Design help

[xTheKrackenx]

So I got started before I found this site. I need a little help on how I can make what I have work. This is what I have so far.
31"x2" riser with copper ferrule and tri clamp attachment for a keg
1/2" out to a liebig. 26" of it is jacketed 3/4" over 1/2"
I'll be using my turkey fryer and a water pump in a ice bath to cool
Photo coming as soon as I learn to get it smaller.

[Expat]

Sounds like you have a decent outline for a basic pot still.

What aspect are you looking for help with?

Btw you'll need to ensure that your cooling water reservior is big enough to last you a complete run.

[OtisT]

Hi. IMHO the ice is not a great solution for most situations. It does not get you that much cooling for the effort and cost.

+1 to the larger reservoir suggestion as a rule to start with. If it's open top, a fan over the top will help a bit.

It will take you a few stripping runs and a few spirit runs to figure out how much cooling you will actually use on your rig for a typical stripping or spirit run. Take good notes as you go.

Otis

[fizzix]

xTheKrackenx, if you have a PC: Posting A Picture
A 26" liebig is a good size to try without ice as Otis stated. I have a 12" liebig and a fan on the water. Rarely have to use ice,
but see how yours goes.

As far as help... I think your set up is fine.

[xTheKrackenx]

Ok I was worried it wouldn't be long enough. I do have a copper emersion wort chiller I use for making beer. I was trying to think of a way to incorporate it. Also Would a 20 gal cooler be a big enough reservoir? I do have access to a 50gal plastic drum.

[xTheKrackenx]

Here is the pic. I have not received the tri clamp connection yet still waiting on it to come in. I do need to figure out how I'm going to cap the top. Thanks for the help

[fizzix]

The reservoir depends on your boiler size (=distill time). I seem to remember for 10 to 20 gallon stills, use 50 gallon reservoir if you've got it.
You'll never have to touch that with ice.

[still_stirrin]

Kracken,
The potstill looks quite viable. It has union so you can angle the Liebig once it's installed on the keg. With the 2" ferrules, you'll be set and ready to run.

Make sure you do the cleaning protocol (you don't know the history of your soldered "artwork"). First, a steam cleaning boiling water through it all (30-45 minutes strong). Then, a 50/50 water/vinegar steam run, again letting it steam good through it all. You'll grow to love the "pickle smell" in your still house. Finally, you need to run a sacrificial alcohol run...a wash with (up to) 10%ABV potential...but, you could use some store bought alcohol and water if you can't wait to get through the protocol.

The height of the riser (above the boiler) is only needed to adjust how high the Liebig outlet is...so you don't have to bend over so far to change jars. For a potstill, riser height has very, very little influence on the product purity. There will be very little passive reflux occurring in it. So, it is merely a height of convenience.
ss

[Yummyrum]

looks OK to me . you can buy 2" end caps .You can solder them on or even wrap some teflon tape around them and just wedge them on if you want . If you can get hold of one , a Natural cork stopper will also plug that end . I know I'm gonna regret suggesting this and I don't use one myself , but an end cap or cork is a good place to stick a thermometer Absolutely useless for making cuts but its something to watch .

Regarding cooling , try to get the biggest storage tank you can . As mentioned Ice doesn't really help that much . Depends on how much you are trying to run , but I think 20 gal tank will be too small . I remember stripping 25 liter washes with a pump in a 50 liter drum and I had to start dumping the water halfway through the runs and topping up with cool from the tap .The 50 gal would be fine but even then you might consider running the return water through a car radiator with a fan on it if you intend to do large washes or several runs before the water in the tank has a chance to cool down again .

Certainly suck it and see but have a standby water supply ( nearby hose and waste ) just in case .

[xTheKrackenx]

Awesome guys im going to pick up the end cap and 50gal drum this weekend. I'll be using a 15 gal keg as the pot. How big of a water pump should I buy? Or does anyone have a link on one? Will run the cleaning protocol in the next few weeks. I'll admit I'm pretty excited but brewing beer has taught me paitants. Lol. I can't wait to run some all grain washes once I get the still figured out. I have a full 15 gal all grain beer brewery set up with fermentation frig and two tap keezer. looks like I'm going to be busy running both this summer. Cheers

[Yummyrum]

Submersible pumps are the go . You just drop them into your Tank power cord , hose and all . You can buy much bigger ones but these 350watt ones are more than adequate for what you will be doing . I been using one on my Flute and my Pot still for several years and its fine .

