Mini radiator

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kiwistiller
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Mini radiator

Post by kiwistiller »

Here's a little hacked together radiator for my recirculating system - not a permenant solution of course, what with the sticky tape holding it together, but a good little test rig. I'm trying to get the size of my reservoir down. Here is the setup running today, a single run white rum on my cut down VM.
IMG_0251.JPG
See the little heater core hanging over the edge of the water bucket? it has a plastic container as ducting and a fan for air movement.
IMG_0253.JPG
Water temp rose to about 40C, and has stayed there all run.
IMG_0255.JPG
Nice easy solution, and total cost of bugger all. heater core was 20 bucks or so, and the fan was scrap as well (cheap).
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Mud Mechanik
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Mud Mechanik »

How did it work on your test run? I have the same issue and this is a good idea to try and cool the reservoir. MM
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Kentucky shinner
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Kentucky shinner »

pretty "cool" :wink: idea. In the box did you put Ice below the fan so the air it moves through the radiator would be very cool or just use ambient air from inside the cool box? The reason I ask this is they use something very similar to this to keep drivers cool in stock cars and it works really well. The ice will last for quite sometime.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Triple distiller »

Kiwistiller,

I run my 30 odd liters of cooling water through a car heater radiator which I 'built' inside a carboard box, heavyly ductaped, on which I put two scrap 120mm computerfans in a push/pull configuration. I do feel warmth coming off the radiator (sucking in cool outside air) but after a while things do get warm, especially on stripping runs where I run stuff as hard as I dare. What kind of fan do you use? And what's the size of your reservoir? The reservoir size definately has impact on temperatures on longer runs.

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Re: Mini radiator

Post by MuleKicker »

Car ac evaporator cores work well. Usually very heavy duty, thick. have plenty of heat dissapating capacity.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by still crazy »

+1 on mule
Or you can use a heater core for a car
I stick mine in a bucket of ice water
Freeze a few cardboard style OJ/Milk containers and make big blocks.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by decomissioned »

I've started putting gallon ziplocks not-quite-full of water in the freezer. Then when you are ready to run you can just drop 2-3 bags (now ice blocks) into the water bucket. At the end of the run they will be melted, but still intact.. so I just fish em out and put them right back in the freezer. Saves on the waste, and is real cheap. so far I've gotten 2 runs out of my bags (I've only run twice so far, still a newbie).

Might have to check into the radiator thing though. Man.. I used to have a little 8" radiator I used for a computer water cooling rig back in '99 or so. In fact, I'm using that same pump for my still.. wonder what ever happened to that radiator...
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by kiwistiller »

Mud Mechanik wrote:How did it work on your test run? I have the same issue and this is a good idea to try and cool the reservoir. MM
Worked well - water temp rose to about 40C and then pretty much stayed there (radiator is of course more efficent the warmer it gets). Probably wouldn't be enough for a full on stripping run, but you never know.
Kentucky shinner wrote:pretty "cool" :wink: idea. In the box did you put Ice below the fan so the air it moves through the radiator would be very cool or just use ambient air from inside the cool box? The reason I ask this is they use something very similar to this to keep drivers cool in stock cars and it works really well. The ice will last for quite sometime.
KS

No ice - this is something I don't want to do as I'm short on freezer space and stuff. just a fan, hacked up box to use as a duct, and the heater core.
erasei wrote: Might have to check into the radiator thing though. Man.. I used to have a little 8" radiator I used for a computer water cooling rig back in '99 or so. In fact, I'm using that same pump for my still.. wonder what ever happened to that radiator...
Yeah, I threw my old water cooling rig out, what a waste. :x

I'd like to get another heater core and put two in line. or I guess I could just spring for a radiator... The idea is to not take up much space though.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by MuleKicker »

