Tell me about your POT STILL

[Enlikil]

I wanna build a pot still anyone have any Tips for me?
ANything that you experianced that you would change about yours etc.etc.

Anything is much thanked.

[zeff]

Go bigger and spend more to get the proper components. My very first still was a pot still and i stinged on parts whereever i could to save money, in the end i was dissapointed and kept upgrading it. If i had of got the proper parts to start with i would have saved alot of money. I also used a very small boiler which was annoying. Started off with a 1.5L kettle, then used a 3L pressure cooker, then a 25L paint tin, and now a 50L keg. So yeah spend the money and get a big boiler and dont stinge on parts. Other than that there pretty simple to make so you should be set

[junkyard dawg]

that's good advice...

[Uncle Remus]

This is an old post with some pics of my pot still. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1601
The advice about going big is wise. You use a keg as a boiler for your reflux don't you? If so make your pot still head fit on your keg.

I've been building a new pot still for a while now. It's pretty well finished except for a bit of clean up. I will post some pics once it's ready to fire up. The one in the post above works great, but this new one is gonna be a little bigger and hopefully a little faster as well. Pictures are coming soon.

[Enlikil]

Yes i use a keg now, I was going to get a 8 gallon 1/4 keg for my pot stil, and cut the top out so i could get inside it to clean out the mash, Since i'm guessing that True rum/whiskey mashes are a bitch to clean out through a 2 inch Keg head..I was going to use a 8 gallon keg so i could run in my garage through the winter.
I don't know anything about Pot stills i so i will need to read up on thumbers and packing and sizes....

[Big J]

Here's two topics that have some nice pics that helped me making mine:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2322
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2540

And Uncle Remus's that he posted.

Cheers,
J

[Grayson_Stewart]

Why do you feel you need to step down to an 8 gallon keg to be able to run as a pot still inside a garage?

[Bujapat]

Here is the plan of my potstill's column and condensor... Dimensions are in mm. Column diameter is 54 mm (2"), condensor diameter is 22 mm (inner tube) and 35 mm (outer tube).

[Enlikil]

Why do you feel you need to step down to an 8 gallon keg to be able to run as a pot still inside a garage?

My Current fractionating reflux still is 9 feet tall. I dug a hole in my backyard 5 feet deep to get me a good working height level...

I have three reasons for going to the 8 gallon and for being a pot still.
1) I want to try my hand at true whiskey and rums mashs (instead of flavoring)
2) It needs to be short enough to fit in my garage so i can still through the winter.
3) I like building the stills as much as running them.

the 8 gallon kegs to me seem like a good fit for a 5 gallon wash? I guess i could up it to a 13 gallon keg as long as I keep my Column short.

I read somewhere on here that some of you like to put packing in your pot stills does this give a little bit of added seperation?
also, IS lyne arm and Leibieg condenser the same thing? (i'm off to reading)

[Enlikil]

WOW i just realized..
I have a mash tun built from a 13.5 gallon stainless steel keg.
it has a stainless sight glass, Stainless ball valve, Stainless Thermomitor, and a hole already cut in the top... I guess i could just remove the false bottom and fasion some sort of top on it and have me a nice little fancy boiler potstill?
Sorta like a 2 fer.

[Uncle Remus]

IMHO you want to keep your column short. Mine sticks up only about 18" or so above the keg. If you got a longer column your gonna get higher AV% and less flavour. My strip run with a 12% wash usually comes off at about 58-60%. Second run 78-80%. I would stick with the keg for a boiler, you can run a 5 gallon wash if you want, but you can't run a 10 gallon wash if you only got a small boiler.

[Enlikil]

OK then i will just use my Current 13.5 gallon keg.
If i'm correct It should be ok with a sight glass on it and the ball valve and the thermoitor, it will just be a little tricky to clean those out but they all unscrew. SO it should be fine.

I didn't cut my hole out very centered but that should not matter either. I think i'm going to give it a whirl. and try to figure out how to mount a stainless bowl to the top.

question.
What size should my condenser be? If i run say 15 inches of 2 inch dia column.

[stoker]

with 1 meter of condenser, you can condense everyting.
and go for a norrow condenser, those tubes are cheaper, and as good as the thicker ones

[Enlikil]

SO a 1 meter Liebieg style condensor should do the trick
if i come up with a 2" column, what would a good condenser Inside diameter be 3/4 Inch pipe? then put a one incher on the outside? or maby even 1/2 inch ID, with a 3/4 sleeve?

[Uncle Remus]

Mine is 3/4" inside of a 2". It's probably around 5' long, it's overkill. 1 meter long should work just fine.

[Enlikil]

I have a 3 foot 1 inch Copper pipe, and a 4 foot 3/4 inch for my condenser for a pot still with a 2 inch 15 inch column, do you think its over kill?

should i go with a 2 foot cooling jacket or a 3 footer?
and is 3 feet good enough for the total length of the lyne arm or should i go with 4?

[pothead]

lyne arm sounds ok...I think the condenser is overkill,though.

Here is my newest addition to the family...

[booger]

But I'm in the process of upgrading to a larger boiler with a jacketed condenser instead of a coil...I live in a condo and don't pay for water so it makes much more sense, and 15 gallons at a time will be nice since I primarily do sour-mash and want to age for a year +.