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I agree with the others that say your top end of useful power for the 2” packed column will be below 2000w. I have a similar RC coil made out of 1/4” copper in a 2” column. (About 11’ of copper tubing would 26 times, 10” tall). Mine just barely knocks down 5500w with a 4 lpm flow of cool city water....

I use a flow meter like the one Shadylane linked you too and I really love having it. One nice part about that one is that it includes a needle valve to adjust flow if/when needed. The only negative I have with this style is that the 1/2” threaded input and output on the back did not seem to be tape...

Hi Sean. A hotplate, assuming it is 1500w/110V, will be underpowered for that column size. For a year I ran a 10 gallon boiler on a 1500w hotplate with a a 2” column. While it was just enough power to run the 2” column, heat up to boil time was 3+ hours. For reference, a 3” column should allow you t...

Jstroke wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 06, 2021 6:46 pm

.....back in the day when they played croquet and such.

Ouch! I play croquet. I think I just aged another decade.

Another vice of mine is woodworking and I made my own set oak/walnut mallets, gates and stakes. I did have to buy the balls.

Otis

Ya, there are lots of opportunities for a person to hurt themselves at a scrap yard. I guess I am somewhat blessed to have a scrap yard in my area that I can walk around and dig through bins and piles for materials. Last time I was there was the early days of COVID and I’m not sure if they are open ...

Otist, I can definitely move the glass to under the tee. I will need to get 2 more ferrules and cut one of the columns to match the 6” glass section. Then add ferrules, once I do that I can swap the sections around and keep same height, glass portion could then go anywhere in column if wanted or ne...

Leak Test I’m happy that my condenser passed the cooling flow leak test on the first pass. :D I think I need to add a pressure regulator to my water manifold. Otis This is a great idea! Dang, why didn't I think of this? I have one in my 5th wheel kit. Im going to try this out on my manifold. I can ...

Always fun setting up a new stilling space. I’m setting up in a new space myself so this is fresh on my mind as well. Outside of the essentials you need handy here are a few thoughts on nice features to have, in no particular order. * Comfortable chair (not “I can fall asleep in this thing” comforta...

You can certainly age at 45%. Several threads on why most distilleries have historically age their products near 60-65%, and as you would guess it is largely due to money. Much stronger than 60% and the wood barrels would leak more. Less strong spirits and the distilleries need more barrels to age/t...

Wear hearing protection. It will be loud.

Leak Test I’m happy that my condenser passed the cooling flow leak test on the first pass. :D Flow Rate The flow rate was way higher than I anticipated at city water pressure. A lot more flow than I should ever need. I think I need to add a pressure regulator to my water manifold. The outer coil wi...

Passiton. Regarding the Thermowell or not, I personally don’t think it makes a difference. I prefer no thermowell. If you have a short 3” spool to replace the sight glass with, to create space for your RC, I would do that and move the sight glass just below the tee/above your packing. At least move ...

Passiton, yes the side position will work just fine for your thermometer port and is a way better place for convenience when you want to read the temp. That side position is where I place all that I have built. Just keep any liquid falling reflux from touching the probe, as your diagram shows. Deplo...

Deplorable. Well the pipe I cut first was for 14” of jacketed vapor path (16” overall length). With a good flow of cold water I think that would be plenty enough to handle 5500W. I’m having second thoughts only because I can’t find anyone running one this short, most having around 20”+ of vapor path...

Deplorable wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:26 am

I see the inards of a baffled shotgun in the background as well.

Yes, that shotgun in the background is another project. I’m using plates from Twisted brick. After a dry fit I had second thoughts on the length, want to make it longer, so I have some more pipe to cut.

That just makes it a CM in my book.

Just got it all together and cleaned up a bit. Still need to do a few leak tests. 975DF93A-93CA-4747-A753-D0BEFA6488F7.jpeg Front view. I wanted to have easy access to both valves and both outputs without having to move at all. 53D14D40-48B0-4B4C-B70F-C268C1DD1DFD.jpeg 163F0945-72FA-41E3-9771-769792...

Sampvt, do you know what a scorch smells like? That could explain your situation. A scorch can happen to even a good ferment, and that unique smell is definitely sickly strong and memorable. I know I’m coming late to this party, but after reading the whole thread that is all I have to add to the con...

Coils Two coils for this condenser made of 3/8” copper tubing. I packed the tubes with salt before bending them. A few wrinkles around the I/O but the tube is not kinked and the flow is still good. The inner coil is 10 winds, 6.5” tall, 1” ID. The outer coil is 8 winds, 6” tall, ID 2 1/4”. I could ...

Dry Fit of the Controls I taped the input and output sections on the spool to see what it looks like. I wanted easy access to both valves as well as access to both output tubes for temp checks, so I am making everything accessible from the front view. Input Manifold on the spool 333EE347-60A7-499E-...

Output side

Here is the cooling output side of the condenser. Nice long tubes for checking individual output water temps before they merge.

Otis’ 4” Column Condenser - RC / Dephlegmator After a long break from shop work I am finally starting work on my next build project with this RC / Dephlegmator for a 4” modular column. I want a condenser I can run as an RC just above a VM takeoff or just below a large open takeoff as a Dephlegmator...

Merry Christmas and welcome to HD.

Otis

I find it humorous (ironic?) the old teams complaining about the cost of the new designs. Saying this is pricing many of them out of the contest. There was a time (5 years ago) when the old boats/teams were too expensive for all but the old money families/clubs/nations to compete in the race. People...

I am no sailor but I am a new fan of the sport. I was lucky enough to be in SF during the last America’s Cup and saw a few races from the docks and a roof party. I even saw one of the boats up close at a big Oracle event in town. Loved the way the tv broadcast covered the race with all the fancy ove...

Will stripping, WITH A POT STILL, the same wash twice improve the quality before doing a spirit run. IE I take 3 stripped washes back to 20%abv and add them all back to the pot still, to do another stripping run, will the resultant final product be any cleaner before going to the reflux still set u...

Hi Math In my limited experience, tails don’t age out (much). I’ve had batches with a hint of tails that were eventually covered or change out for something that tastes nice, but if the tails offended my senses greatly when it was new, the spirit will still offend me after two years on oak. If you m...

shadylane wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 11, 2020 2:12 pm

sampvt wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:13 am

2. At what temp do I then start collecting heads

3. At what temp do I collect hearts

thanks in advance.

There's only one way to find out
Run the still, record the temps on the cuts jars.
The next day sample the jars, then you will know.

Best answer.

I’m thinking those two “identical” barrels are not the same. Either they were not the same wood/toast/char level before first use, or possibly they were the same before first use and had different products put in them resulting in what you see. Could be different finishes on the wood. Toast level an...

Sounds possibly like an issue with RC placement. Is your RC coil extending below the 2” takeoff point? When using your rig as a Valved VM the entire RC coil should be above the 2” takeoff point of that tee. How much column do you have above the tee?

A pic would be helpful. Otis