My Very Simple Pot Still Breakdown...

[Samohon]

My Pot Still Breakdown...

I have had a lot of messages for the design of my Pot and LM/VM Stills...
To me, the pot still is very simple in design and can be made, including the Liebig condenser, in a couple of hours...
The pot still is the one I use 80% of the time... It has no thermometer and cuts are taken by taste/smell/quantity/abv.

Heres a breakdown of the still...

Heres a full description of parts used for the pot still....

Heres a breakdown of the Liebig condenser...

Heres a full description of parts used for the Liebig condenser...

Heres a Close up of the Still head and the boiler connection...

Heres a blow-up of the head and boiler connection...

I get a very nice ujssm/sweetfeed/all-bran whiskey from this still.
So good infact, that I'am very reluctant to change the design, the only addition I can see in the future would be a thumper.
I do all my stripping runs from this still and have had no problems since I built it...

To the biginner:
As stated, this still can be made in a few hours, I am reluctant to post still breakdown/plans as I believe the study does not start with
the building of a still, but by the hours put into research and theory. Anybody wanting to build this excellent still can do so, but if you need
to ask questions on safety, soldering, stripping, mashing, ect;, then you should be reading instead of building...

You have to start stillin somewhere and what better, than a proven design thats worked for years and years...

Cost for this still was £80 - £100 / ($120US - $150US)...
No rubbers, plastics or silicons of any kind should ever be used in the construction...
All solder used was lead free and to clean this rig just follow Kiwistillers Cleaning Run Tutorial... Kiwistiller also has a great Tutorial on Running a Pot Still... Thanks Kiwi...

This is by no way The Difinitive Guide to building a pot still and I make no claim that it is, other cheaper ways to make a pot still exist
but the size of the boiler and the height of the still head enable this still to be used in the home. The product take-off is also far enough
away as to not cause consern when stillin. I allways put a fire-blanket between the take-off and heat source when in-doors.

Hope it helps guy's and Be Safe....

[ScottishBoy]

Looks like a fine still. I also use a bit of rise with my pot still. I think I have about a foot before it hits the condenser.

Pot stills are so simple and yet, if you give it just a little thought before you build, they produce some of the most delicous things ever.

[Samohon]

+1, I agree SB, a little thought goes a long way before attempting to build.. This design was so easy to put together and when proper cuts
are taken, delicious whiskey's, rums, brandy's, etc; are there for the taking...

@ the novice
On hindsight, maybe 500mm was a little on the long side for the riser. This could easily be reduced to 300mm, but as the efficiency of
this design is proven by giving me a great product, I'm gonna leave it as is... You can ofcoarse reduce this if keeping the costs to a minimum.

Many designs for a pot still exist on HD and each has its own characteristics and it is these that make them all different in the running.
Whisky/Bourbon distillers go to great lengths to ensure that any additional stills added to the distillery conform to ones already proven there...
Some, in fact, actually replicate lumps, bumps and other blemishes that are unique to their other stills...

[blind drunk]

Looks good Samohon, if we move back to the city I'd consider something like that. Simple, clean, elegant and as you say it produces some nice stuff. Thanks for posting it, bd.

[beelah]

Very nice work and great pictures Samohon.

I am planning on building a simple pot still and I think that your design is the best that I have seen yet. I have a boka/hybrid that I use primarly in pot still mode so I was thinking it is time to go old school or traditional.

I usually do a couple of stripping runs and then a nice slow spirit run using my boka in the pot still configuration and have not done a true reflux run in some time. I like the end product so that is why I am considering buiding a dedicated pot still.

I may add a thermometer port,as I have been using one since I began this great hobby on my boka. Its what you get use to I guess. Maybe I should be brave and go without.

[Samohon]

Very nice work and great pictures Samohon.

I am planning on building a simple pot still and I think that your design is the best that I have seen yet. I have a boka/hybrid that I use primarly in pot still mode so I was thinking it is time to go old school or traditional.

I usually do a couple of stripping runs and then a nice slow spirit run using my boka in the pot still configuration and have not done a true reflux run in some time. I like the end product so that is why I am considering buiding a dedicated pot still.

