So I have read and designed and then read some more. Now I am finally to the stage where I signed up for an account so that I could post and get advice on my design. I am building a set of pot stills ,for my friend and I, out of 50L kegs that just happened to “fall into one of our laps” (liquidation sales are nifty things). I have designed basically two potential versions of a basic 2” pot still + Liebig configuration but I worry that my bad habit of overbuilding has taken ahold. (Also not without a little bit of still envy from seeing y’all’s beautiful stills). I have priced out everything and it all seems reasonable to me but my friend is wincing a bit at the price. One version is the cheaper version and is a basic modular pot still while the other “fancy” version makes it easily upgradable into a reflux still and also has extra parts. I built everything with the idea of modularity and also the idea that parts can be substituted or upgraded.
Format is: material name size (amount per still): total cost.
Build costs
•Cheap ~$343 per unit
ss 50L Kegs(1): $20
ss Tri clamp ferrules1.5”(1): $4
ss Tri clamps 1.5”(3): $18.
ss Heating elements(1): $40.
ss Drain assembly(1): $35
ss Tri clamp ferrules 2”(5): $20
ss Tri clamps 2”(3): $21
c Still column 2”(4’): $44
c Column bend 90 2” (1): $11
c Reducer 2”x1”(1): $8.
c Column bend 90 1”(1): $3
ss Tri clamp ferrule 1”(4): $12
c Liebig cond. 3/4”x60” vt: $17
c Liebig cond. 1”x48” wt(1): $20
c Liebig cond. 3/4x1x1/4 ts (2): $13
Ptfe gasket 1.5” (3): $6.
Ptfe gasket 2” (3): $6.
Solder (wire,solder,gas): $15.
Caster wheels (3): $30
This still would be a 10-13 gal pot still and nothing but a pot still. Dimensionally at its max it would be 6’x6’HxW though that width would only be in the direction of the condenser. With a theoretical hearts yield of 7L of ~45-55% abv out of a total run yield of 15L (heads, hearts, tails)
Currently this is specced out for a 5500w element with a controller whose price and parts are seen below. This should allow for run times of 2-4 hours (pot) and would be transferable to bigger set ups.
Controller: $157per unit.
Box(1):$30
Scr(1): $20.
Screen(1): $20.
Fans(1): $20.
Wire(4ft in 5ft out): $35.
Wiring Connectors: $5.
Outlets/plugs(2-3): $27.
- Cheap still design
- Both still designs
ss 50L Kegs(1): $20.
ss Tri clamp ferrules 1.5”(1): $4.
ss Tri clamp clamp 1.5”(1): $6.
ss Heating elements(1): $40.
ss Drain assembly(1): $35.
3/4”: 90, 10” nip, ball valve
ss Tri clamp fill port 4”(1): $8.
ss Tri clamp clamp 4”(1): $12.
ss Tri clamp cap 4”(1): $10.
ss Tri clamp ferrule column 3”(1): $6.
ss Tri clamp clamp 3”(1): $9.
ss Tri clamp 3”x2”(1): $25.
Tri clamp ferrules 2”(10): $40.
ss Tri clamp ferrules 1”(10): $30.
ss Tri clamp clamps 2”(6): $42.
ss Tri clamp clamps 1.5”(5):$30.
c Still column. 2” (4’): $44.
c Still column T 2” (1): $17.
c Column bend 2”90 (1): $11.
c column bend 2” 45 (1): $9.
c Reducer 2”x1” (1): $8.
c Liebig condenser vt (5’) :$16.
c Liebig condenser wt (4’):$20.
c Liebig condenser T’s (2): $13.
ss Tri clamp plate 2” (1): $4.
c bend 90 1” (2): $5.
c bend 45 1” (2): $7.
Caster wheels (3): $30.
Ptfe gasket 1.5” (6): $12.
Ptfe gasket 2” (6): $12.
Ptfe gasket 3”. (1): $3.
Ptfe gasket 4”. (1): $5.
Solder stuff (wire/flux/gas): $20
Reflux add on: $134 per unit
ss tri clamp ferrule 2”(1): $4.
c reflux column add on 2”-8”(1): $11.
c reflux column cap 2” (1): $6.
c coolant coils 1/4”-6’ (1): $10.
c coolant finger 1/2”-8” (1): $8.
ss ball valve npt 1” (1): $27.
ss tri clamp 1.5” npt1” (2): $18.
c scrubbie packing: $50
Controller: $277 per unit.
Dspr 400 (1): $90.
ssr 40amp (1): $20.
Heat sink (1): $5
Power light(1): $2.
Light and alarm (1): $7.
switches (2) : $5.
Thermometer (1) : $17.
Thermowell (1): $12.
Thermowell triclamp (1): $9.
Therm connections (1): $6.
Therm wire (6’): $6.
Plug connections (3?): $27.
Box (1): $30.
Wire (4ft in 5ft out) : $35.
- Fancy still design
Right now I am leaning towards the fancy design but I also know I have designers bias. I personally don’t immediately need the reflux capability but my friend has a wife who I know isn’t super into dark and flavorful spirits and so I wanted to design in the immediate capabilities as a peace offering (though she is pretty awesome and I wouldn’t be surprised if she uses this more than my friend does.) Also a big factor is I used to work in a distillery and have played with several home setups that weren’t mine so I feel comfortable working with a powerful and larger system.
My big questions:
1. Am I over designing and making a monster of a model that won’t be supported by the boiler size?
2. Why (in language for those of us not completely living in technical speak) should these stills run 5500w and a big old controller and not 2200w that you can just plug straight into a standard gfci socket. (This one is for my friend as when he asked, he was not impressed that I quoted “I feel the need, the need for speed” at him as an answer. I understand why but I can’t articulate it well without half of it being grunts and well because it is.)
3. How can I install gfci protection into a controller box and not the wall? (If this needs to go into the electrical section I can dump it there later). We live in a duplex situation where he is one house and I am the other. Our landlord isn’t nosy but they also barely update or repair anything so getting them to just randomly replace some breakers with gfci ones is a no go.
4. Am I pulling a dingus move and missing something that really should be obvious?
Finally I would like to thank y'all and your posts for all the inspiration. And especially a big thank you to Salt Must Flow as certain parts of my designs are almost direct rips from their designs.
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