Stainless Steel Drum Boiler

[v-child]

If I was to try either beeswax or paraffin, I would definitely see if it dissolves in high grade ethanol first. Then you have the heat/ melting thingy. I'm pretty sure someone here will come around and bite your head off in the meantime.

[corene1]

Just thought I would throw in some of my thoughts on this build. For a sealant tape we have used PTFE expanded sealing tape or packing. Here is a link that shows a product similar to what we use. https://www.equalseal.com/PTFE-Valve-St ... s/2147.htm It is very soft and formable. See if there is a gasket supplier in your area that has it. Maybe you can get some short cutoffs for a reasonable price . As far as the lid. Any flat topped lid is susceptible to warping when being welded on, especially thin stainless. In the past I have formed a shallow cone from 18 gauge stainless that is approximately 1 inch smaller in the radius than the original lid and approximately 3 inches tall from base to top. Very similar to Windy's set up but using a cone instead of flat plate. This will make a very strong structure. I weld it to the original lid before cutting the center out to help keep everything round. I will also clamp it to a flat surface during welding and let it stay there until cooled. Then cut the center out. You will have a very durable and long lasting lid to work with that will be much less susceptible to warping while adding bungs and ferrules. Just something to think about.

[Setsumi]

how about lazer or plasma n ss ring and wrap in PTFE tape, like the easy gasket. i use one on a stainless steel swimming pool filter. every 3or 4 runs i wrap a bit more tape. if it gets out of OD spec i take some tape off and rewrap. it is easier tan dough and does not distort like cardboard after a run.

[rgreen2002]

Just thought I would throw in some of my thoughts on this build. For a sealant tape we have used PTFE expanded sealing tape or packing. Here is a link that shows a product similar to what we use. https://www.equalseal.com/PTFE-Valve-St ... s/2147.htm It is very soft and formable. See if there is a gasket supplier in your area that has it. Maybe you can get some short cutoffs for a reasonable price . As far as the lid. Any flat topped lid is susceptible to warping when being welded on, especially thin stainless. In the past I have formed a shallow cone from 18 gauge stainless that is approximately 1 inch smaller in the radius than the original lid and approximately 3 inches tall from base to top. Very similar to Windy's set up but using a cone instead of flat plate. This will make a very strong structure. I weld it to the original lid before cutting the center out to help keep everything round. I will also clamp it to a flat surface during welding and let it stay there until cooled. Then cut the center out. You will have a very durable and long lasting lid to work with that will be much less susceptible to warping while adding bungs and ferrules. Just something to think about.

Corene1 - your thoughts are always appreciated as I feel this is your area of expertise! I've seen that valve stem packing before here but totally forgot about it. This lid is pretty sturdy and has a small "dome" to it. I'm waiting for a few more parts to come soon and then I need to find myself a welder. What are your thoughts on Duralon Joint sealant( https://www.durlon.com/wp-content/uploa ... _21_20.pdf) ? I don't know what the "adhesive" is though...

I also found that McMaster-Carr has a boatload of stuff too - https://www.mcmaster.com/ptfe-packing/ (...not sure what the hell aramid fiber is though)

Lowes sells a PTFE "foam string" which is interesting - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Danco-Ptfe-Foa ... &gclsrc=ds

I did find a nearby gasket place. Since I have no experience do you think they would be able to fashion a "sensibly priced" custom PTFE gasket?

If I was to try either beeswax or paraffin, ..you have the heat/ melting thingy.

v-child... oddly enough I hadent thought of the reheating.

I did buy the cotton rope and wrap it with 1 inch PTFE tape and so far it looks promising...

how about lazer or plasma n ss ring and wrap in PTFE tape, like the easy gasket. i use one on a stainless steel swimming pool filter. every 3or 4 runs i wrap a bit more tape. if it gets out of OD spec i take some tape off and rewrap. it is easier tan dough and does not distort like cardboard after a run.

Setsumi - the idea of a metal base gasket wrapped in PTFE is appealing as well. I could easily do the same with the wrap/rewrap plan as needed.