I may add a thermometer port,as I have been using one since I began this great hobby on my boka. Its what you get use to I guess. Maybe I should be brave and go without.

Thanks man... Whatever floats your boat beelah... Adding thermometers, thumpers, ect;, will only make the job easier IMO.
I'm doing an all grain scotch recipe at the moment, got a lot of info from HD on mashing/starch convertion.
The wash should max out leaving me with 7%abv on a 60L fermentation... Fermenting nicely ATM...
Not really bothred with the low alc content as most of the commercials are left with 5% - 7% after fermenting...

Trying to do a tutorial as I go as all the info on all-grain was scattered around, but eventually, I got enough notes to go ahead..
Convertion turned out OK and an Iodine test showed all starch had been converted... That really amazed me....
I will be running it in the above still.... But now it's a bit off topic so I'll post all my findings on the Recipe Development board when I'm done...

Thanks again guy's... Just thought giving this Pot design would help keep novice's a little more safe....

[LWTCS]

Always did like your potstill Samohon.

We do get lots of requests for plans and your diagraming can do a great job of helping new members to get familiar with the potstill anatomy.

I think your diagram is "sticky" worthy.

[drunkracoon252]

Long time reader, but first-time poster. Great site and great people BTW.

My questions:

1. Does anyone know where I can find a good boiler for a decent price? Preferably not over the internet, but if the price is good enough I would order it online.

2. Also, where can I get some information on soldering and how to attach the column to the boiler? It looks like there is some nuts and bolts used there and I want to make sure I don't use something that could be a health hazard.

I searched up and down but I can't seem to find anything.

[LWTCS]

Good place to start:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =15&t=4052

[Oxbo Rene]

Ha !
Still running my LM/VM in stripping mode trying to get enough to do a reflux spirit run.
Problem I'm having is, I keep drinking my low wines (62%abv) before I get enough to make that spirit run
Wintertime/work pretty much shut me down, just now getting next wash to clear, so, back at it .......

[The Baker]

Long time reader, but first-time poster. Great site and great people BTW.

My questions:

1. Does anyone know where I can find a good boiler for a decent price? Preferably not over the internet, but if the price is good enough I would order it online.

2. Also, where can I get some information on soldering and how to attach the column to the boiler? It looks like there is some nuts and bolts used there and I want to make sure I don't use something that could be a health hazard.

I searched up and down but I can't seem to find anything.

Scrap merchant? Probably most use a beer keg. I have one (not used at the moment) that cost thirty dollars at the scrap merchant's.
They already have a fitting at the top to which you can attach a column.
Or if you are in a dairying area, talk to a person who installs milking equipment. They have, from the old setups, stainless containers that might hold fifty to eighty (?) litres.
You might have to cut off a four-inch pipe or two and patch the hole, or you might be able to use an existing smaller fill pipe for a fill or empty set-up for your boiler.
The thing may or may not come with a lid; I had a circular plate welded onto mine and called that the bottom.
Cost me fifteen or twenty dollars for the container in the first place.
But don't get a professional welding shop to do work on it without a firm quote, mine cost a fair bit there that it shouldn't have.
Cutting off pipes and patching, installing fill and empty tubes, putting a fitting in the top (that used to be the bottom)
for the expansion chamber (that used to be a copper fire extinguisher shell).

[HereComesTrouble]

Samohon

Is there any functional or product difference from this design vs the Easy Pot design that you posted?
This has the 45 tilt in the narrowed upper part vs. The Easy Pots 90 degree in the 2" at the top. . .

Also, if you were to add in a thermometer in either design, where would you put it? At the top just before the condenser?

Lastly, any reason why a more compact Graham condenser would't work with this? If i made it breakdown, it should be a little more compact, plus the Graham would be more efficient wouldn't it? A tight 3/8" coil in a 2" for about 12 - 18"?

I'm going with this and focus on doing two run whiskeys and learn my cuts.
Thanks a bunch.

[Samohon]

Samohon

Is there any functional or product difference from this design vs the Easy Pot design that you posted?
This has the 45 tilt in the narrowed upper part vs. The Easy Pots 90 degree in the 2" at the top. . .

At this size and diameter, the angle of the lynne arm IMO would be minimal in producing a fuller flavoured output...
Either design would work, but may be slightly different when performing cuts...

