Correct size codenser tubing?

[Nick56289]

[Deleted due to lack of activity]

[manu de hanoi]

i'd say 8mm diam is better, but most importantly is the thickness of the tube, 1mm is bad (very hard to coil by hand) half of that is nice & soft

[Hawke]

The 'standard' size for coils is 1/4" O.D., and most opt for a twin coil. That will give you almost double the surface area of a single 3/8". For the size column, 8 inches long should knock down any vapor that hits the head.

[Nick56289]

Thanks for the quick replies!

[Oaty]

An 8 inch 1/4 tube double wound will do fine. Might want to look at http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6140. Take a look at the jig for winding a coil. Also, look at rhodent's coil design.

[Asohosy]

If it's not too late... the Bokakob design is better and easier to build than Nixon-Stone.

[new_moonshiner]

also if you use refrigeration tubing it will not kink as bad ..

[Barney Fife]

I made my first condenser(for a 2" inline head) wit 1/4" tubing like everyone else. But this spring I made a new boiler from a SS pool filter, and found my condenser couldn't keep up with 1500 watts power. The 1/4" tubing was also too restrictive for my water pump, a Grundfoss circulating pump(worked great with the Liebig on my old pot still). Anyways, I purchased 12 feet of 3/8" copper line, and made a new coil from that, and it now keeps up easily with 1500 watts, and doesn't stress out my pump at all.

Just one 'loop' of the 3/8" was enough; on the bottom, I soldered the end into a 1/2" copper line that runs back up and out, so I guess that works as a second coil of sorts. All I know is that it works much better than the 1/4'"double loop condenser I was using before.

[rangaz]

3/8ths has worked fine for me. It was all I had laying around, harder to wind but has been able to handle all the gas power I can throw at it. Surface area isn't the only factor when considering a condensers power. Having a larger flow rate will effectively keep the condenser at a lower temp and therefore increase temp difference, resulting in more heat transfer

[Pikluk]

i'd say 8mm diam is better, but most importantly is the thickness of the tube, 1mm is bad (very hard to coil by hand) half of that is nice & soft

not sure about that, i tried twice to make one with thin walled tubing the home depot sell as refrigeration tubing(sometime i doubt this is really what i bought boxs was mess up couldn't see difference that and normal kind that was cheaper "think someone might have switched it")
but both try ended in flat coils.
hook made one for me and when i got it first thing i noticed was the weigh is was a lot heavier thinker walls and was a little smaller O.D. had to flare them a little to fit in the regular compression fitting.

[HookLine]

hook made one for me and when i got it first thing i noticed was the weigh is was a lot heavier thinker walls and was a little smaller O.D. had to flare them a little to fit in the regular compression fitting.

The tube I used is annealed, seamless 6.4 mm (1/4") OD, with a wall thickness of 0.81 mm (about 1/32"), rated for R410A refrigeration gas. Pretty sure R410A rating is the standard tubing type for refrigeration work is Australia.