[corene1]

The duralon is the closet to what I have used except it does have an adhesive on it. You could call them and ask about the adhesive properties. McMaster has good stuff but is expensive, The braded PTFE with Aramid fibers is very stiff and not very pliable. I have used that type of packing in big slide gates for the cement companies here. it is tough and the PTFE adds some lubricity to the seal. I would be hesitant of the Danco product. It is very small and is only rated to 212 degrees. Pure PTFE should be tolerant to temps up to 550 degrees or so. I will check out what I have and send a post on it tomorrow.
I do like the wrapped cotton fiber you have in the photo . It looks like it should work well.

[rgreen2002]

At the very least I am planning on trying the rope gasket. It has worked for me in the past so I have high hopes. It will get a vinegar/water/likker run anyway after the welder trip so I can see how it goes and report back. After that, I can look into the gasket shop nearby or some of the other options.

I'll keep yall posted and bring those sweet sweet pics as I get them. Hoping corene1 can give a little critique as I go along!

[rgreen2002]

OK...

Took a little while to find a good local welder. So I have all my fittings welded in place.

I have one of the elements in place here. Still lid space if I want more on the top.

Both elements in place (at least until I get my 240v line run... This is the next damn project since I cannot stand this two-element crap). A drain port on the right side of the pic.



As far as the gasket goes. I started with my cotton rope "everlasting" gasket. The cotton rope has a lot of give and I had to stretch it out a bit until I got a good fit. I trimmed the ends and PTFE wrapped them to two blind ends. I then did a two-layer stitch using silk to bring the ends together and add some support

Here it is in place

In place and covered with PTFE

Finally, capped off with the lid in place and tightened. Seemed to fit together quite well!

[rgreen2002]

The seams are pretty good but there are a few less appealing areas...

The seams are pretty good but there are a few less appealing areas...

I will plan a set of cleaning runs this week and report back. If the seams leak then I call the welder. If the gasket area leaks I will either add PTFE tape or tighten/loosen the clamp.

How tight are these barrel clamps supposed to be anyways? I just assume as tight as they need to be, not too tight though.

[Deplorable]

It shouldn't have to be super tight. I'd suggest tightens it down with a torque wrench to say, 35 to 40 ftlbs and check for steam leaks. Tighten it with the torque wrench until it doesn't leak steam, and write the torque setting down somewhere on the side of the barrel or the band next to the nut.

[NineInchNails]

Very nice! You're going to love and appreciate having such a large boiler. It's real convenient and a big time saver. I find a single large stripping run produces enough low wines for a single 15.5 gal keg boiler charge for a spirit run. Running 2 elements is wonderful. I went quite a while before buying a 2nd element. Another wonderful time saver.

It looks like you went with a bottom drain. I put a drain through the side of mine as low as I could. It works fine and only a minor inconvenience having to tip the drum a bit while rinsing it out.

I installed a homemade thermowell in my boiler so I can monitor & control initial heat-up. It's just handy to be alerted if desired and/or easy to see the progress.

[rgreen2002]

It shouldn't have to be super tight. I'd suggest tightens it down with a torque wrench to say, 35 to 40 ftlbs and check for steam leaks.

So I went out and got a torque wrench, I didn't even make it to 10 lbs and it was pretty tight. The water bath yesterday didn't show any signs of leak. Going to try vinegar today and maybe old EtOH tomorrow to be sure.


NIN - I do love the bigger boiler. This one is not much larger than my other one and already I'm thinking I need more. LOL
I frequently run the flute and rarely do a stripping run. I am usually working with 40 gallon mash bills though so I will most often do a "1.5" run to cut down on the time.

My other boiler has a low side drain and it would always leave about 1-2 gallons behind that I would have to tilt and shake to get out. I ran some water last pm and the drain was smooth as silk! Left a few cc behind. Love it already!