Also, if you were to add in a thermometer in either design, where would you put it? At the top just before the condenser?

The best position for the termometer would be at the top of the riser...
I used to use a thermo on my pot still, but took it off as I did not help me in making a better product...
But, many members do use a thermo to help with batch replication, fit if you think you need it, that way you'll always have one when you get round to building your VM...

Lastly, any reason why a more compact Graham condenser would't work with this? If i made it breakdown, it should be a little more compact, plus the Graham would be more efficient wouldn't it? A tight 3/8" coil in a 2" for about 12 - 18"?

Don't see why you could'nt use a Graham Condenser.
The Graham would have to sit completely vertical though, is a little more difficult to build than a simple Liebig and would be more efficient...
Remember, I put this thread up and the drawing in the D&D thread to help the beginner get a pot still built quickly.
The novice will find this pot still very easy to build, its up to them if they want to add modifications that are a little more time consuming...

I'm going with this and focus on doing two run whiskeys and learn my cuts.

This will perform a 2 run whiskey method no problem at all. Keep us posted...

Thanks a bunch. Your Welcome...

Hope it helps HCT...

[Samohon]

Oh, and one last thing...

The Graham condenser does not need to be made from a tightly packed coil, the water jacket that encloses the coil only needs about a dozen loops (turns), to be way efficient. On the contrary, if the coil were too tightly packed I can see 2 possible problems with this...

1. The coils (loops) should efficiently sit at an angle between 30° and 45° with a good spacing between them. If they were packed too tight then I doubt this rule would be honoured. (See Condenser Article in the Reading Lounge...

2. If a tightly packed coil were wound, used at the correct pitch and held vertically, the water inside the water jacket would heat up more rapidly than say the normal Graham's coil. More coolant would be needed to keep the Graham cool, making the condenser slightly less efficient...

Just my humble opinion...

[HereComesTrouble]

Aha, much obliged.
I also just realized that this may be whats going on in the little picture up there in the top left corner of the forum header?
BTW-I worded the thing about the coil oddly. By "tight coil" I meant in diameter, rather than spacing. But your point is very well taken.

So, 3/8" coil, 12 turns, adequate spacing at 30-45 degrees, inside a 2" pipe maybe 12-14" (dictated by coil optimization). There are two major questions in my head:

1) Would the 3/8" be enough to keep up with a Bayou Classic SP10 (http://tinyurl.com/6huge47" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow) heating a 6 gallon wash in a 9 gallon pot? The Liebig I was looking at was 2 foot with 1/2" inside a 3/4". Wasn't sure if the 3/8" would be too small, I've tried the calculators but am not sure of my results.

2) I've heard many talk of using pumps for cooling water. Couldn't you just put a garden hose >1/2" tube > condenser and let er rip? Doesn't seem any different from a counterflow chiller in brewing.

BTW, It may be just your humble opinion, but your humble opinion is very highly regarded thank you very much.

EDIT- I think I'm seeing why more people use Liebigs . . .because you can get a larger inside surface area for condensing with a 1/2" inside 3/4" without having to coil up a 1/2" inside a 3" or 4" tube? $$$$ I wonder if i can get a 1/2" coil inside a 3" . . . .that's a small diameter wind.

[cornyray]

Ok thinking about making this. Is the 15mm 1/2" in standard? 8mm=1/4"? 22mm=3/4? Thanks

[Samohon]

Ok thinking about making this. Is the 15mm 1/2" in standard? 8mm=1/4"? 22mm=3/4? Thanks

Yes, they are standard European sizes used here in the UK. You can still find imperial sizes though, but these dims seem to be the standard here...

Remember that Imperial British standards differ a little from US Imperial standards...

Good luck on your build, I can put the stillhead together in a couple of hours, there are no major crux's with this Pot Still...

Heres the Drawing....

[cornyray]

Thanks! That's what i was looking for... US Imperial! I always just say standard or metric ha ha

[cornyray]

A few more ? The link you listed is a lil dif plans...also the 90 degree 54mm elbow isnt in material list and is a nipple same v size as a pipe??

