper attached, makes a good gin base, or sippin'/mixin' "vodka".

If it's an alcohol fire don't use water on it. Keep progressing brotha, your gonna have the safest set up around before long pumping out some quality likker Have to disagree with that advice. Alcohol mixes with water and will bring down the ABV to the point that it is no longer combustible. Flammab...

Seems that aging whiskey is a relative thing. Takes 3 or 4 times longer to age a barrel of whiskey in Scotland than it does to do the same in Texas. The main difference in the two locations is heat and humidity. So, why isn't it reasonable to think that you can speed up maturation by artificially co...

This thread popped up just at the right time. I was just minutes ago looking at heat mats on Amazon. I ferment in my basement which stays fairly cool all year - low 70's in the summer to low 60's in the winter. I have a couple of 20 gallon fermenters, one 32 gallon, and one 55 gallon. Do you reckon ...

Don't know how you have the end of your input tube vented, but that can contribute to the noise level. Try a few holes near the end. The sound is created by the collapse of the hot vapor entering the cold thumper liquid and suddenly condensing. By the time you start producing output at the takeoff, ...

Best to have a temp gradient of cool at the bottom to warm at the top. Icy cold can cause huffing from the vapor suddenly collapsing at the top of the condenser. Seems best to have the vapor gradually condensing as it moves down through the vapor tube(s). But, like others have said, probably not a b...

I have no idea. I started out on a shoestring budget. Most of the parts for my first still came from flea markets and thrift stores. First thing I ever bought for the hobby was a 5 gallon ss stock pot at a thrift store for $15. Most of the copper pipe and fittings came from a thrift store and public...

I can understand the sense of pride you would get from building something like that. Not so much a still, but a personal treasure.

No one mentioned adding a packed section to a plated column for neutral spirits. I think this may be what TRK41 was alluding to in his not so well worded OP.

You might also consider stainless steel lids. https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/stainless-steel-wide-mouth-lids?variant=9091471278195 Looks like a good source. I buy similar ones from Amazon. But, be careful, some of their offerings have a coating on the inside of the lid. Read the descriptio...

I found a 55 gallon blue.barrel in a car wash dumpster for free - and yes, I asked first. It previously had soap in it. Just be careful about what they previously contained. Some may have contained things like car wax or degreaser. I also have two 20 gallon "Feed and Seed" containers and a...

If you use a diffusion plate it acts as a heat sink The hotplate has a cast-iron surface, so I reckon I'm witnessing a bit of that effect. A metal plate (heat sink) will help to somewhat mitigate the problem. A better solution might be to modify the internal wiring to eliminate (bypass) the thermos...

Someone mentioned mat board earlier. That's what I've been using for sealing the lids on my stock pot still and thumper for several years - works well. Mat board can be found in most any art frame shop. A tip - you can keep them nice and flat by storing then between two pieces of plywood clamped to...

Someone mentioned mat board earlier. That's what I've been using for sealing the lids on my stock pot still and thumper for several years - works well. Mat board can be found in most any art frame shop. A tip - you can keep them nice and flat by storing then between two pieces of plywood clamped tog...

That 41" piece of 2" pipe would be just the right length for a reflux column. I would suggest looking at building a CCVM column. With a modular design, it can serve as both a pot still for brown spirits and reflux still for neutral spirits. Take your time and do some research here on the f...

I don't think it matters for the RC. The center and coils will completely fill no matter which direction it goes because of gravity. Probably doesn't matter for a Dimroth PC either, idk. Anyway, I also have a PVC ball valve on the output of both my RC and Dimroth PC so that there's some little bit o...

You might like to look through DAD300's CCVM thread - https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=41579&hilit=Ccvm+Dad300 . I remember there being some info in there somewhere about sizing a column. Length is also dependent on the type of packing you're using. Good luck with it and ...

+1 NZChris, I believe temperature is important to the length of time it takes to reach maturity. Also important is the introduction of air into the spirit. There has also been a lot of experimentation with aging reactors that emulate many of the processes going on during maturation to speed things a...

I like the work you did on your Dimroth PC. I did something similar, but with different materials. I started with a 2"x36" ss sanitary spool. I drilled two holes maybe 4" from one end of the spool using a step bit. I then used an angle grinder to cut the tube about midway from the cen...

Well, I don't have either a garage or an attic. I was thinking more along the lines of a heater of some sort controlled by the Inkbird temp controller I use for fermentation heat control and a timer to periodically turn the process on and off.

I'm on well water with a pressure tank. There's a faucet at the tank that I use with a garden hose to feed the PC on my pot still. The pressure tank also feeds the water conditioning system which in turn, feeds all the faucets in the house. One day I heard the shower running upstairs and soon after ...

All good advice! Some people mentioned aeration and airing for a period of time. For this, I leave some head space and give it a good shake every week or two. I also rubber band a paper towel to the top and let it sit for an hour or two. I use 1 gallon Pickle jars. If you can figure a way to get som...