My New Pot Still

[npstephe]

I have tried the pressure cooker and stock pot routes for pot stills, which leave a lot to be desired. So I am starting a 15.5 Gallon Keg Pot Still. My original condenser was going to be the worm style but when I got into it I decided to return the coil and go the Liebig route(tired of dealing with all the parts). My original plan for size was using 1" outer and 3/4" inner, since i already have the 1" pipe. But upon further reading I think thats too big, so im going to buy some 1/2" and go 1/2" inside 3/4" with some coiled wire to disturb laminar flow. I will probably add some scrubbers inside the vapor tube as well.

My column is going to be 1.5" x 18" long Total. I already have the 1.5 and fittings so that's why im going that route. Eventually I will make a 2" column when i get this one down. A 2" Ferrule will attach it to the keg.

It's going to be ran with a 5500W wavy ULWD element, which is on its way. I will have a controller on it, just not sure which kind yet. I had a friend Tig weld a Stainless Spud for the heating element on the keg instead of trying to silver solder it.

Any Input is always welcomed, as I am still new to this hobby. I have read till my eyes bled on multiple sleepless nights and still have a lot to learn.

More pictures to come as i continue with the build.

[bellybuster]

Looks like the beginning of a fine pot still, you'll be soooooo glad you went the keg route

[jedneck]

That is almost the exact same as what I started out with. Only I was on gas. She will make a damn good drop when you learn to drive her.

[S-Cackalacky]

Great design! Should do a good job.

[bellybuster]

Wouldn't worry too much about the 1.5". That's what my pot still is and works justfine

[FreeMountainHermit]

Keg is the way to go.

[npstephe]

Thanks everyone. Can't wait for it to be up and running. I meant to add that the liebig I'm planning is 36 inches. Seems to be a good size from what I've been reading.

[npstephe]

Update: I got a good amount done yesterday. Soldered most of the joints(terribly), but they should hold. I cut all the pipe and fit it all together. I'm going to cut the 1/2" inside tube to length once its all put together. Today i'm going to get the copper wire to wrap the 1/2" inner tube with. From what i read #8 Bare copper wire should fit in there snugly. Its right around 1/8" so it should be very tight. is this what is recommended? Any advice is appreciated, as i am not too familiar with wire sizes.

I also bought the controller for the element. I'm using Jimbos Electric conversion plan, and a box from Home Depot with a cooling fan. Much more reading with need to happen before I feel comfortable wiring the controller.

That's all for now. hopefully i can at least get the condenser done today!

[npstephe]

Put, column and Liebig is done and soldered! Column is 1.5" for now. Liebig is 1/2" inside 3/4" with a 14 gauge solid copper wire wound inside for turbulence. I still have to cut the 1/2" outlet tube and add the connections for coolant.

Also, I still have to build the controller for the 5500W element. The parts should be here in a couple weeks.

Getting close! Can't wait!

Pics will come tomorrow morning!

[npstephe]

Pictures! The column is a little longer than i expected it to be, but it shouldn't matter a whole lot i wouldn't think.

The condenser is leak tested and everything seems ok. I'm not the best solderer yet, but I am getting there.

Overall I'm happy with it and just have to tackle the electrical aspect now when the parts come in, in a couple weeks. I wouldn't know what i was doing if it were't for this site, so thanks everyone! great information.

[googe]

Nice job mate

[npstephe]

Thanks! I've started building the controller as well, using Jimbo's electric conversion as a guide. I am still waiting on the SCR to come in, but I am ready for it. I already have the twist lock male and female plugs wired up, as well as a fan for cooling. I just am waiting for the SCR so i can place it and mount everything in the box. I will post pictures tomorrow of what I have so far.

I did have one question tho regarding grounding inside the box. Is it needed with a plastic box (I wouldn't know what to ground to)? Or can I just connect the grounds from the dryer plug from the wall to the cable going to the element? Grounding at the keg of course. Searching the forums has hinted that it is not necessary with a plastic box, but would like input from someone who is more experienced in electrical work. I have a fairly good grasp of what is going on, I just want to make sure I am not missing anything.

Thanks everyone for the help with this build!! It is getting close to being done!

[bellybuster]

No need to ground the plastic box, just make sure you have everything else that is metal in the ground path, including the keg itself.
Almost there.....

[npstephe]

That's what I thought, better safe than sorry though! Thanks for the response! Pics to come soon

[npstephe]

Here are Some pictures of the Controller Build so far. Once the SCR comes in, there shouldn't be a whole lot left to do.

Using a 4 Wire Dryer Cord for the wall plugin, and 10/3 cable for the runs to the element. Luckily I found an old 12V power cord to use for the fan. I did drill holes in the case to mount the fan to, which you might be able to see from the picture.