Prior to that I went through 3 various pond pumps that all died and added up to more than I spent on the submersible

I know you probably don't have a Bunnings store in your country but this is the sort of thing I have . They are also known as Butt Pumps in some countries .https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-350w- ... p_p4816179" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[fizzix]

Submersible pumps are the go . You just drop them into your Tank power cord , hose and all . You can buy much bigger ones but these 350watt ones are more than adequate for what you will be doing . I been using one on my Flute and my Pot still for several years and its fine .

Prior to that I went through 3 various pond pumps that all died and added up to more than I spent on the submersible

I know you probably don't have a Bunnings store in your country but this is the sort of thing I have . They are also known as Butt Pumps in some countries .https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-350w- ... p_p4816179" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Nice pump, Yummy. Puts my little pond fountain pusher to shame. (I'm with an 8-gallon boiler)

[Yummyrum]

Fizzix these pumps are pretty hardy . I throttle mine back to a bare trickle when running my pot still and its been very forgiving . Many say you should bypass the bulk of flow to keep them happy but I haven't seen the need .... maybe a few more rough ass runs might let the smoke our and proove me wrong but I think these pumps are pretty bullet proof .

If your pond pump is still working then cheers to it They do work when they are working .

[OtisT]

Hi Kracken. You will learn how big of a cooling resovoir you need by trial, and that will vary depending on the type of run you do (strip or spirit) and the volume of your boiler. Take your best educated guess and run it, take notes, and adjust resovoir size where necessary. Quickly you should learn how much you need for your “typical” strip and spirit runs. Be sure to take good run notes chronologically logging time, still power, resovoir temp, etc. along with your charge volume, ABV, etc.

As an example of usage from my 2” VM rig (that does not recirculate cooling) I learned that a complete 8 gallon strip requires 50 gallons of water to cool, and a 5 gallon spirit run requires 200 gallons. [fresh water, not recirculated.] I used a flow meter to measure usage at each stage of distillation but you can do the same by measuring what you circulate for any given minute (collect into a bucket and measure) then apply some math.


Efficient use of cooling power:

Since you are recirculating this won’t matter as much, but when using fresh water for cooling it helps to “tune” your stills cooling for minimal waste. For a non-recirculating system one rule for efficient use of water is to reduce the flow rate to the point where your cooling output as hot as you can tolerate touching (~130-140 F for me.) For me, this is easily achievable with a coil reflux condenser controlled with a needle valve. My Liebig is less efficient and I need more flow to condense all the vapor. My Liebig temp output never gets Hot, though I do get Warm. I’m wasting more water (cooling potential) here. When recirculating, you can run with a faster flow and not “waste” cooling potential.

Power in (boiler heat) = Power out (condenser cooling). For your recirculating setup the one operational aspect you can “tune” that may impact your cooling usage would be the amount of refluxing you do in warmup and in collection. If you are fractioning with a reflux of 9:1, you will need much more power and more cooling than you would if you were reflux ratio is 3:1.

Hope this helps. Otis

[xTheKrackenx]

Thank you Otis I hoped when I signed up here I would get great advise and I am getting a lot more than I anticipated. At this rate my transition from beer brewing to distilling will go smoother than I thought. Keep it coming guys. Also I got the ferrule in today as well as the copper cap for the top. I have a brew log from my beer brewing that dates back for 6 years. I will be doing the same for my still. Cheers hope everyone is enjoying their Friday night

[The Booze Pipe]

I had a liebig condenser the same 26" length, and it was too small! I had to run very slow with that set up. I made a new one 42" inches in length and now I can push all the heat I want to it, and it knocks it down.
I bought and soldered on a 2"x1.5" reducer to the the top of my riser, and use a cork to plug the whole...I also insert a thermometer. The apex of the riser happens to be a very efficient placement to monitor alcohol content of the distillate; at least in my experience it is (hang me if you must). Although, I don't use it to make cuts, it does help me keep track of where I am in the run.

[OtisT]

......... I made a new 42" liebig inches in length and now I can push all the heat I want to it, and it knocks it down.....

Hi Booze Pipe. I’m curious, what is your max wattage that your 42” Liebig is handeling all of? Otis

[The Booze Pipe]

......... I made a new 42" liebig inches in length and now I can push all the heat I want to it, and it knocks it down.....

Hi Booze Pipe. I’m curious, what is your max wattage that your 42” Liebig is handeling all of? Otis

I'm not sure exactly, I burn gas for heat. it puts out 120,000 btu at the high end, of course I run it lower than that.