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did you use 1", 3/4" and 1/2"?Pyewacket wrote:Well, my 2 cents...I hope this thread continues. And, more and more folks learn about the concentric design concept. It makes for a nice clean little set-up. This is why I decided to build one as my first reflux. I have made countless runs on the little fella...with great success. Just looking at the above pictures pushes me that much closer to a 2inch build. I agree, Rad, it is a great idea for folks that are intimidated by the idea of a coil.
BTW, my little boiler is complete, and that little 1inch concentric looks nice and pretty sitting...waiting to make some gin essence!
The condenser doesn't lean at all, it stands straight up as depicted... It works just as well as a pot still as it does as a reflux condenser... The original head, on page one of this topic, can knock down everything my gas range can throw at it... I have not tested this new condenser insert in pot still mode as yet but can handle power all the way up until the reflux head was on the verge of flooding due to still having the original slanted deflector plate in place, as explained in the link in my signature... In true pot still mode you could also slip an end cap onto the top just as long as you aren't using a needle valve on the output...bluenose wrote:How well with this work as a pot still? As a reflux still? Does it lean more one way than the other?
I know it doesn't physically leanrad14701 wrote:The condenser doesn't lean at all, it stands straight up as depicted...
Sorry for the delay in replying... It was a hectic weekend...Doogie wrote:the question(s) I have are
1) Will this length work? Optimally? If it were you? I am running a 30L boiler.
2A) Since I lack free packing, I am thinking of modifying Pyewacket's coldfinger design with a 1/2" coldfinger with some 1/4" flex tubing running down the middle. Length on this can be all the way down the whole condenser as I was to too dumb to pick up some 1/2" while I was there and will go buy some. Would this work? Should I extend the CF into the 1" tube (maybe to the bowl?)
2B) If I was to score some packing, do I pack the condenser (1.5" in my case) or the feed/throat (1")?
3) How do I determine the height of the 1" tube inside?
No, those are mild steel and will rust apart on the first use and contaminate the spirits... I can usually find 100% SS scrubbers just about anywhere... Wal-Mart... Dollar General... Family Dollar... K-Mart... Grocery stores...Doogie wrote:One other thing - packing - is steel wool acceptable? Only thing I can find - not S.O.S. pads, just plain steel wool for furniture finishing.
The issue at hand with this design is that the outer jacket is in contact with the alcohol so it should be either copper or stainless steel... If you look at the concentrics I have constructed you will see that the outer tube is what seals the unit to the condenser head section and the inner tube is actually suspended within the vapor chamber... Don't confuse concentrics with the jacketed reflux CM designs depicted elsewhere in these forums...bluenose wrote:Quick question on this design... since the outermost pipe is the outside jacket of the condenser, does it have to be copper? I've seen some people using PVC or similare as the outer jacket of condensing coils. I suppose there might be problems with getting a watertight seal between it and the middle pipe, but other than that...?
I just looked at your up close pictures and I don't see how the outermost pipe is in the vapour path. It looks like the middle pipe extends beyond the outer jacket at both ends. However, it's your column so you know more about it than me.rad14701 wrote:The issue at hand with this design is that the outer jacket is in contact with the alcohol so it should be either copper or stainless steel... If you look at the concentrics I have constructed you will see that the outer tube is what seals the unit to the condenser head section and the inner tube is actually suspended within the vapor chamber... Don't confuse concentrics with the jacketed reflux CM designs depicted elsewhere in these forums...bluenose wrote:Quick question on this design... since the outermost pipe is the outside jacket of the condenser, does it have to be copper? I've seen some people using PVC or similare as the outer jacket of condensing coils. I suppose there might be problems with getting a watertight seal between it and the middle pipe, but other than that...?
bluenose wrote:I just looked at your up close pictures and I don't see how the outermost pipe is in the vapour path. It looks like the middle pipe extends beyond the outer jacket at both ends. However, it's your column so you know more about it than me.rad14701 wrote:The issue at hand with this design is that the outer jacket is in contact with the alcohol so it should be either copper or stainless steel... If you look at the concentrics I have constructed you will see that the outer tube is what seals the unit to the condenser head section and the inner tube is actually suspended within the vapor chamber... Don't confuse concentrics with the jacketed reflux CM designs depicted elsewhere in these forums...bluenose wrote:Quick question on this design... since he outermost pipe is the outside jacket of the condenser, does it have to be copper? I've seen some people using PVC or similare as the outer jacket of condensing coils. I suppose there might be problems with getting a watertight seal between it and the middle pipe, but other than that...?
I figured the problem would be more about sealing it, and maybe about the bottom getting too hot near the takeoff.
Ah, I just looked back through the topic and it depends on which pictures you look at... With the complete head at the beginning of the topic the outer tube doesn't every touch vapor... However, you might have a tough time sealing other materials to copper due to differing expansion/contraction rates... For the mini-dephlegmator later in the topic the outer tube definitely contacts the vapor...bluenose wrote:I just looked at your up close pictures and I don't see how the outermost pipe is in the vapour path. It looks like the middle pipe extends beyond the outer jacket at both ends. However, it's your column so you know more about it than me.
I figured the problem would be more about sealing it, and maybe about the bottom getting too hot near the takeoff.
that makes senserad14701 wrote:...you might have a tough time sealing other materials to copper due to differing expansion/contraction rates...
If you want you could try using 1/4" annealed copper instead of reducers... That would save a bunch of money and allow for a more compact size...bluenose wrote:that makes senserad14701 wrote:...you might have a tough time sealing other materials to copper due to differing expansion/contraction rates...
I was hoping to get away with having the middle pipe be 2"... guess I'll have to go 2" - 1.5" - 1"
what kind off takeoff rates are you getting with yours Rad?