Advice on needle valves and boilers

[alpinestar]

Hey guys,

I started this out on the cheap to make sure I didn't have too many losses to cut if it turned out to be an epic failure. I have run 6 washes through my boka and have got everything dialed in but the boiler and the needle valve. Everything I bought so far has already paid for itself, and I am more than willing to buck up to make the process run smoother.

I started with a $10 1/4" lead free brass needle valve and it is total garbage, poor adjustment between 3-4dps to thin steady stream, in fact sometimes it will just decide to stream. I am going to upgrade to a 3/8 takeoff. There are a couple of good valve options on Ebay right now, anyone partial to design or maker? I am leaning towards Whitey Swagelock.



The parker compression valve was the other option I was considering.



Just not sure which would be easier to dial down or if there would be a difference in flow when fully open.

I already had a large stock pot kicking around, just a cheap 3 gallon thin SS pot. It will only hold 2 gallons, anymore than that and the handles leak and I am loading them up with flour paste. I would like to be able to do my 5 gallon washes in one run, so I am looking at an 8 gallon minimum boiler upgrade. I like the looks of the tri-clamp milk can.



It is a bit taller than I was hoping to find, but it has everything I am looking to upgrade to. I am done with sealing with paste and then dismantling to add more wash, cleaning and resealing, reheating the run, doing it all over again, then breaking everything right down to clean it up and put it away.

I want to set up in a permanent location and have the option to drain and hose the boiler out. A sealed lid and tri-clamp will end the need for flour paste. A thermometer or site glass would be neat, but just a luxury. I can't weld stainless, so adapting a keg is out, so purchasing a boiler is the next option.

I have seen some really nice pressure pots that would work with some mods, but they are extremely expensive. Brew kettles don't seal.. Has any one got any better or interesting suggestions. I am aiming for around $300 delivered.

[heartcut]

Parker and Swagelock will have several trims available, a lower CV will give better control and less flow capacity. A CV of 1 equals the gallons per minute @ 1 psid, a Boka would have about 1/30 of a psi output pressure and a really small flow so at 3/8" you should be safe going for the lowest CV available. They have free engineering phone support if you can come up with a story... Parker would have better prices in most cases, just be sure of teflon or kalrez elastomers in your wetted parts. Parker is currently pushing a new line of lead-free brass valves, too.

[RonH3154]

Parker and Swagelock are both industrial instrumentation quality devices and you can't go wrong with either one.

[alpinestar]

Thanks for the replies guys. I had no clue about Cv and the reply really helped me make my decision. I ended up going with a Parker for the lower flow coefficient.

Now for the boiler! I think I have narrowed it down to what I want, but they are out of stock until the end of June. Patience is not my strong point, but I am finding it to be an important one for a home distiller. Who new distilling would be so character building.



I think I am going to go for a drain and thermometer in the npt fittings available. This one is a little shorter than the other one I posted and has a fully clamping lid instead of three down pulling clamps. Anyone using one of these? Any experience or input would be appreciated.

Everyone here is awesome and I really appreciate all the input. I plan to do a write up about my build, start to finish, once I have it all dialed in, just to share and help others avoid the things I have done twice.

AS