Liebig Water Flow Question

[Zxlork]

Since my move and switching from gas to electric I've finally moved into the new house and ready to get rolling. I'm running a 5500w heating element which I'll run as hard as it'll let me for my pot still for stripping and lower for spirit runs of course. Here comes my question...yesterday I made a liebig condenser. The pump I am using is suppose to put out 220 gallons at the top of the head where the liebig is. It's a 6 foot long liebig with 3/4 over 1/2. I also use 14 gauge copper wire to make it spiral. When I take the pump and have it push out water through my plastic hose a little above the height of the max on the liebig it comes out a steady stream about what you would see on a garden hose (3/4" plastic tubing). However, when it hook it up to the Liebig and run it it only comes out about a pencil sized stream. I know that I should expect to see now as much flow because there is less space for it to go through between the 3/4" and 1/2" with the copper coil around the 1/2" but I expected to see a lot more water flow. I have not done a stripping run yet to see if it'll knockdown everything but just wanted to check with you guys to see if I should be expecting a larger water flow.

P.S. I had all the pipe that long already so I figured no harm in making it super long so to guarantee to knock down everything.

[midcarolina]

Since my move and switching from gas to electric I've finally moved into the new house and ready to get rolling. I'm running a 5500w heating element which I'll run as hard as it'll let me for my pot still for stripping and lower for spirit runs of course. Here comes my question...yesterday I made a liebig condenser. The pump I am using is suppose to put out 220 gallons at the top of the head where the liebig is. It's a 6 foot long liebig with 3/4 over 1/2. I also use 14 gauge copper wire to make it spiral. When I take the pump and have it push out water through my plastic hose a little above the height of the max on the liebig it comes out a steady stream about what you would see on a garden hose (3/4" plastic tubing). However, when it hook it up to the Liebig and run it it only comes out about a pencil sized stream. I know that I should expect to see now as much flow because there is less space for it to go through between the 3/4" and 1/2" with the copper coil around the 1/2" but I expected to see a lot more water flow. I have not done a stripping run yet to see if it'll knockdown everything but just wanted to check with you guys to see if I should be expecting a larger water flow.

P.S. I had all the pipe that long already so I figured no harm in making it super long so to guarantee to knock down everything.

The gpm is really useless without knowing the rated head ( lift ) if it is an el cheapo recirc pump it likely has little to no head.........would explain the different flows you noticed...... with the fittings and the spiral wire you have much more resistance than a open pipe, I would guess that the pump is barely able to over come the resistance of the condenser.......

Now with that long of a condenser you prolly only need very very little flow to knock doen the vapors...... I have a 36" liebig and only need to run basically a dribble through it........

[Zxlork]

Since my move and switching from gas to electric I've finally moved into the new house and ready to get rolling. I'm running a 5500w heating element which I'll run as hard as it'll let me for my pot still for stripping and lower for spirit runs of course. Here comes my question...yesterday I made a liebig condenser. The pump I am using is suppose to put out 220 gallons at the top of the head where the liebig is. It's a 6 foot long liebig with 3/4 over 1/2. I also use 14 gauge copper wire to make it spiral. When I take the pump and have it push out water through my plastic hose a little above the height of the max on the liebig it comes out a steady stream about what you would see on a garden hose (3/4" plastic tubing). However, when it hook it up to the Liebig and run it it only comes out about a pencil sized stream. I know that I should expect to see now as much flow because there is less space for it to go through between the 3/4" and 1/2" with the copper coil around the 1/2" but I expected to see a lot more water flow. I have not done a stripping run yet to see if it'll knockdown everything but just wanted to check with you guys to see if I should be expecting a larger water flow.

P.S. I had all the pipe that long already so I figured no harm in making it super long so to guarantee to knock down everything.

The gpm is really useless without knowing the rated head ( lift ) if it is an el cheapo recirc pump it likely has little to no head.........would explain the different flows you noticed...... with the fittings and the spiral wire you have much more resistance than a open pipe, I would guess that the pump is barely able to over come the resistance of the condenser.......

Now with that long of a condenser you prolly only need very very little flow to knock doen the vapors...... I have a 36" liebig and only need to run basically a dribble through it........

OK...but no it's a pump I was using for Aquaponics (growing fish/veggies inside) it's 300+ gph at 6 feet. Which the head is below that so should be much higher. Thanks I guess I'll just have to start her up and see how she goes!

[midcarolina]

the spiral wire is creating much more head....... and or the spiral is configured in such a way as to hamper the waters ability to have a decent path to the outlet point... I would suspect it is a combination of the two.

Sounds like to me the pump is made to recirc/ transfer in a non restrictive system...... The water needs to flow slow enough to have a chance to absorb the heat anyway......hopefully you will have enough.

[Prairiepiss]

Something to keep in mind. The space between the 3/4 and 1/2" has the wire coiled up in it. The space and wire are going to create resistance. The 300 gal at 6' is probably with a hose or pipe of a given size with very little resistance. So the resistance the liebig is adding would be just like adding more then the 6' of lift.

Would in be possible to raise the pump closer to the level of the coolant intake of the liebig? This may increase the flow.

I'm assuming you are using a big enough hose to feed it. And the inlet and outlet are 1/2" or bigger.

[Coaster]

@ Zxlork,

A pump having only a 6-foot head is not all that great of a pump. Keep in mind your liebig is 6 foot long a with 14 gauge wire wrapped around a ½ inch pipe inside a ¾ inch pipe there isn’t too much clearance space inside your liebig for the water to flow. There is an awful amount of resistance inside your liebig and I can easily see this exceeding the 6-foot head ‘pushing’ ability of your pump.

Regards,
Coaster

[beowoulfe]

<snip> ....when it hook it up to the Liebig and run it it only comes out about a pencil sized stream. I know that I should expect to see now as much flow because there is less space for it to go through between the 3/4" and 1/2" with the copper coil around the 1/2" but I expected to see a lot more water flow. I have not done a stripping run yet to see if it'll knockdown everything but just wanted to check with you guys to see if I should be expecting a larger water flow.

P.S. I had all the pipe that long already so I figured no harm in making it super long so to guarantee to knock down everything.

I've just run my 3' Liebig for the first time (new still build) and noted the same thing you are describing. It is a really small pump with only 4' of lift. BUT.... when it is producing it's little trickle and I give it some mouth to mouth suction to pull all the air out of the Liebig on the discharge hose end, it takes off and flows very well, and keeps flowing throughout the run.