Keep It Simple Stupid

[CornMealKid]

I'm interested in building an extremely bare-bones pot still that requires little money and effort, yet yields a good amount of liquor. Just finished building a Valved Reflux still and dissatisfied with how non-"field expedient" it is... Requires pumps and valves of all sorts, now I must craft a second condenser because the one in Bob Lennon's book is not effectively cooling the distillate.

My idea now is to devise a very simple, field expedient still, here's what I've come up with:

15.5 Gallon American keg with Triclamp and Keg-To-Copper Pipe adapter, flour-putty organic gasket...

2" DWV copper pipe cut to 2 feet, soldered into the Keg-Copper-Pipe adapter, 2" copper cap soldered on top.

1/8" hole drilled in the 2" cap for thermometer (optional) with flour putty organic gasket.

Hole drilled in the cap, fitted with 1/2" Stainless compression coupling, then attached to a copper tube that's 25' long.

1/2" copper tube goes down into worm bucket made from a plastic garbage can, epoxy-ed through a 1/2" hole in the bottom.

Since the coil would be too fragile to solder to the 2" cap, I'll have someone weld a 1/2" Stainless compression coupling to the 2" cap for easy take-down, then the only awkward part will be the garbage can/worm bucket with coil coming out the top and off to the side.

Run with propane or brick/earthen oven outside in the forest during winter, bring a shovel to move snow into the worm bucket. I'll use a hose for siphoning off hot water from the upper portion of the bucket, or just keep dropping snow in as it will sink and the hot water on top will just spill over the sides of the garbage can (I think).

Best part is, due to it's relatively inexpensive construction (both financially and the labor fabricating the components)... If anyone sees you, shut the burner and gas off and run like hell... Not as much of a loss compared to a ****load of pumps, power inverters, solar panels, etc.

At this point, I truly believe the best still I've had so far was a stove-top SS stockpot with 3/8" tube to worm bucket. It was simple yet effective, required little maintenance. The keg version I've mentioned above is a larger capacity version of that still.


I'll let you guys know how it turns out, be advised, this is a design at this point, I have no guarantee how well this will work if you're a beginner like me and are looking for a still to build. Do your research and decide for yourself.

[SoMo]

2" pipe, 2" triclover 2"90 reduced to 1/2" 3/4 over 1/2 liebig don't get any simpler than that.
Mine strips 7-8 minute quarts fast and easy. No thermo on a pot still.

[CornMealKid]

2" pipe, 2" triclover 2"90 reduced to 1/2" 3/4 over 1/2 liebig don't get any simpler than that.
Mine strips 7-8 minute quarts fast and easy. No thermo on a pot still.

Liebig requires a pump though, which generally means electricity unless I rig up some convoluted plumbing contraption that may or may not work effectively. I want absolute field expediency. Thermometer is optional, I like it during warm-up to gauge about how long til foreshots will start.

[T-Pee]

Thermometer is optional, I like it during warm-up to gauge about how long til foreshots will start.

That's what a quick touch along the column from top to bottom is for.
You'll smell it coming too. (That's what he said.)

tp

[rad14701]

Personally, and from experience, I'd much rather run in the privacy of my own home than out in the woods... You just never know who or what is going to wander through the still site... Just had a black bear run through here the night before last... And around here people don't care if land is posted or not... I'll stay inside, out of sight and out of mind... I have plenty of options in multiple buildings for running either gas or electric...

[CornMealKid]

Thermometer is optional, I like it during warm-up to gauge about how long til foreshots will start.

That's what a quick touch along the column from top to bottom is for.
You'll smell it coming too. (That's what he said.)

tp

LOL. Yeah, I'm not totally sure if I'll do a thermometer, it's a peace of mind thing for some reason though. Is suppose you're correct though, it's even more field expedient without the thermometer.

[CornMealKid]

Personally, and from experience, I'd much rather run in the privacy of my own home than out in the woods... You just never know who or what is going to wander through the still site... Just had a black bear run through here the night before last... And around here people don't care if land is posted or not... I'll stay inside, out of sight and out of mind... I have plenty of options in multiple buildings for running either gas or electric...

I don't have a property that runs can be done on, no outbuildings, no workshop, just a garage which is in plain view, also gotta leave the door open a bit. Bears are rare where I am, more coyotes and foxes, I'm in Southern Ontario, more bears in Northern Ontario and Upstate New York than here but I'll bring some bear mace and a flare gun I guess... I'd bring a rifle but... Probably not wise.

[SoMo]

Mace, flare gun,rifle. Don't need that in my garage. Liebig needs water pressure, 12volt bilge pump 12 volt battery. I use 15-18 g cooling water, that's running it into a stock tank.

[CornMealKid]

Mace, flare gun,rifle. Don't need that in my garage. Liebig needs water pressure, 12volt bilge pump 12 volt battery. I use 15-18 g cooling water, that's running it into a stock tank.

Somo, does the water recirculate in the tank? You only have to fill it with water once from the beginning of the run til shutdown?

[SoMo]

If you choose to do it that way, I use my cooling water to water my animals.

[CornMealKid]

If you choose to do it that way, I use my cooling water to water my animals.

So from the beginning when you fill your 18 gallon circulation tank to the end before you give the water to your animals, you don't have to top up the circulation tank or add ice or anything?? Do you use a Full-Size keg (15.5 G) boiler?

I'm all for doing stuff like this, perhaps for my Valved Reflux, it's just that often I find when I spend the money to do things people suggest, they don't work in the way folks claim they will... If you've got a similar set up as me with regards to the boiler and heat source (propane burner), I'm more comfortable taking your suggestions to heart.

[SoMo]

I run straight from my well sorry if I misled you, I just have measured my water usage sorry bro. There are folks here that do that tho, just not me.

[CornMealKid]

I run straight from my well sorry if I misled you, I just have measured my water usage sorry bro. There are folks here that do that tho, just not me.

Well, I'll look into that for the Valved Reflux still in my garage.

As far as the "field expedient" still, I gotta run it in the forest, I used to grow pot in remote areas up until fairly recently, I miss the isolation. I wanna run without the aid of pumps, ideally even without a propane burner or electric elements, just a stove I set up. Too many people like me get into this hobby wanting to save money on liquor, only to discover the significant costs of electricity, propane, and water, especially in an over-taxed "green" jurisdiction like the one I'm in.

I know there's others out there like me who wanna do this dirt cheap and still get a big haul of decent liquor. The still won't look as pretty as some, won't be as intricate, it will however (at least I think) be functional and effective.

[rad14701]

I also waste my water rather than recirculating because my cistern is almost always way too full... I run ~1 liter/quart per minute for ~2 hours so that's about 30 gallons out of an overfilled 1000+ gallon cistern...

[SoMo]

I can respect that corn meal a wood fired deal would be pretty cool.