What kind of condenser is this..?

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m0rdecai
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What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by m0rdecai »

I just picked up this beginner still on Aliexpress:

Image

I didn't see this condenser type in any of the wiki's or guides so I'm wondering if this design/style has a name..? The water chamber basically cools the vapors both on their way up and on their way out, so would that make this a type of reflux still..? Would I get more reflux effect if I packed the column with copper scrubs? Any tips in general?
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Kindafrench
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by Kindafrench »

Any link to the product or sellers page?
m0rdecai
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

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Expat
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by Expat »

Its a worm type, just not a very good one.

https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/Worm
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m0rdecai
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by m0rdecai »

Expat wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:33 am Its a worm type, just not a very good one.

https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/Worm
It's kind of like a worm type, but not really. On the picture in that wiki the vapor intake is on the top, but on my still the column itself tuns through the water chamber basically cooling vapors both on the way up and on the way out. And what exactly makes it bad..?
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acfixer69
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by acfixer69 »

First with no packing for reflux "cooling up" you are sending liquid back to the boiler for no reason other than wasting energy. Cooling down has to be very short and there fore slow the take-off speed. Second thing is it is using a PID to control temperature which will work for ferment, but will not work well if at all to control take-off rate. May have gasket issues but food grade is a flag for sillycon. Other then that it look fair.
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shadylane
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by shadylane »

Expat wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:33 am Its a worm type, just not a very good one.
I suspect it's a dimroth
The cooling water flows through the coils.
What ever the design of the condenser, I wouldn't buy the still.
dimroth.png
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Without being able to see whats going on in that top bit its difficult to tell whats in there.
Its another of the weird Chinese designs it seems.
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NZChris
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by NZChris »

I suspect that this question should have been asked before you spent your money. :(
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by m0rdecai »

NZChris wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:36 pm I suspect that this question should have been asked before you spent your money. :(
Maybe, but this post isn't a complaint, I'm just curious about the design. I've run the still about 5 times now, and it's working beautifully. I can't fault a single thing about it so far. All the welds are solid, no leaks. The gasket seems high quality, nice strong side clamps. Have tested for vapor leaks, there are none. Nice steady heating element, control seems accurate enough. Everyone in this thread is assuming it's a terrible still - I guess chinese stills off Aliexpress have a bad reputation? Or is there some snobbery going on too? :wink:

This is my first venture into distilling, so I consider this my beginner still. The condenser column has a triclamp connection, so I could upgrade it somewhere down the line should I want to.

I was, like I said, just curious about the condenser design as I haven't seen it before. And I suppose my main question is if packing my column with copper scrubs will facilitate some reflux with this design?
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NZChris
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by NZChris »

I used my beginner still yesterday. It's over thirty years old and has had some tweaks, but nothing major.

Your condenser will be one of at least two common designs, but without a pic of the internals, we can only guess which one.
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Re: What kind of condenser is this..?

Post by StillerBoy »

m0rdecai wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:17 am And I suppose my main question is if packing my column with copper scrubs will facilitate some reflux with this design?
No..

Mars
" I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, Obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my knowledge and understanding "

– Albert Einstein
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