I have some 2nd Gen UJSSM to run so it needs to hurry! And some sugar/water mash for the sac run.

[npstephe]

Update on my Build:

It took forever to get the SCR in to finish the controller. So in the meantime i temporarily wired the Element to run off 120V, which gave me ~1375W. I figured this was enough for small batch runs, and I didn't have my big fermenter yet, so this was fine.

I did my Vinegar run and my sacrificial run with 120V and it worked perfectly. I was very happy with the outcome on it. I also did my 2nd gen UJSSM hooked up with 120V while I was waiting for my SCR Controller to come in.

It finally came in and I was able to work on the controller. It's crude and not pretty, but it does work. I tried testing it not hooked to the element and it wasn't controlling voltage. I was scratching my head until i decided to test it while hooked up, that maybe it needed some resistance to work. Low and behold, it worked! I am still debating adding a Voltage meter to it, or just mark it a couple places with my multimeter and use those. I got the 6x6x4 plastic box and it was a PITA to get everything in there.

But I am happy to report that the still is DONE and I should be doing my first 10Gal batch of UJSSM 3rd Gen this weekend with it. Any comments or suggestions please chime in. Thanks everyone for all the info on this site, without it I would be lost! And Jimbo for the SCR controller thread.

Now for some pictures!!

[S-Cackalacky]

Congratulations! Very nice build and well documented. I hope other newbies will stumble upon this thread and get some inspiration from it.

[npstephe]

Thanks! I still have to install a 240V outlet in the garage so I don't use my dryer outlet, since it is upstairs(too much work). Hopefully this helps anyone else wanting to start a keg build!

[bellybuster]

Nicely done..... One thing, don't trust that table with a full keg on it, would hate to see you learn that one the hard way

[npstephe]

Yeah I was thinking about that. It held the 6 gallon runs pretty well. I checked the max weight of the table vs the full keg and it's close. I have a different table I'm going to use tho. Thanks for the heads up tho!

[blackwaterstout]

Great looking setup and almost exactly what I'm planning. I just sourced my keg and have about 5 feet of 1.5" copper I can use. I'm thinking 18" riser and 36" liebig. I'll need to track down a 2" flange and a 2"-1.5" reducer. Only thing I'm debating is weather to stick to propane or do an electric conversion. Electrifying a keg seems to be really expensive. I do have a 220v recepticle in my garage I use for my welder so it would be very convienent.

[jedneck]

Great looking setup and almost exactly what I'm planning. I just sourced my keg and have about 5 feet of 1.5" copper I can use. I'm thinking 18" riser and 36" liebig. I'll need to track down a 2" flange and a 2"-1.5" reducer. Only thing I'm debating is weather to stick to propane or do an electric conversion. Electrifying a keg seems to be really expensive. I do have a 220v recepticle in my garage I use for my welder so it would be very convienent.

It don't take long to pay off going elect with what you save not buying gas.

[WalkingWolf]

It don't take long to pay off going elect with what you save not buying gas.

NIce rig you got yourself and well documented. Something tells me, based on your build, your learning curve will be a pretty tight hook and you'll be making top-shelf in short order. Best of luck with your efforts.

I started on gas and eventually went electric. I guess you have to run some on gas to get the full appreciation of going electric but running on electricity may be the best decision I ever made in this hobby (second only to starting the hobby in the first place )

[npstephe]

Great looking setup and almost exactly what I'm planning. I just sourced my keg and have about 5 feet of 1.5" copper I can use. I'm thinking 18" riser and 36" liebig. I'll need to track down a 2" flange and a 2"-1.5" reducer. Only thing I'm debating is weather to stick to propane or do an electric conversion. Electrifying a keg seems to be really expensive. I do have a 220v recepticle in my garage I use for my welder so it would be very convienent.

http://www.milehidistilling.com/product ... meter.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

That is what I used for the 2" Flange. The fit was so tight in the 2" Cu pipe that it didn't need soldering and doesn't leak. The reducer I bought from McMaster Carr. Cheap and fast shipping.

Propane wasn't an option for me, so I knew I would be going electric. I think it cost me right around $150 for the element and controller. I chose Mechanical Engineering over electrical for a reason, so it took me a lot of reading and research to feel comfortable wiring it up myself.

NIce rig you got yourself and well documented. Something tells me, based on your build, your learning curve will be a pretty tight hook and you'll be making top-shelf in short order. Best of luck with your efforts.

I started on gas and eventually went electric. I guess you have to run some on gas to get the full appreciation of going electric but running on electricity may be the best decision I ever made in this hobby (second only to starting the hobby in the first place )

Thank ya! It's already making good stuff so far, and can only get better. I just need to keep learning cuts.

