Vibration Isolation?

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jog666
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Vibration Isolation?

Post by jog666 »

I'm still working out the fine kinks of setting up my 15.5g keg thumper. Alignment issue here, leak there type of kinks. I did an alky cleaning run the other day and had what I think is a bad vibration generated from the thumper. I'm sure alot of it comes from it not being able to sit truly flat. The other might be from a smaller charge and not having the weight/volume there to hold it in place. The first run with it some weeks back didnt move around on me because I believe I got it sitting right and had it full. Then I broke a joint trying to tighten a union to solve a leak that I pasted and finished the day. I have since put in another union to help with alignment issues but still concerned with movement once its up to temp and a leak pops up.

I plan to run another couple strips through it to see how it does with a full charge and paying more attention to the placement during setup before I do anymore changes. I was thinking about using a couple loops of soft copper, like a worm, in the middle of the lyne arm to take up any vibration. If paying more attention during setup and full charges doesnt help, I think this is about the best way to solve the issue short of working the metal on the bottom ring or adding some legs.

What do yall think? I know pictures would help alot but everything gets packed up when not in use. I will try to remember to get a couple pictures next time its all out.
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Tummydoc
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by Tummydoc »

This would all be moot if you ran 2 inch triclamp elbows instead of unions. They pivot and self align so thumper height is independent of the boiler.

If you ran soft copper loops make sure its wide enough tubing that you can easily clean it. I put grain slop in my thumper, and on cooling will suck grain back up into my boiler if i forget to open a valve to break vacuum. Thats sucking back through 2 inch pipes and cleanup is still a PITA. Ive got a vacuum relief valve and pressure relief on order so the valve open to atmosphere will be unnecessary.
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by greggn »

jog666 wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 7:29 am If paying more attention during setup and full charges doesnt help, I think this is about the best way to solve the issue short of working the metal on the bottom ring or adding some legs.
Assuming your thump keg is "right-side up", would your structure allow it to be suspended by its handles ?
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by Yummyrum »

Jog , I added a third clamp to my interconnecting pipe . This allows for any misalignment between the boiler and keg .
E7872168-4DEE-4F99-BA67-1FC0C574C3F0.jpeg
E7872168-4DEE-4F99-BA67-1FC0C574C3F0.jpeg (51.9 KiB) Viewed 1238 times
It still bounces even when level . When ever I run the thumper now , I sit it on one of those little moving dollies ( the things with 4 wheels ) and it seems happy to jiggle.
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by Tummydoc »

I run my boiler and thump on those. Thanks harbor freight!
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by The Baker »

Yummyrum said, 'It still bounces even when level . When ever I run the thumper now , I sit it on one of those little moving dollies ( the things with 4 wheels ) and it seems happy to jiggle.' ...

In my case the still (somewhat) and the other still (old 18 imperial gallon keg, 81 litres I think) and the thumper are domed on the bottom.
I made stands from disused freezer panels (took off the side pieces, cut to size and replaced side pieces to suit).
Cut/ left a hole in the top big enough for the vessel.
Removed the sort-of-grainy white insulation in the shape of the dome.
Fixed a piece of carpet over it all.
Should sit level-ish and steady-ish.

The stands sit on dollies I made for everything from the same panels. One has SIX wheels, the four smallish wheels seemed a bit inadequate for a ninety (maybe) litre thumper/ steamer and two eighty litre fermenters. And it was long so support in the middle...

It will all go one day.

Geoff
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by jog666 »

Tummydoc wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:17 am This would all be moot if you ran 2 inch triclamp elbows instead of unions. They pivot and self align so thumper height is independent of the boiler.

If you ran soft copper loops make sure its wide enough tubing that you can easily clean it. I put grain slop in my thumper, and on cooling will suck grain back up into my boiler if i forget to open a valve to break vacuum. Thats sucking back through 2 inch pipes and cleanup is still a PITA. Ive got a vacuum relief valve and pressure relief on order so the valve open to atmosphere will be unnecessary.
Oh I know and that was the plan. Then I found out the old hardware store was shutting down and I made a mad dash to pick up what else I needed minus the tri clamp parts only to find out they were damn near out of 2" fittings and out of 2" type L. I ended up connecting the kegs with 3/4" to get by. Some months after they decided to stay open, I was looking around in the warehouse and found four or five sticks of 2" L. :crazy:

Ive had one experience with it sucking back during cool down. Talk about being pissed off at yourself. I spent the next two weeks, as time allowed, cleaning everything followed by a vinegar run and alky run before I ran anything to keep. Cleaning, from a suck up, was one possible problem I thought about using loops of 3/4". As long as I stay on my toes, I shouldnt have to deep clean it after the cleaning to put it in service.


greggn wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 10:22 am
jog666 wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 7:29 am If paying more attention during setup and full charges doesnt help, I think this is about the best way to solve the issue short of working the metal on the bottom ring or adding some legs.
Assuming your thump keg is "right-side up", would your structure allow it to be suspended by its handles ?
Yes, both kegs are upright. Right now no & probably not in the next year or so. I could build something to hang it from the handles but that to me see like a drawn out bandaid fix.

Yummyrum wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 12:58 pm Jog , I added a third clamp to my interconnecting pipe . This allows for any misalignment between the boiler and keg .E7872168-4DEE-4F99-BA67-1FC0C574C3F0.jpeg

It still bounces even when level . When ever I run the thumper now , I sit it on one of those little moving dollies ( the things with 4 wheels ) and it seems happy to jiggle.
That is what I have done with the unions. Feels like a relief knowing that someone else's moves around and it not because of how I built it. I currently use one of the burners for my beer set up to set the thumper on.


The Baker wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 8:17 pm Yummyrum said, 'It still bounces even when level . When ever I run the thumper now , I sit it on one of those little moving dollies ( the things with 4 wheels ) and it seems happy to jiggle.' ...

In my case the still (somewhat) and the other still (old 18 imperial gallon keg, 81 litres I think) and the thumper are domed on the bottom.
I made stands from disused freezer panels (took off the side pieces, cut to size and replaced side pieces to suit).
Cut/ left a hole in the top big enough for the vessel.
Removed the sort-of-grainy white insulation in the shape of the dome.
Fixed a piece of carpet over it all.
Should sit level-ish and steady-ish.

The stands sit on dollies I made for everything from the same panels. One has SIX wheels, the four smallish wheels seemed a bit inadequate for a ninety (maybe) litre thumper/ steamer and two eighty litre fermenters. And it was long so support in the middle...

It will all go one day.

Geoff
Carpet might be the best short term fix. The stainless burner holding a slightly tweaked bottom ring keg isnt the best set up. Carpet would take up some if not most of the slack from sitting there then absorb movement so its not metal on metal.
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by The Baker »

Hi, Jog666,

To repeat what I said:

I made stands from disused freezer panels (took off the side pieces, cut to size and replaced side pieces to suit).
Cut/ left a hole in the top big enough for the vessel.
Removed the sort-of-grainy white insulation in the shape of the dome.
Fixed a piece of carpet over it all.
Should sit level-ish and steady-ish.

I cut a shape in the insulation on the stand to accommodate the dome-on-the-bottom-of-the-vessel.
Then fixed carpet over that. The carpet looks good, covers the insulation, and will stretch under the dome to
let the vessel sit in the hollow I made.

Geoff
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by jog666 »

Small update:

I couldnt find any carpet to use that wouldnt leave a bare spot on the floor. I used an old paint drop cloth folded several times. That soaked up nearly all movement during the run until the last gallon or so. Then it got to moving a good bit but wasnt horrible. Slowing myself down during setup helped with the leaky unions. Not a single leak.

In funner news, 13.5g clear wash in the boiler, 7.25g dirty wash and 3g heads/tails in the thumper ran out good. Just under 1/2 full in the boiler and around 3/4 full in the thumper after pulling nearly 8g from it.
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by The Baker »

Hi, jog666,
I bought some carpet samples, 3 pieces for $20 maybe four feet by two foot six or something like that. And then one or two more.
Then my wife's brother told me he had rooms of carpet in good enough condition that he had replaced with new.
Bugger.
Not a problem though.

Geoff
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Re: Vibration Isolation?

Post by jog666 »

The Baker wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:25 pm Hi, jog666,
I bought some carpet samples, 3 pieces for $20 maybe four feet by two foot six or something like that. And then one or two more.
Then my wife's brother told me he had rooms of carpet in good enough condition that he had replaced with new.
Bugger.
Not a problem though.

Geoff
Ill check out the carpet and tile place in town next time Im there. They're bound to have some kind of remnants I could use.
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