Sump Pump too strong for Condenser?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:02 pm

Hey guys, I am thinking of purchasing a 1350 gallon/hour sump pump for a great deal. I wanted to use it for my condenser on my offset head still. My condenser is a 1/4" thick coil. I am concerned that given a flow rate that strong (it will be moving at 3/8 gallon / second) will have negative effects on either the pump or the still? If so, any suggestions on how to regulate the flow?

punkassrookie · Post by **punkassrookie** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:09 pm

I have a small still and use a very small fountain pump to cycle water through a condenser jacket. I have 3/8" tubing to the condensor and it moves the water through the condensor pretty quick, even at about 75% (it is adjustable). Unless your coil is about 200ft long the pump is probably more than you need. My pump is about the size of my fist and cost about $40.

And now i see your "great deal" if it is too good to pass up, I'm sure there is a way to regulate the flow. Maybe some kind of crazy adapter that leaks and reduces back pressure. Somebody probably has a better Idea.

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:19 pm

It doesn't matter what the pump rating says. There's a finite limit to what will go through a 1/4 " tube in a given time, due to friction. If this limit is way below the pump capacity, then the pump will cavitate, rapidly wearing out the (expensive) impeller. One way around this is to run a 'bypass' line of considerably larger diameter (like 1") back to the intake side of the pump. That way only a small proportion of the flow will go through the 1/4" line. This is an option, but IMHO a waste of a good strong pump (and $$$) which costs more $$$ to run than is necessary. A small pond pump will do the job just as well, and they are relatively cheap to buy ($15 USD) and cheap to run (under 75 watts). If it were me I'd buy the larger pump to run a home-made spa and enjoy a brew or two while relaxing, and get the pond pump for the still.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 6:06 am

What type of flow rating would you guys recommend if my coil is 20ft long?

The Chemist · Post by **The Chemist** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 7:24 am

Hey, who are we to pass up a great deal? Buy the pump, put in that backyard water garden with the 20 gal/min fountain that your wife's always wanted, and bleed off a miniscule amount (a la Harry's advice) when you're distilling!

possum · Post by **possum** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 8:11 am

Why not use 2 buckets, one on a gravity feed into the condenser, and the other with the pump on an on off switch(ala:toilet tank float) then you could pump up @5to 10 gallons uphill and let it drain. if the deal is good try rigging it like this and you could put ice jugs or other cold material in the bottom container after it is heated. I might be talking crazy, but i think it should work, and you could use a higher capacity hose on the pump and a smaller 3/8 in for the condenser.

Rocky_Creek · Post by **Rocky_Creek** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 3:25 pm

Just accomplished this mission myself. Place a 'T' just a little ways from the pump output. Put a valve on the side of the "T", run a hose back into the container. In my case the pump, "T" and vlave are all inside the container.

TRANSPLANTED HILLBILLY · Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:38 pm

I use a splitter for a garden hose. A "Y" shaped piece with the valves built right in. Screw it right to the pump, one hose out and one for volume bypass. It allows me to control the water level in my worm box.

canadianmoonshiner · Post by **canadianmoonshiner** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:51 pm

Great idea Harry. I have always wanted a backyard pond. All I need is some property! Right now I am using tap water, and it goes down the drain after 1 cycle. Thank goodness I live in an area where water is cheap (free) and plentiful.

CM

rectifier · Post by **rectifier** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:47 pm

CMS, if you're talking about BC, remember we're most likely going to have severe water shortages this year due to the lack of snow (and rain) this winter. Just because it's free doesn't mean you should waste it!

Of course running a 20L batch probably takes less water than washing a car. I guess I'm just being a hippie

Nichevo · Post by **Nichevo** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 1:36 pm

Canada's fresh water runoff from the 3 major watersheds is 100,000's of cubic meters per second, or hundreds of millions of litres per second. This water becomes practically useless as soon as it hits the ocean. Water that goes down your drain ends up in the ocean a little bit later but it is all the same. It still takes energy (and money) to treat the water in the first place, and to treat it again after your done with it though...

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 3:17 pm

I envy you guys who get cheap/free water. I live 1 hr drive from one of the wettest places on the planet, and our city charges for every drop of water used, AND there are water restrictions on ALL YEAR. Where am I? Far North Queensland, Australia. Have a look at thes figures...

In Australia, Bellenden Kerr (FN QLD) received 11,251mm in 1979 (440 inches). With a massive 960mm (37.5 inches) of this total falling in just 24 hours on January 3/4.

On average, the wettest town in Australia is Tully (FN QLD) with an annual average rainfall of 4,204mm (165 inches).

Believe me, the BIG thing in coming years will be WATER, NOT OIL.

Uncle Remus · Post by **Uncle Remus** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 5:25 pm

rectifier wrote:CMS, if you're talking about BC, remember we're most likely going to have severe water shortages this year due to the lack of snow (and rain) this winter. Just because it's free doesn't mean you should waste it!

Of course running a 20L batch probably takes less water than washing a car. I guess I'm just being a hippie

I can understand the guys who have to pay for water being conservative.

But I'd like someone to expain how you "waste" water? It's still there after you run it through your condensor or water your lawn on wash your car.

If you got a creek running down a hill behind your house and you go upstream and put a line in it and gravity feed it through your still, water your lawn or wash your car, Do you still consider this wasting water? Even though the water will eventually get back in the creek where it was going in the first place.

I don't have a gravity system, but I pump it from a well through the still and out onto the ground. The water goes back into the water table where it came from in the first place, if I pump 1000 litres through my condensor, 1000 litres is going back in the ground minus a small amount to evaporation which I will eventually get back when it rains.

The city water supply where I live comes from a mountain stream which runs into a river in the valley bottom where the town is. If I water my lawn excessivly, will the excess water not eventually make it into the water table and back to the river where it was heading in the first place?

Do people actually believe once you use water it is gone forever?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 7:57 pm

Easy. You waste water when you take it out of the reservoir and put it somewhere it can't be delivered to people.

I believe it was 2 years ago Vancouver's reservoir (fed by a river from the mountains) almost ran dry in the summer due to lack of snowpack, despite restrictions. It most likely will happen again this summer.

Water itself can't be "wasted" - but the *usable* water supply can be.

rectifier · Post by **rectifier** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 7:57 pm

Oops, guest was me.

Home Distiller

Sump Pump too strong for Condenser?

Sump Pump too strong for Condenser?

use it for its design purpose