[blackwaterstout]

Well you guys have likely talked me into using electric. The convince of being able to distill year round in my garage and easy access to 220v makes a lot of sense.

I got to looking closely at what I have and right now it's basically an empty sanke keg and about 7 feet of 1.5" copper. I want to use as much of it as I can to keep costs down. I want to connect the 1.5" to the keg with a ferrule and tri-clamp. So I guess I'd need a 2" stainless ferrule to solder to a reducer to use the 1.5" copper. I would like the column to be 18" tall, turn 90, extend 6" and then turn back down 45 degrees. Then reduce ultimately to accommodate a 1/2" 3/4" liebig. Sound reasonable?

The 1.5" copper I have was pulled when I replaced some plumbing in the walls of my old house. The inside of the pipe would need cleaned up. I'm wondering what the beat method is for accomplishing that? I thought about maybe some type of scotch Brite or steel wool wrapped around a dowel rod and attached to a cordless drill.
What do you think?

[blackwaterstout]

Put, column and Liebig is done and soldered! Column is 1.5" for now. Liebig is 1/2" inside 3/4" with a 14 gauge solid copper wire wound inside for turbulence. I still have to cut the 1/2" outlet tube and add the connections for coolant.

Also, I still have to build the controller for the 5500W element. The parts should be here in a couple weeks.

Getting close! Can't wait!

Pics will come tomorrow morning!

Hey npstephe. I'm pretty much using your setup as a model for mine. It seems like a great design. After looking at it a little closer I have a couple of questions. I don't see any temperature probes or thermometers anywhere. are they hidden or did you go without? My plan was to add a thermometer in the boiler via a 1/2" npt adapter tig welded onto the keg. But I also want to add a second thermometer at the top of my column to measure vapor temp. I planned to do this by substituting a T connector with a cork/bung for the 90 degree elbow that you are using. Is that something you considered or do you feel it's unnecessary? Just curious.

Can't wait to hear about more of your runs.

[npstephe]

Put, column and Liebig is done and soldered! Column is 1.5" for now. Liebig is 1/2" inside 3/4" with a 14 gauge solid copper wire wound inside for turbulence. I still have to cut the 1/2" outlet tube and add the connections for coolant.

Also, I still have to build the controller for the 5500W element. The parts should be here in a couple weeks.

Getting close! Can't wait!

Pics will come tomorrow morning!

Hey npstephe. I'm pretty much using your setup as a model for mine. It seems like a great design. After looking at it a little closer I have a couple of questions. I don't see any temperature probes or thermometers anywhere. are they hidden or did you go without? My plan was to add a thermometer in the boiler via a 1/2" npt adapter tig welded onto the keg. But I also want to add a second thermometer at the top of my column to measure vapor temp. I planned to do this by substituting a T connector with a cork/bung for the 90 degree elbow that you are using. Is that something you considered or do you feel it's unnecessary? Just curious.

Can't wait to hear about more of your runs.

Glad to know my build inspired. Although all the info I got I got from this site. I chose not to add a thermometer at this point. From everything I've read thru are not needed. You can tell everything's heating up by how hot the column is and control heat to get the drop rate you want. To me, the more holes in the vapor path, the more chances for leaks. And I hate dealing with flour paste

[npstephe]

Well you guys have likely talked me into using electric. The convince of being able to distill year round in my garage and easy access to 220v makes a lot of sense.

I got to looking closely at what I have and right now it's basically an empty sanke keg and about 7 feet of 1.5" copper. I want to use as much of it as I can to keep costs down. I want to connect the 1.5" to the keg with a ferrule and tri-clamp. So I guess I'd need a 2" stainless ferrule to solder to a reducer to use the 1.5" copper. I would like the column to be 18" tall, turn 90, extend 6" and then turn back down 45 degrees. Then reduce ultimately to accommodate a 1/2" 3/4" liebig. Sound reasonable?

The 1.5" copper I have was pulled when I replaced some plumbing in the walls of my old house. The inside of the pipe would need cleaned up. I'm wondering what the beat method is for accomplishing that? I thought about maybe some type of scotch Brite or steel wool wrapped around a dowel rod and attached to a cordless drill.
What do you think?

That's what I did. I attached the ferrule to a short piece of 2 inch pipe. Then a 90 at the top reduced down to a half inch with a union to a 3/4 over 1/2 inch Liebig

[npstephe]

Update on the build:

Controller is done and I am officially running on 220V. I have ran probably 4 or 5 runs on 220V so far and it is performing just as expected! I'm happy with the outcome. Thanks everyone for all the help!

[shadylane]

You only think your done