condenser idea

[oldpete]

im wondering how well a counterflow chiller from beer making would work as a condenser. for those who are not sure what im talking about a link is below. kinda spendy but i can also use it for beer.
http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=19533

[stoker]

i think it would work

[oldpete]

i was reading that the distilate should come out slightly warm, my only consern would be that the condenser would be too efficient and cause the output to be too cold, unless that really isnt a huge problem. im hoping to set up my still with an adjustable angle lyne arm to compensate for a relitivly short column, 18" 22 if you count the attachment to the boiler

[stoker]

there is no too cold
and if you want it warmer, just regulate the cold -water-input (with a valve)

just make sure the spirit can drip out of the condenser, so keep it verticaly

[AllanD]

Why would you want the distillate slightly warm?
To improve the chances of a flash fire?
(I prefer having flammible liquids as cold as possible
when near an open flame)

To me 60'F is ideal because it eliminates making corrections to the reading of my hydrometer, but if it's cooler that's fine....


AllanD

[oldpete]

i think i might just go for that, major space savings and well why build something or try and reinvent the wheel when not nessary, plus i can make better beer faster with it. as for the question of the output tempature it came right from homedistiller.org

Let the distillate drop cleanly into the recieving vessel, so that it splashes. This will help it lose any fusels that may be present. For the same reason, it is better that the distillate is still warm to the touch, not cold. Don't put the end of the tubing under the level of the liquid, as this will cause any fusels that might be coming out as vapours to condense (and taint the flavour).

[muckanic]

I have a home-made counterflow chiller made up out of about 6m (20 ft) of 10mm (3/8") pipe. That is way overkill for the sorts of flow rates that occur in distillation, and in fact the length actually creates resistance which results in spluttering and wash flooding.

[junkyard dawg]

yeah, Oldpete, you found a quote that might need some re-thinking... I just don't think that paragraph applies much to real life... maybe in theory that might matter, but If you're making hootch that is either good or bad depending on how hot it is when it splashes into the bottle then you are walking a much finer line than me... There are thirty or forty other factors that will affect your flavor before the temp of your distillate.

[oldpete]

well i dont know how much resistance it will have, alot less compaired to 3/8 due to the fact that it is made of 5/8 tubing. i guess the only way to tell would be to try it