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My Chinese pot still has a narrower section inside the column after the tri clamp.

Any ideas if this could have been on purpose?
Or should I drill it out to better the still?

Interested in your wisdom

I don't know why they built that narrow part, but if it's a pot-still you could leave it, I don't see improvement in removal. Perhaps they built that choken to somehow change the steam flow ....

AshtonG wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:47 am Or should I drill it out to better the still?

Ashton , if you got the drills and skills to widen that hole I’m wondering why you would stoop so low as to buy such a piece in the first place I’m sure you could build yourself a heaps better still

Anyhow , I have know idea what the logic is behind such a design . Seems these Chinese still makes just make random variations on a theme with no actual understanding of what they are doing .

Maybe they had a whole bunch of SS tubes with ends with a hole that size in it and one if them said “ lets weld a ferrule on it and flog it off as some distilling equipment” ..who bloody knows .

If I tried to quantify it with a huge amount of imagination , I might consider an onion on a pot still head . Like Demy suggested , small hole , higher vapour speed , then collapses inside the bigger space . .... but seriously , that pipes not really that wide ....

It looks like a “muffler”, like used in an automobile exhaust system. It may be an attempt to use the expansion chamber to slow the vapor flow and induce some condensation. Onion top designs do that and maybe your riser pipe is a “shot in the dark” at that type of mechanism with simple piping instead of a creatively turned top hat.
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There was a thread, a very useful collection of drawings. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... =1&t=18873

One of the drawings posted VM Column - 50 mm (2") had two "Reflux Collars" which were effectively restrictions pretty much like you have. In the notes it was also called a "Reflex Collar and Turbulence Generator". In a 1200 - 1500mm column one was placed 1/3 way from the bottom, the other directly beneath the T Piece. In a 2" column the "reflux collar" has an aperture of 25mm (1").

Have no idea if it actually functions!

I read elsewhere that a reflux collar can avoid puking.

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 3:38 am I have know idea what the logic is behind such a design . Seems these Chinese still makes just make random variations on a theme with no actual understanding of what they are doing

I think your right Yummy........half of them just build stuff that looks like it might work.....with no real idea of if it will work. They really dont care as long as people buy it.

Thanks all!

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 3:38 am

AshtonG wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:47 am Or should I drill it out to better the still?

Ashton , if you got the drills and skills to widen that hole I’m wondering why you would stoop so low as to buy such a piece in the first place I’m sure you could build yourself a heaps better still

Skills to drill, but not quite to go whole hog just yet. Just wanted something with tri clamps that can grow with me.

Andrew_90 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:52 am There was a thread, a very useful collection of drawings. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... =1&t=18873

Excellent link! have saved for future reference

From your comments it seems the onion-eske approach, will leave as is, if the choke is not going to cause an issue.

Image from a sac run for further clarity, if this helps someone else in the future

Hey AshtonG
You would have been better off starting with this picture instead of the previous.
This still has bigger problems than that minor restriction at the riser.

You need to get rid of all those plastic/rubber tubes that can come in contact with alcohol ( from the riser to the condenser and the outlet of the condenser) also make sure you are using teflon/PTFE for your tri-clamp connection.
This forum greatly frowns upon the use of any synthetic material with the exclusion of teflon/PTFE.

Also what is the size of that copper tube from the riser to the condenser? If I was going to open anything on that still I would start by having a couple of tri-clamps on the top and getting rid of that small tube connecting the two.

Make your repairs before you do your sac run or you will just have do it again.

Also, a bigger water reservoir would help. With that small bucket, you’ll have to exchange the water several times during a run because the water will get hot rather quickly.
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Windy City wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:28 am You need to get rid of all those plastic/rubber tubes

I've done my due diligence (lots of posts on HD that have helped), and in this case these plastics hoses okay.
For more detail (if anyone else has the same dibosh still), the copper pipe is 1 continuous piece from the riser through to the outlet, so the plasics on either side of the condensor are just to keep the cooling water inside. At the top of the riser there was a loose fit from the SS to the copper, so i've used PTFE tape to build up to a tight fit that then strengthened with the existing plastic tubing (prevent it being pulled out).

Have also replaced the tri clamp gasket with PTFE, and done what I can to the larger pot lid seal.

still_stirrin wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:38 am Also, a bigger water reservoir would help.

Definitely, the bucket was fine for a vinegar run, but when I did my first full run even the 70L rubbish bin i used started to get warmer than warm, managed to finish the run by frozen cooler bags and replacing ~30L (into the hydroponics) to drop the temp. Looking for a better solution for my next full run.

Windy City wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:28 am Also what is the size of that copper tube from the riser to the condenser? If I was going to open anything on that still I would start by having a couple of tri-clamps on the top and getting rid of that small tube connecting the two.

Lot of potential changes in my head, just wanted an expandable base to start with without a large investment (labour time or cost).