My Apologies

[i_m_Braveheart]

Hi Guys and Gals

i joined this forum around one month ago and due to my over keenness to get up and going i jumped straight in with question after question in the new distillers section, you guys where great very patient and very helpful which i am eternally grateful for. In my haste to get up and running i did not come on here and introduce my self beforehand so please accept my apologies.

my name is Tony and i live in Bonnie Scotland as i said previously i am new to all of this but keen to learn, i first got interested in home distillation around 6 months ago when my friend bought an Air still and started making his own home brew, as i am relatively good with my hands (except when it comes to electrical) i decided to do a little research and construct my own still, i decided to build a re-flux still.

the column is aprox 36 inches high and made of 2.5 inches of copper pipe, i have attached the column to the lid of a pressure cooker and welded the pressure cooker to a beer keg (see pics). it is heated with a 3kw immersion heater controlled with an Adjustable 3800W AC 0-220V Voltage Regulator.

i have completed my first real run and was pleased to collect 2.5 litres of 90% ethanol before the quality started to drop off

below are some pics of my first attempt at building a still any constructive criticism will be appreciated and any sugestions on how to improve it

thank you

Tony

[rad14701]

Greetings, i_m_Braveheart...

Better a late introduction than never... I like your thinking outside the box by re-purposing a SS pot and lid for your keg top... While not the greatest reflux column design it should serve you well...

Good luck, stay safe, and enjoy the journey...

[Bushman]

Welcome, I also like the use of the stockpot. Is your only cooling the external coil? If so would be curious to see what your temp readings are while doing your run.

[i_m_Braveheart]

thank you bushman

when running my still i can usaly get the temp to sit around the 79 degrees with a little adjustment to power and reflux water rate and collect just under 1 litre per hour of 90% i can usually get 2 litres of 90 then the purity drops quite quick and the temp rises is this standard

Braveheart

[i_m_Braveheart]

one more thing bushman what other ways are there of cooling apart from the external column and the condenser

[Bushman]

The drop off toward the end of your run when you get into the tails is common.

There are different methods for cooling, if yours works don't worry about it but internal cooling is more efficient. If you go through the following design thread you will have a better idea what I am talking about.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=19711

[NcMoonLight]

The real true question that matters the most is.... Are you enjoying what your doing? If so, your doing fineee. Yeah there is alot more learning to do, better designs to be reviewed. But if yours is working right now, then it serves its purpose for you.

Good luck man, and have fun

[i_m_Braveheart]

another question guys
im in the middle of a run right now and my temp gauge is reading 74 degrees i have taken 1.5 litres of 94% i belie ethanol boils of at 78.4 is my temp gauge faulty or is this normal i have thrown away the first 200mil which came out cause it stunk like hell lol

braveheart

[i_m_Braveheart]

ref ncmoonlight

thank you for asking mate i am having a ball been in my shed (wife calls it the bat cave)for the best part of a week lol trying this trying that the biggest problem i had was controlling the heat but thanks to another forum member nicod3mus he pointed me in the direction of this ebay item 230893394398 and it works great i just mounted it next to a ps2 5volt internal fan powered by a 5 volt mobile phone charger lol


braveheart

[NcMoonLight]

Haha nicee, well see there thats all that really matters man. Getting out there, having fun, and being SAFE!

Also to your question, yes this is normal.. It all depends on your ferment and how high/low the wash % ended up being the higher it is the lower the boiling temp the lower it is the higher the boiling temp. No worrys there, just enjoy the nectar from it

[Boda Getta]

Interesting design. What type of gasket does the Pressure Cooker have? I assume (hope) the Pressure Cooker is SS and not aluminum.
Good luck with your new still.

BG

[i_m_Braveheart]

hi boda getta

no gasket its a SS pressure cooker and i just tig welded it strait onto the keg just being curious but why would an aluminium pot be no good apart from the fact that i dont think it would weld to the keg lol

braveheart

[Usge]

thank you bushman

when running my still i can usaly get the temp to sit around the 79 degrees with a little adjustment to power and reflux water rate and collect just under 1 litre per hour of 90% i can usually get 2 litres of 90 then the purity drops quite quick and the temp rises is this standard

Braveheart

Depends on how much alc you had in the pot to start with. If you were running low abv wash, and extracting it at 90%, then yes...it sounds like it might be reasonable. There's only so much alc in the wash.

[frozenthunderbolt]

Ive got the same cooker Braveheart.
Bad news - it uses a silicone bakeware type gasket.
Good news - the way the gasket fits the cooker means it should be easy to wrap it in PTFE tape to make it safe to use in contact with hot high ABV alcohol vapour

Stay safe