As far as two elements.. I hate it PURELY because I have two 120V elements right now. I am planning on installing a 240V outlet soon and then I can get back to real work. It took almost 3 hours to get 7 gallons of water to a boil.. a total crime! I may use two elements after that; one 240 and one 120 just to speed up the boil times when I am running full charge.

The thermowell - I have always liked the idea of a nice thermometer on the front. Mostly for aesthetic value but knowing the charge temp would be useful I believe.

I hate to say it but the next steps will include wrapping her up in Reflectix. I will try to make it look pretty but you know how that goes.

So far the gasket seems to be holding up. I would give a word of advice to anyone thinking about using the cotton rope gasket.

First, this is the rope I used:

SaPeal 100% Twisted Cotton Rope 1/2", 25 Feet,(1/2" x25'-Natural) on amazon ( I tried to put a link but it screwed everything up somehow)

This rope is very pliable so I cut it to length and stretched it quite a bit to take up the slack.

Second, the advice: when you are wrapping the rope with PTFE, wrap it as many times as you like BEFORE ever putting it into place. Wrapping the rope also removed slack and gave me a few more inches (...somehow I know someone is going to read this wrong.. ). I then had to cut and redo the whole thing. When it is the right size it fits very snugly in the barrel head groove.

[Deplorable]

Nice. 10 ftlb is basically snuging it down with a 3/8 wratchet and a socket.

[rgreen2002]

Allright, Allright, Allright...Now we're cooking.

So a water run, a 50/50 vinegar/water run, and a cleaning EtOH run with no leaks! Looking good. The gasket held perfectly and is actually compressed nicely into the lid well without any adhesive. She holds 30 gallons easy and I have calculated her volume at around 32 gallons.

Next question... Because the barrel is wider than my old double keg setup I have to add a few segments to the flute to keep it above the barrel. If I don't, I cannot setup the shotgun condenser and dephleg.

See how the shotgun/parrot would run right into the barrel head(that 12 inch extension has come in very handy in the past).

I have a 2" elbow on top like this:

The span is only 6 inches between openings.

Now I'm no pipe fitter, but my understanding of physics tells me there must be a limit the tri-clamp can hold if I were to try to increase that length. Also, 6 inches on a 2" pipe seems to be a standard. Anyone have any idea (without changing my configuration too much) on how I could lengthen that span and NOT come down over the barrel?

[still_stirrin]

Hmmm....the “sight glass” port looks like it’s the same size as your column. Why not move the column closer to the edge by swapping it for the sight glass cap? It seems simple enough from here....
ss

[v-child]

Is the drum lid strong enough to support this kind of weight?

[NineInchNails]

Is the drum lid strong enough to support this kind of weight?

Sure it is. Drums are very strong especially after welding a large Tri-Clamp ferrule in place.

[rgreen2002]

Hmmm....the “sight glass” port looks like it’s the same size as your column. Why not move the column closer to the edge by swapping it for the sight glass cap? It seems simple enough from here....
ss

SS - I did think of this one but the lid is domed so the middle is higher than the sides. There is a slight slope on the sight glass so I don't think that works. I will check once everything is taken down to see.

The lid is quite stable and with almost my full column assembled it seems to hold up quite fine.

[NineInchNails]

Hmmm....the “sight glass” port looks like it’s the same size as your column. Why not move the column closer to the edge by swapping it for the sight glass cap? It seems simple enough from here....
ss

SS - I did think of this one but the lid is domed so the middle is higher than the sides. There is a slight slope on the sight glass so I don't think that works. I will check once everything is taken down to see.

The lid is quite stable and with almost my full column assembled it seems to hold up quite fine.

That is unfortunate, but only cosmetic if you incorporate adjustable feet to the boiler or an adjustable boiler base for it to sit on. Could just shim the boiler. If it really really bothers you that much (it kinda would me), you could remove that ferrule and reinstall it, but this time level it within the boiler. It can be corrected if you want to.

I think the best option would be to have an additional ferrule welded in place, but weld it in level. That would be easier than correcting the existing ferrule. One for the column, one for a fill port and one for a sight glass. I'd probably weld the 3rd inline with the other 2.