Agitator?

[SomethingObscure]

I didn't really know what was meant by an agitator. So did some searching. Found this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Tri-Clamp- ... 890.l49292

Not really sure if links like this are allowed on here but. I assure you I have no affiliation to this Chinese seller and definitely cannot vouch for their reliability.

Cheers SomethingObscure

[Tummydoc]

Filling a 53 gallon barrel is lunacy on a hobby scale. 5 gallon barrels are common, I've got 4 going. 15 g takes a lot of work. 5 gallon will age in 1-3 years, 53 gallon will be 3 year minimum. One of my 5 gallon barrels isnt great. I was still figuring cuts. Would hate to have 53 gallons of that inferior blend. Then you have to consider the cooling needs for a 6 inch column, and the heat input. Then there's disposal of a thousand pounds of grain to fill that barrel.

It may be your dream, but its likely to be your nightmare. Get several 5 gallon barrels so you can try various whiskeys and rums rather than committing to a single impossible task like Sisyphus!

[Honest_Liberty]

Thanks. I'm looking to pay down debt and save enough cash to upgrade. When the time comes, I'm thinking agitator a must

you won't regret it. best upgrade on my kit.

After what I just went for the second time in two weeks, straining and wringing 80 lb of grain, an upgrade with an agitator is definite

[tommysb]

$500 for 240V single phase? Wonder how many amps that draws.. that might make a lot of sense for stripping AG on gas.

Hi Jonny - try Distillex Store on Aliexpress. They seem to have them coming in and out of stock.

[jonnys_spirit]

$500 for 240V single phase? Wonder how many amps that draws.. that might make a lot of sense for stripping AG on gas.

Hi Jonny - try Distillex Store on Aliexpress. They seem to have them coming in and out of stock.

Thanks! I’ve heard that store mentioned around here and found a couple of these in their store now. 250W 220V 50hz btw.

Cheers,
Jonny

[hypnopooper]

I have this agitator on my Bain Marie steam boiler/distiller. It runs on 220 and is connected to a tri-clamp adapter. I didn't buy from oak, I bought off of Aliexpress, and it came with my boiler.
https://www.oakstills.com/productinfo/240895.html

[LWTCS]

I have this agitator on my Bain Marie steam boiler/distiller. It runs on 220 and is connected to a tri-clamp adapter. I didn't buy from oak, I bought off of Aliexpress, and it came with my boiler.
https://www.oakstills.com/productinfo/240895.html

Looks like a handy solution.
Doesn't show how the mechanical seal is engineered however?
Let us know how much service life you get before alcoholic vapor enters the motor housing and creates premature failure.
I would strongly recommend working in a well ventilated space.

[Honest_Liberty]

Ok so I'm settled on a 26 gallon boiler with a 4", 4 plate column with perforated plates. I can purchase the whole setup for $1350 from Oakstills with a 110V agitator.

However, I have read mixed opinions on the operation of this, on the grain, without a jacketed boiler. I cannot afford a jacketed boiler at the moment and I don't want to run electric anyway. I'm building a natural gas system to run in my basement brew room, with boiler directly under a window that will have a fan sucking out the air. My basement is 600sq ft and I have a crawl space that is another 350. I can just open that door and crack a window upstairs and I think I'll have plenty of circulation.

The comments I received on another thread was that it will scorch and that the yeast will contribute off flavors. This yeast idea doesn't make sense to me considering the big boys distill on the grain and they definitely don't separate the yeast as far as I can tell. I'm just not worried about the yeast.
The only thing that concerns me is dumping the extra money on an agitator and it not performing effectively enough to keep the grains suspended off the bottom and thus scorching. I anticipate 2#/ gallon MAX, and filling up the boiler to 20 gallons so there is headspace. I wish I could find a 30 gallon but it appears everyone sells in 8/15/26/52 gallon increments.

[Honest_Liberty]

Thanks. I'm looking to pay down debt and save enough cash to upgrade. When the time comes, I'm thinking agitator a must

Rang him for a chat......says he runs gas, uses agitator for thick fruit washes and All Grain mashes........never scorched anything since using it. It fits to a 2 inch tri flange on the boiler .....bought it from Ali baba.....about $500 Au. Single phase 240v.