[Samohon]

A few more ? The link you listed is a lil dif plans...also the 90 degree 54mm elbow isnt in material list and is a nipple same v size as a pipe??

The main photo on this thread and the plans do differ slightly, but both amount to the same Still...

Using the photos on this thread will build you a great pot still, I've built quite a few here in the UK and they all produce a great product.
The size of boiler is really entry level and will train your senses to take better cuts.

Run her Low and Slow and you'll get great results...

[cornyray]

Nice! Thanks, i just ordered the copper... Copper is so expensive right now...cost 115 bucks

[Samohon]

Nice! Thanks, i just ordered the copper... Copper is so expensive right now...cost 115 bucks

No problem. Dont forget to keep us all in the loop with lots of piccies...

All the best...

[Burks]

Nice! Thanks, i just ordered the copper... Copper is so expensive right now...cost 115 bucks

Hardest part, around here at least, is finding piping bigger than 1". If you do find it, good luck finding fittings!

Talked to a local chain store, they can actually order in any part on their website. So I got all my parts (not making this still, but one of Rad's design) for under $125. Glad I called, saved me a LOT of driving and searching.

If anyone has an issue finding the right part then just call the store and ask. Just sound like you know what you're talking about and they won't ask questions.

[Lucent]

Thank You very much for thread

I started reading the site back in Sept of 2012 and overtime I thought u was ready to get started I've found something else to make me hit the breaks and research a little more

Going to Home Depot in the morning for the pieces finally but I wanted to ask 2 questions and I hope you all don't mind I'm just looking for opinions on this here still setup

On the liewig for the water circling I was thinking of using a 5gallon fish tank with the water pump it came with to cycle ice water through the chamber. Is ice water a bad idea?

I'm in Texas and it ain't cold here is this enough for me to not have any vapor escaping that's not cooled or should I be looking into a longer condenser in a bucket instead?

And lastly do you pack anything in that column. If I were to do so is it of opinionsinion that I'll get some 'reflux resulting in a higher adv but loss of flavor will doing this assist in controlling the potential for vapor loss?

Please any opinions please do not talk me out of this still I've spent months lurking and I think thinkers still can affordably allow me to start my hobby and hopefully someday produce a fine beverage I could never to afford to buy

[Samohon]

Welcome to HD Lucent...

Pumping ice water from a 5gal tank through the Liebig condenser will be OK, just remember to recirculate...
The 2' length of the Liebig condenser is sufficient to knock down everything with this still, as you are also using iced water I see no reason to extend it...
I have packed a couple of SS scrubbers inside the column while doing spirit runs with it, just adds a little refluxation.
To get a higher abv on a first run with this still, a thumper would have to be added to the design.

Running this still Slow and Low will produce a beverage that is way better than shop bought.

Good luck on your way forward...

[Lucent]

Hey this posted. I thought I messed up and reposted in the welcome thread

Thanks for your time Sam, I defiantly will be keeping that water circulating that wast only concern was if I would be worrying about loosing condensate or vapor or whatever the term I don't know might be.

I'm building this pretty much the same as yours since I can get all this at Home Depot, I picked up a keg yesterday. It came from a hooters and the owner assured me all the booby pressing would get me a finer product!!

While my dreams are of fruit(banana) brandy and yes I'm gonna call it brandy I'm starting with a UJSM I'm going to take my time to build this so I can make a platform for everything and my mash needs time anyway.

Thanks for all the help and the plans for what I finally decided was my perfect still

Lucent

[Samohon]

Your welcome Lucent...

Remember to post piccies of your still, we love to look at all the shiny copper and SS...

[Lucent]

Will do. I was like a kid in a candy store at Home Depot today ended up sitting on the floor surrounded by copper while considering diffrent option extra valves diffrent angle I ended not getting anything extra except the 80 dollars worth of stuff my wife decided we needed around the home. I did grab a fire blanket though

[cornyray]

I looked at home depot and Lowes and couldn't find any 2" stuff and it was also way over priced. I ordered mine from plumbers supply.com

[Mashman]

I have used this thread to make this still. I have ordered all the parts online. It is straight forward to build, the only part that took most of the time is bolting the end cap to the SS lid even that was simple. I have made some UJSM with this still, and getting some good results. Thanks Samohon