Worm trouble

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nesster71
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Worm trouble

Post by nesster71 »

Good day. So I finished my first build and did a vinegar run last night. Everything was going as planned until the heat got to the worm. Liquid would start to stream out really well, then drip, then stop completely, then repeat. I can only assume this is from the liquid pooling in the coils? This worm is driving me crazy!!LOL It's isn't exactly "square" as far as each coil being exactly the same size, but I can't see any uphill or level spots. Long story short....does anyone have advice or tricks to build these? Is there a jig or something a guy can build and use? Thanks for any and all wisdom.
NormandieStill
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by NormandieStill »

To find uphill sections or flat spots, fill the flake stand with water slowly watching it all the way. It should climb up the worm continuously. If it jumps a section or covers a large section in one go, there you have your uphill / flat spot.
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nesster71
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by nesster71 »

NormandieStill wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:11 pm To find uphill sections or flat spots, fill the flake stand with water slowly watching it all the way. It should climb up the worm continuously. If it jumps a section or covers a large section in one go, there you have your uphill / flat spot.
Thanks NormandieStill, I appreciate your reply - I will give that a try.
The Baker
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by The Baker »

You can roll a marble or a ball bearing down the worm.
Small enough to roll freely.
If it stops rolling you have a problem, right there.

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Setsumi
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by Setsumi »

build a Liebig cooler and use the worm as immersion cooler for beer.
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Toxxyc
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by Toxxyc »

Setsumi wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 8:51 pm build a Liebig cooler and use the worm as immersion cooler for beer.
This is my next step. I also have a worm and while it works just fine, I have to run the still relatively slowly to keep it from sputtering a bit. The tube is big enough so I don't worry about pressure buildup (15mm tube), but it's still annoying. And it takes up a lot of space. I think I'm going to change it into a wort chiller and build a liebig in the near future.
stillanoob
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by stillanoob »

If your worm can't handle the still it isn't the worm's fault, it is just undersized. My worm can knock down anything my still can throw at it, even with the burner blasting full bore. In fact when running low and slow it huffs until the water warms up a little because it collapses the vapor. And for water consumption you can't beat a worm. For a 10 gallon stripping run I wind up with 15 gallons of nice hot water for clean up.
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shadylane
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by shadylane »

nesster71 wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:34 am Good day. So I finished my first build and did a vinegar run last night. Everything was going as planned until the heat got to the worm. Liquid would start to stream out really well, then drip, then stop completely, then repeat. I can only assume this is from the liquid pooling in the coils? This worm is driving me crazy!!LOL It's isn't exactly "square" as far as each coil being exactly the same size, but I can't see any uphill or level spots. Long story short....does anyone have advice or tricks to build these? Is there a jig or something a guy can build and use? Thanks for any and all wisdom.


Might be low spots in the coils, where liquid will puddle.
Might be, slow cycle huffing.
Most likely a combination of both.

Before you get too sad about your little worm.
When you do a alcohol run, the rig will probably settle down.
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contrahead
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by contrahead »

nesster71 wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:34 am Liquid would start to stream out really well, then drip, then stop completely, then repeat.
That's the way worms work.

Some sputtering might be expected until the still is normalized. Even in the middle of a run the output flow might stop and start again; its no big deal. Just don't get in a hurry, run the still slow and gently to get the clearest spirit.

A little pooling in the worm is no big deal. As long as there is a drop or fall in the elevation of the worm from start to finish, you'll have a “water head”. Meaning the liquid will push itself out under its own weight. There won't be any significant back-pressure caused by the worm unless there is a kink in the pipe or you have an obvious and exaggerated deformity in the gradient. At the end of a run when things cool down, you can blow air through the worm to make sure it's empty.

(Any column of water 1 ft. high (regardless of width or diameter), has a water head of 1 ft. and a psi of 0.433 lbs/in². Water drop in feet, is multiplied by the constant 0.433, to determine the potential psi. Of course ethanol has a lower specific gravity than water but that's not important here).
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ratdog01
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Re: Worm trouble

Post by ratdog01 »

never made a coil but i do make things from wood , someone asked me to make a thing for plans to climb up in a spiral using some willow .
the jig i made was 2 boards clamped together then drilled holes with the space between i wanted then cut the boards down the centre .
set one at base point then set the others
same distance apart but lift each one highier as i went around (just added a block to bottom of each one 6" 12" 18" ) turned out pretty ok (well they paid me anyway) could work for making a coil , you could make 4 cut down centre then use them to clamp the pipe and help surport the coil in the water bath (think i saw this somewhere on the net )
just an idea
hope it helps

RD01
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