How far - collecting jar

[corndog]

Have a question that i havent found an answer for, maybe im missing it somewhere here ? but anyway i wanted to know how far your collecting jar should be from your still and flame, i use an old gas/lp stove and only have gas lights ,[which i wont use when running i hope] but i have my still right next to open window and have many windows on all sides of me , i see some people have a long plastic hose from the outake of the still, how long should that be for safety purposes? i think i have 5ft-6ft of hose that runs to the floor to my collecting jar ,is this good enough,i suppose the floor has less chance of vapor build up? i will have plenty of ventilation and i run a 8 qt pot still, and also is their a special type of hose to use? i bought my hose at h-depot, i appreciate this site , thanx!!!!

[TK Spirits]

Corndog, there are safer alternatives than plastic tubing, except for fermenting, you should steer clear of using plastics, try and use copper tubing like 1/2" or 3/8". As long as your ventilation is good and you pay attention to your still and everything that comes out of it. I HIGHLY recommend you reading a little more unless your goal is to get chewed out by the mods .

[blanikdog]

Corndog, I don't believe that there is a standard for the distance between collection point and naked flame. In my instance - and I wish to emphasise that this is only in my instance - I have the collection point around about six feet from my burner. My shed is very well ventilated and I think it is safe, but I may be wrong. I'm sure that others will comment differently and even more wisely. I guess that as there doesn't seem to be a standard for this subject, common sense and care will provide the answer. Perhaps the safest answer would be the further away the safer, but still construction largely determines this, of course. Good luck in your search.

I would certainly avoid any use of plastics and most in this forum would agree. You may have noticed that this topic is included in our forum rules. Can I suggest that you read some of the threads on the use of plastic. These threads can be easily found by using the search function which is located above; third button in from the right hand side.

Stay Safe

[Dnderhead]

just to say,alcohol vapors are heavy so they tend to settle on/toward the floor.

[blind drunk]

Mine's about three feet from a slightly elevated flame. I ran my propane rig inside once and it scared the hell out of me, but that's just me. I know others run their units inside. Also, if you don't already, have a fire extinguisher on hand, and like TK said, scrap the plastic tubing and go with the copper he suggested. Also, a charged hose wouldn't be a bad idea. Stay safe.

[ginjo]

Just imagine that the collection cup falls over violently for some reason. You need to be prepared for that. IT does depend a bit on your instinct and attention. If I was to throw a liter of 95 right at my cooker I'm pretty sure I could deal with that instance, in terms of having tons of water available and the flammability of the surroundings. The more iffy things are the more cautious you need to be. Ideally a spilled liter would not cause a problem if never attended to. Not that you shouldn't attend, but you should be cautious.

[The Baker]

On my pot still I have an eight foot length of two inch copper tube as a lyne arm.
The reason is that I had it anyway, and did not want to cut it.
And it's temporary anyway.
When I get around to setting up a couple of taps and fittings and lids (and a metal stand) I will incorporate a double wash trough (2 X 40 litre tubs) which has a copper tube fitted through it (maybe inch-and-three-quarters, I'll have to have another look) for pre-heating wash. So I'll use shorter bits and pieces of tube to suit.
So the short answer is, around eight feet at the moment, and probably a bit shorter, later.

[Bagasso]

Although it's good to be as safe as you can I think sometimes things can go a bit far. Maybe it's the small size of my still (5gal) or my small burner (table top propane stove maxes out at about 1500ml/hr) but I have my collection jar about 10 inches from the flame and run indoors and never had a problem.

My first still was made using a cheap pot that leaked at the handle rivets. It was replaced in a hurry. What worries me is the seal on the pot rather than the distance of collection jar. I mean a leak on the pot is right over the flame and in a highly combustible fuel/air ratio. The liquid coming out of the coil isn't going to be spilling over the top of the container in any significant amount unless the container actually tips over.

[Bushman]

My collection is about 4 feet from a raised flame, I also user a 1/2" copper tube. I don't think you are seeing plastic in the collection lines because anyone here doing that is soon warned and change over. I run a reflux still and if that is what you are looking at then you are probably seeing plastic used in the water lines

[Ayay]

The collection jar is seated in a bowl. The bowl has contained many an overflow because of distractions. The bowl is a safety plus more so than distance between collection and flame. So long as the bowl is 10x the capacity of the collection jar.

[corndog]

Thanks for all the info i am dumping the plastic hose and looking for copper tubing which i cant find in this area,and ive been reading this forums about evryday since ive joined, just couldnt find anything about some questions i had,and forgot that alcohol vapor is heavier,i have just been seeing that some people usually have their collecting container on the floor i even do control burns for farmers around the area, just trying to be safe as i will be working in my remodeled cabin so i have all the safety things in check, bags and fire ext ... looking for sweet feed today! and i did a test run the other day with vinegar /water vapor. but did notice that i had the green stuff [ copper oxidation] in the lieb just a small spot what do you guys use to clean that out , juice acids or i wonder maybe a can of coke might do it ill look back in the forum , im getting closer!.