This is the only comment I've found with an actual hands on report. Most others believe it will scorch and the yeast will impart off flavors (I haven't found that so far, unless I have and don't know it). This is why I have such trouble on this site, because no matter what...I have to take chances and potentially fail big time. The whole point of this approach is to keep everything in one vessel for efficiency and space.

From my experience using my Milwaukee M18 brushless cordless drill, with a $13 paint stirring attachment...I can't even run that on high or it will blow the mash right out of the fermenter. My assumption is that the " agitator(0.25kw, 36RPM) " would be sufficient to keep er movin

[Wobblyboot]

Thanks. I'm looking to pay down debt and save enough cash to upgrade. When the time comes, I'm thinking agitator a must

Rang him for a chat......says he runs gas, uses agitator for thick fruit washes and All Grain mashes........never scorched anything since using it. It fits to a 2 inch tri flange on the boiler .....bought it from Ali baba.....about $500 Au. Single phase 240v.

This is the only comment I've found with an actual hands on report. Most others believe it will scorch and the yeast will impart off flavors (I haven't found that so far, unless I have and don't know it). This is why I have such trouble on this site, because no matter what...I have to take chances and potentially fail big time. The whole point of this approach is to keep everything in one vessel for efficiency and space.

From my experience using my Milwaukee M18 brushless cordless drill, with a $13 paint stirring attachment...I can't even run that on high or it will blow the mash right out of the fermenter. My assumption is that the " agitator(0.25kw, 36RPM) " would be sufficient to keep er movin

I bought my agitator almost 3yrs ago an it still going strong

[Hectorlandaeta]

This is why I have such trouble on this site, because no matter what...I have to take chances and potentially fail big time. The whole point of this approach is to keep everything in one vessel for efficiency and space.

We're not in the recipe sub by I believe you have a recipe problem. I rarely do all-grain washes but if I wanted to I'd use pintoshine's recipe, grind that corn to a flour and use amyloglucosidase to break it down as thoroughly as possible. That way you won't have any solids to scorch over your element, and still get the exact same organoleptic profile as the wash you're currently doing.

I currently use these elements in my boilers as I've found they've the least watt density of any available stateside. Never decant or filter my washes, zero scorching problems, and always heat-up at 100% power from the get go. They'd even make a nice centered hole for the agitator blades to operate without interference.

If you're looking at a 26-gallon milk can boiler the 2 I've seen sold by Milehi and Affordable have a 2" TC angled port on top that's specially made for an agitator such as the Oakstills one. I've bought some stuff from them, both on their eBay store and direct on their webpage and have found them to be straight shooters. haven't bought any electrical stuff from them though. I've searched hi and low for that agitator and can say you won't find anything that looks as serviceable at that price point. Mech seal is a typical failure point in those but I believe we could either source a spare from the same Oak guys or perhaps locally at GVC or Fastenal. They take a lot to fail, if maintained and operated correctly, but YMMV.

If I were you I wouldn't doubt and jump straight in. Agitator is the way to go.

[Butch27]

Ok so I'm settled on a 26 gallon boiler with a 4", 4 plate column with perforated plates. I can purchase the whole setup for $1350 from Oakstills with a 110V agitator.

However, I have read mixed opinions on the operation of this, on the grain, without a jacketed boiler. I cannot afford a jacketed boiler at the moment and I don't want to run electric anyway. I'm building a natural gas system to run in my basement brew room, with boiler directly under a window that will have a fan sucking out the air. My basement is 600sq ft and I have a crawl space that is another 350. I can just open that door and crack a window upstairs and I think I'll have plenty of circulation.

The comments I received on another thread was that it will scorch and that the yeast will contribute off flavors. This yeast idea doesn't make sense to me considering the big boys distill on the grain and they definitely don't separate the yeast as far as I can tell. I'm just not worried about the yeast.
The only thing that concerns me is dumping the extra money on an agitator and it not performing effectively enough to keep the grains suspended off the bottom and thus scorching. I anticipate 2#/ gallon MAX, and filling up the boiler to 20 gallons so there is headspace. I wish I could find a 30 gallon but it appears everyone sells in 8/15/26/52 gallon increments.

Have you considered not bothering with the agitator and using a keg as a steam generator and just steam strip your thick grain ferments? You could still mash and ferment in the boiler. When doing a spirit run, you could then use the internal element.