Coil in a Liebig

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:57 am

I'm very much still learning, and maybe this should be moved to the novice section, but when i move into my new shed, i'd like to get rid of my coil and move to a system that allows me to collect at bench height instead of floor height.
Was thinking a liebig was the only way to do it, short of moving my keg upwards or making a very small coil in a small bucket and recirculating water through it.
I have a glass condensor (faulty) that's a liebig type one, but has a very pretty coil up the guts.
Seeing as i have access to any copper or fittings i like, was thinking about making a long halfinch coil, in a two inch jacket, suspending it vertically to prevent any liquid buildup?

I guess i'm not the first one to raise the idea although i haven't read it anywhere that i can remember.

Thoughts and views or alternative solutions so i'm not squatting on a stool?

showrguy · Post by **showrguy** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:14 am

i dunno ??
but, i think you"d need more than a 2"jacket though, i don't think you could bend/coil 1/2" that tight consistently without kinking it ???
course, i could be proven wrong.......
you could use a chunk of 6" or 8" pvc with end caps for the jacket with a circulating pump, instead of copper or stainless but she might get a little heavy though depending on the overall length..

mikeac · Post by **mikeac** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:18 am

I have thought about the coil in a lieberg idea and even gave it a go...ish. And I still think it would work just fine, however a lieberg condenser is just so easy to make that I can't see the benefit of having the coil over just being straight?

alice · Post by **alice** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:31 am

I think a coil in a liebig condensor would be super efficient - it'd be a sure way to avoid problems with laminar flow of the coolant for sure.

Taking it even further, a copper coil in a glass jacket would be ultra-cool in every sense of the word...

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:54 am

mikeac wrote:I have thought about the coil in a lieberg idea and even gave it a go...ish. And I still think it would work just fine, however a lieberg condenser is just so easy to make that I can't see the benefit of having the coil over just being straight?

As Alice said, there's a couplea benefits that seem to meet the eye.
Turbulence in the flow is one and another is horisontal space, which is my main concern.

How big a jacket do you guys think i'd need? I've never tried to roll pipe before.
Only picked half inch cause that's the smallest i have in the shed, and i still wanna run the pot still around the 3 litres an hour mark, so didn't wanna restrict it much more than it is now (1/2 inch coil in a bucket

Post by **Usge** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:56 am

Punkin, you ever see one of those "gatlin" condesners? From what I've read, it might be well suited match for an open throat rig like you have.

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:20 am

I've seen heat exchangers for tractors that i was looking at for a hot water system for my car.
I think this's what you mean?
They have a large outer shell with a whole bunch of small pipes runnin through there?

Post by **Usge** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:49 am

Yes..thats the one. They have a link on the main site on how to make one for a nixon stone offset. (with pics). Not sure exactly how you'd have to adapt it for potstill use.

The link for it is messed up though. Here's a fixed link:

http://homedistiller.org/MakingtheGattlingCondenser.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:58 am

your idea is a good one. You coil may end up looking more like a stretched out spring but it would work. I was faced with the same problem and I used a reference form an old book and came up with this:

: thump_cond1.gif (7.49 KiB) Viewed 2206 times

The condenser part is tow cylinders attached to each other at the top and bottom with the gas coming in between. That way water hits the inside and outside. This is a very compact and efficient design. I have knocked down as much as 18L/hour with this condenser.

Post by **HookLine** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 3:50 pm

Here's a little something I knocked up last weekend.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s197 ... hanger.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

tracker0945 · Post by **tracker0945** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 4:00 pm

And that took you all weekend! So what slowed you down?
I would hate to be paying you.

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:42 pm

pintoshine wrote:your idea is a good one. You coil may end up looking more like a stretched out spring but it would work. I was faced with the same problem and I used a reference form an old book and came up with this:
The condenser part is tow cylinders attached to each other at the top and bottom with the gas coming in between. That way water hits the inside and outside. This is a very compact and efficient design. I have knocked down as much as 18L/hour with this condenser.

Did you just roll yours outa sheet, pint?

Post by **HookLine** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:52 pm

tracker0945 wrote:And that took you all weekend! So what slowed you down?
I would hate to be paying you.

All those holes. So many holes.

And you should have seen the quote from the pros.

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:55 pm

punkin wrote:Did you just roll yours outa sheet, pint?

Yes, I rolled the inside cylinder and used a locking joint to hold it in a cylinder. I soldered the locking joint. Then I rolled the outside one to leave a 1 cm gap between the two. I folded down 1 cm of the lip of the the inside cylinder toward the outside cylinder. I cut my holes in the outside cylinder, added the connection fittings. I inserted the inside cylinder and soldered the two together.
Here is what it looked like assembled.

The hardest part was fitting it into the jacket and getting it soldered up.
I bet something like this could be made from successive sizes of copper pipe too. Say use a 1" inside a 1 1/2" inside a 2"

This picture would be near impossible to build but it is a good theory.

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:19 pm

pintoshine wrote:
punkin wrote:Did you just roll yours outa sheet, pint?
Yes, I rolled the inside cylinder and used a locking joint to hold it in a cylinder. I soldered the locking joint. Then I rolled the outside one to leave a 1 cm gap between the two. I folded down 1 cm of the lip of the the inside cylinder toward the outside cylinder. I cut my holes in the outside cylinder, added the connection fittings. I inserted the inside cylinder and soldered the two together.
Here is what it looked like assembled.
The hardest part was fitting it into the jacket and getting it soldered up.
I bet something like this could be made from successive sizes of copper pipe too. Say use a 1" inside a 1 1/2" inside a 2"
This picture would be near impossible to build but it is a good theory.

Your build is above my skill level, Pint.
But your pipe drawings not

Think you've solved my condensor problem for me, that'll work heaps more efficiently with all that surface area

Do ya think it should have somthing in the outer or inner water jackets to create turbulence or better just a straight through run? Was thinking a small plate with lotsa holes drilled in to make sure the water flowed through evenly.

How long do you think it'd have to be? 12 inches enough? Eight even?

Thanks for the tip mate, and all the time you spent on the drawing and such, so good to have this level of assistance for free

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:24 pm

Thank you very much. If you can build one of these I would love to see how it could be done.

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:43 pm

No worries mate, i'll take some piccies as i go.

tracker0945 · Post by **tracker0945** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:50 am

HookLine wrote:
All those holes. So many holes.

And you should have seen the quote from the pros.

Sounds a bit sus but I will believe you this time