I got a ac condenser out of a chrysler pt cruiser that is a little bigger than a regular heater core and its about 2 times as thick. Kiwi, id give the damn thing to ya, but im sure shipping would kill ya. I havent made the switch to a closed system. Water is easy for me to come by. Although, i know i should do my part and try to conserve.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by kiwistiller »

yeah I never bothered with recirc before moving up here, but the water charges here would kill me if I didn't recirculate. Thanks for the offer, but yeah shipping would definitely kill me.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Triple distiller »

Kiwistiller,

have a look at this: http://www.overclockers.com/nuclear-tow ... r-cooling/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Interesting stuff: a cheap device which beats radiators hands down. I've built one myself (2m high, 110mm diameter) but couldnt find any time to test it. Next saturday's UJSM stripping run should prove a good test. I'll start a new topic if I achieve good results!

Regards,
TD
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by kiwistiller »

Look forward to your results. Wouldn't this be much less efficient in humid environments?
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Triple distiller »

Most definitely, however: every degree we can get our water lower saves us strippin' time ;)
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Barney Fife »

A car or truck heater core should be more efficient than a air conditioner's condenser. Even more efficient will be a small car's radiator(or larger truck, for that matter, if you have the space <lol>). Add a fan to blow the hot air outside the shed if necessary. Your car(or truck's) engine is putting out way more BTUs than your still is, and these rads keep them cool. Most of us are natural born scroungers, so finding these for free shouldn't be too hard...
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by kiwistiller »

Car radiator is definitely where I'm headed, when I get into a bigger space :) I've got the fan for it already. Will try to have radiator, reservior, and pump all outside and run the lines out a window or something, then use the space that my big reservoir (massive wheelie bin) is taking up for a lagering fridge.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by LWTCS »

Industrial lawn mowers too. Like the diesel ones. Kobuta comes to mind.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by MuleKicker »

Barney Fife wrote:A car or truck heater core should be more efficient than a air conditioner's condenser.
Not the condenser, the evaporator. It is on the oposite end of the system. I know a car radiator is made to cool an engine that puts out way more heat than a still. But the point is to keep it in a small package. Hell, if you want efficient, get a damn radiator out of a diesel truck. those dissapate more heat yet. Just takes up a shit load of space. Most evaporators are thicker than the heater core in the same system. Making more surface area in approx the same space.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Tater »

the heater coils usually have bigger tubes then evap..If ya can get radiator from a small compact type car with the elect fan along with it you will have a good cooler.
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by radiatorboy »

i just set my setup with and radiator and fan got to 30c on a 8 hour reflex run. its just a commodore rad with a normal house fan blowing on it and only a 50l bucket very happy :D
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Barney Fife »

Not the condenser, the evaporator. It is on the oposite end of the system.

Okay, gotcha. Not the first time I mix up terminology when it comes to AC systems ;). I thought the point of using the AC -condenser- would that that it is thin and easy to get at on any old care or truck, and it has to handle the same BTU(though with a larger fan and/or highway speed air flow) as the evap on the same vehicle. I used one as a transmission cooler back in the day when I had a mug-bogging truck... Any how... The evaporator is much harder to get at, being in the dash and all, and I'd grab the heater core while there, instead, as it has nice big hose connections, and is usually made of(on older cars at least) copper. Most newer ones will be aluminum, though. And the AC evap will have had some nasty shit and some oil through it.

I know a car radiator is made to cool an engine that puts out way more heat than a still. But the point is to keep it in a small package

With a large enough rad(I believe a typical car rad would handle anything our hobby stills can dish out), one can do away with the water reservoir completely if we use an in-line pump, or going down to a 5 gallon bucket just to have a place for the usual submersible pump, saving a ton of room. Part of my plan for this winter's "upgrade".
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Re: Mini radiator

Post by Titus-a-fishus »

Might be a bit big
But I used a split system air conditioner unit.
All in one neat package
Just made sure it would run using the original fan and it worked fine.
A lttle too good
So it sits behind the still not being used at the moment.....
But we aren't in Summer mode yet.

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