Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper 8)

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hoot
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Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by hoot »

Did two 50/50 vinegar water runs the other day. Ran a 5 gallon batch of sugar wash yesterday. Worked like a charm. One question on thumpers. It seems I need to go to 205 deg to get enough pressure and throughput to get the thumper hot. I do realize the water laden steam instantly condenses in the thumper wash. Finally when the thumper is up to temp I get product. I think I'm gonna add a thermometer to the thumper. Basically that's where the final evap occurs at 178 isn't it?
smallstill.jpg
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still_stirrin
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by still_stirrin »

Hint.....that thumper is too small for that boiler.

And, the worm reservoir (flake stand) is too small too and will require "turning over" the water frequently. It'll work but you''ll need to pay attention to the water's temperature and replace it often during a run.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
hoot
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by hoot »

Thanks. The reservoir is hooked up to a cooler with a pond pump circulating. I was concerned about the size of the thumper but the company I purchased the system from said it's not. I had no issues with puking on a five gallon run.
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still_stirrin
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by still_stirrin »

hoot wrote:...One question on thumpers. It seems I need to go to 205 deg to get enough pressure and throughput to get the thumper hot...
Insulate the boiler and thumper. Insulate the Lyne arm too. It will help hold the heat inside the system and you'll come "online" quicker with less power required. Insulation will improve the efficiency of the process.

What you want is the energy to be transferred to the wash creating vapor. And then, you want that energy to stay within the system until you're ready to remove it in the product condenser (your flake stand in this case). Minimizing heat loss to the environment will improve your control and help you will a more stable process (and better products).

Since your boiler is copper, and thin sheet metal at that, it will lose a lot of the heat to the environment. Just touch the boiler when you are heating up...hot, huh? That's lost energy. You want that energy in the vapor, not lost to the air around you.

So, you've got what you got. Deal or not, it's how you use it that matters. And insulation will help you use it better.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
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Bushman
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by Bushman »

I agree with still_stirrin but what a shame covering up that copper porn :sarcasm:
hoot
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by hoot »

So is that why out in the woods they bury the pot?
cob
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by cob »

that still sure looks a lot like this pricy little beauty https://www.budk.com/10-Gal-Copper-Moon ... -USA-39032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
be water my friend
hoot
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by hoot »

cob wrote:that still sure looks a lot like this pricy little beauty https://www.budk.com/10-Gal-Copper-Moon ... -USA-39032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
I think the guy that built mine has multiple sales outlets and possibly sells wholesale. I paid $550 shipped which I don't think was a bad deal. I see the same one listed by this guy at different prices. Here it's listed for $650 but I found another version of this site that had it listed for $550. The quality is very good.
https://www.stillzstore.com/Moonshine-S ... TZ-10G.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Shoot here it is here for $499 free shipping https://www.ebay.com/itm/173751532463" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Guess I should have done more research LOL

As far as insulating is concerned I'll look at that stuff they use to wrap heat ducts with.
Hrch_coop_mh
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by Hrch_coop_mh »

I had the same problem when trying to use my thumper. I think we bought from the same guy. “TDN”. I got a 15 gallon still and I ended up stopping the run with the thump leg and go straight to the condenser. I’ll try insulating and see how that goes on the next run.
hoot
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by hoot »

I just checked the proof of this cleaning run. I got 150. not bad.
STUDY BUDDY
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by STUDY BUDDY »

hey hoot, i ordered the same brand and was concerned about the thumper size aswell and they too insured me that 9x9" thumper is not too small for my 30 gal still kit. i was supposed to have my kit 30 days after ordering it and its been 37 days and they still havent shipped it and dont respond to half my emails. Its the best deal around but if i would have known they were going to dick around this long i wouldnt have ordered from TDN. But i figure i can always add a bigger thumper and i was planning on adding several more coils in the worm barrel. How do you like your still so far? good quality?
Thanks
STUDY BUDDY
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Re: Picked up a new 10 gallon pot still... having a blast

Post by STUDY BUDDY »

Hrch_coop_mh wrote:I had the same problem when trying to use my thumper. I think we bought from the same guy. “TDN”. I got a 15 gallon still and I ended up stopping the run with the thump leg and go straight to the condenser. I’ll try insulating and see how that goes on the next run.
hey, im waiting on my 30 gal kit to arrive any day now from TDN, its already been 7 days longer than it was supposed to be and not even shipped yet so thats shitty but i was worried that thumper will fill up during a run, heat up quickly and then do nothing it's supposed to, and they said its 9x9" for my 30 gal kit which looks like the same size as their smaller stills. idk if that even has a one gallon capacity? worse case ill have to add a bigger thumper i guess. How do you like your product from them and was your service shitty also?
Thanks
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