Hillbilly Stills Element Question

[Jasper]

I have asked over at hillbilly stills but was wondering if anyone in forum had any direct experience with this.

Anyway, I am thinking of ordering the 13 gallon milk can with the internal element. The element itself is 240 - but sounds like it can be dialed down to 120. Would this be sufficient to heat a 13 gallon potstill if i ran it at 120 (since i dont have any 240 outlets in the house)? Would i be better off going with an 8 gallon and running a dedicated 120 element (since 240 would be way overkill for an 8 gallon still)? If so, any suggestions on 120 elements/controllers?

Ideally i would want the 13 gallon because a) it has a 3 inch head and b) it could serve as a good beer brewing kettle. I would love to go gas - but distilling outside isnt really an option at this point.

Thanks for any tips!
Jasper

[Prairiepiss]

What kind of still will you be attaching to this boiler?

[Jasper]

Standard 3" (or 2" if i go with the 8 gallon) pot still head. I want to get a reflux head eventually... but whiskey is the goal for now.

[Prairiepiss]

I'm not to sure if the setup KS is selling now can be modified to use on 110 v or not? But if it can be I would say running a 5500w 240 element at 110v 1375 w give or take. Will work for a pot still. Long heat up time. But that is all I use when I run in pot still mode. Now a reflux still will need more imo.

Do you not have a clothes dryer connection? Or an electric range maybe? Both if electric should be 240 v? Some aren't I know.

[BigPa]

If you run a 240v heater element on 120v you will only get about 1/4 of the power output. That is at 100%. So if it is a 4500 W element, you are looking at ~1125 W. Probably realistically looking at more like 1000W. That is going to put your heat up time very long with a 10 gallon wash.

EDIT-- Looks like PP and I were writing about the same time.

[WalkingWolf]

You should be able to pull the 240 element and put in a 2500W/120V element. KS may put the 120V instead of the 240V. As the others have said that heat up time will definitely increase. Check with hillbillystills and see if you can get the 13 gallon with two element inlets. You could then run two 120V elements for heat up and shut off one for the run.

[Prairiepiss]

I should add. I have 2 of those 5500w elements. Use both for heat up. Then shut one down for a pot still run. Reflux run I use both. So I don't know how long heat up would be with one. 10 gallons with 2 elements takes approx 1.5 hours. Roughly.

[BigPa]

I would recommend the two element option. They would need to be running on two different circuits as well. The 2500 w 120 volt element would be running up to almost 21 amps. Most residential circuits are only rated to 15 amps... Just my 2 cents worth...

[Prairiepiss]

+1 I run mine on separate circuits.

[Jasper]

I'm not to sure if the setup KS is selling now can be modified to use on 110 v or not? But if it can be I would say running a 5500w 240 element at 110v 1375 w give or take. Will work for a pot still. Long heat up time. But that is all I use when I run in pot still mode. Now a reflux still will need more imo.

Do you not have a clothes dryer connection? Or an electric range maybe? Both if electric should be 240 v? Some aren't I know.

Unfortunately my house is all gas - gas stove, gas dryer, gas heat, pretty sure our TV actually runs on gas...

Anyway, KS said it could be wired to run on 110 with the change of a plug - but I am just questioning if it would still be powerful enough to work for the 13 gallon pot still (they said definitely not for the 26 gallon) or if i should stick with the 8 gallon and look for a dedicated 110 element/controller. Again, if anyone has any 110 element suggestions i am all ears.

I am just trying to get around using my hot plate... which is OK... but has some very obvious drawbacks. I do have a propane burner too... but also live in a very urban area so going outside wouldnt be a great idea.

Thanks again everyone
Jasper

[Prairiepiss]

I'm not to sure if the setup KS is selling now can be modified to use on 110 v or not? But if it can be I would say running a 5500w 240 element at 110v 1375 w give or take. Will work for a pot still. Long heat up time. But that is all I use when I run in pot still mode. Now a reflux still will need more imo.

Do you not have a clothes dryer connection? Or an electric range maybe? Both if electric should be 240 v? Some aren't I know.

I already gave you the answer here. It will work for a pot still. No need for a different element. The 5500 w provided with the kit will work. Like said it will just be a slow heat up with one element.

[Texas Jim]

I have one of his older models - the MK5500 I believe. Anyways, I just put a 110 plug on instead of a 220 as that was all I had in my garage. I've used it on 12 gallon washes (I have the 26g boiler) with no problems at all. It does take a while to heat up, but I have time.

[rad14701]

Jasper, exactly what type of still head are you intending to be running...??? It could make a difference if you plan to run a head with reflux returning back into the boiler... It takes a decent amount of vapor to properly feed a 3" reflux column and a 120V element might be deficient in some circumstances...

[Jasper]

Jasper, exactly what type of still head are you intending to be running...??? It could make a difference if you plan to run a head with reflux returning back into the boiler... It takes a decent amount of vapor to properly feed a 3" reflux column and a 120V element might be deficient in some circumstances...

3 inch pot still head (or 2 inch if i go with the 8 gallon boiler). It sounds like i can make the 13 gallon work on 110v for a pot still and then wait on reflux heads until i can either cook outside or move to a place with 220 outlets.

Thanks everyone!
Jasper

[rad14701]

For a pot still, once the boiler is up to temperature the performance will be the same regardless of boiler or charge size... The main difference would be the amount of power input which is what determines pot still output... You could play with the Heating Time To Temp calculator in my calculator suite... If you think you might eventually go to propane or 240V electric then the additional investment in the 13 gallon boiler might be worthwhile... It's not like you have to fill it all the way up to do a run...

As a theoretical example, 6 gallons of wash would take ~80 minutes to heat up using a 1500 watt element at 95% efficiency - regardless of boiler size...

[Jasper]

Awesome - so it sounds like the 13 with a 240 is a pretty good option then.

Just for info sake, are there any commercial 120 units (element, controller, etc.) that you guys could recommend?