Vevor 9G Electric Kettle Chop and Mod

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

We used a 1 1/4" hole saw and a dremel flap disk to fit the 2" tri clamp bulkhead. I was very careful and sized the bulkhead hole so that it would thread into the lid material tightly without the nut. We wrapped both silicone gaskets with PTFE tape, installed everything and tightened it down. We also wrapped the lid seal in PTFE tape and reinstalled it.

Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

We filled the lid holes with 1/2" stainless bolts, fender washers, nuts and PTFE gaskets. We made the gaskets from USP PTFE blanks, I made a punch from 1/2" copper.

We're planning on working on the still and condenser support tomorrow.

Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Looking good.

Thanks Shady, we're having a lot of fun working on it. It's turning out to be a great project for my son and me.

Rusty

[MooseMan]

That's looking really neat Rusty.
You certainly will have a more pleasing result to look at than the ones I did.

Why the hell I didn't think to plug small holes with stainless bolts I don't know!
Seeing your pics was a complete "DOH!" moment for me since I have a shed filled with boxes of stainless hardware that I bought from a closing business.

Nice wiring job too, I hope the cutout doesn't cause you any issues but easy enough to bypass if it does.

Great little father and son project this. I can imagine him one day saying to someone, I can make you a still no problem, I know how to do it cos I built one with my dad!

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

That's looking really neat Rusty.
You certainly will have a more pleasing result to look at than the ones I did.

Why the hell I didn't think to plug small holes with stainless bolts I don't know!
Seeing your pics was a complete "DOH!" moment for me since I have a shed filled with boxes of stainless hardware that I bought from a closing business.

Nice wiring job too, I hope the cutout doesn't cause you any issues but easy enough to bypass if it does.

Great little father and son project this. I can imagine him one day saying to someone, I can make you a still no problem, I know how to do it cos I built one with my dad!

Thanks Moose, we're having a blast! I think I saw the bolt thing on here someplace, but I can't seem to find the thread where I saw it to give credit to the actual originator. We're hoping to have it ready for a stream run this afternoon.

Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Got it figured out. Test and tweek next weekend!



Rusty

[shadylane]

That's thinking outside the box.
Using a tripod to support the condenser and also make a platform for holding the collection jar.

[Chauncey]

good work on the kettle mods. also digging the tripod.

[Stump Lake]

I love the tripod idea. The lid of the Vevor pot is kinda thin and mine tends to flex. The tripod solves everything.

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

That's thinking outside the box.
Using a tripod to support the condenser and also make a platform for holding the collection jar.

good work on the kettle mods. also digging the tripod.

I love the tripod idea. The lid of the Vevor pot is kinda thin and mine tends to flex. The tripod solves everything.

Thanks guys! First let me give credit where credit is due. Once Stump Lake posted I remembered where I had seen the stainless bolt idea, it was in his Vevor build. Great idea, Stump! You're totally right about that lid too, there's no way it would hold a still, head and condenser, you have to add support of some kind.

That's the tripod I was using for my Liebig and my son and I were discussing how to support the still, we didn't want to sling it from above because one of the things about this build was it was supposed to be portable. We thought about making something from all thread sort of like a leg to incorporate into the design (think old school transmission jack stand) and a couple of other ideas that seemed like a lot of trouble if they didn't work. The tripod was sitting right there in the corner, I happened to look over, and the idea hit me. I took the Liebig support block off it and the condenser tip fit like it was made for it. I'm going to use PTFE tape and friction fit the copper downspout, it's 3/8" that way I can adjust for different size collection jars. I was also thinking about plugging the other angler fish horn thing spout. 1/4" copper fits over it perfectly, so a little PTFE tape and capped 1/4" copper will do the trick there. The shelf is a scrap of Corian solid surface left over from my house build. A little jigsaw work and sanding and there you have it, a collection shelf. I was worried about it tipping out of there if bumped so we used temples till we got the perfect size that wedges in there and doesn't tip, no hardware required. We tested it with 3 quarts of water on each edge to make sure it wouldn't tip. You'd have to knock the whole rig over to tip a jar out of the center.

Last thing we're going to do to it will be pack the site glass with copper mesh. I'm not trying to get any reflux, just adding more copper to the vapor path. I'm hoping between that and the riser it will be enough to stop any sulfur monsters. There's a little more fit and finish to go, like I still need to fix the leak in the riser, that's the one that was on the Goat. I did get the kettle insulation started late yesterday before my son went home. I think it came out good.

I'm also going to add insulation to the riser stack except for the site glass, I'll probably stop at the upper elbow and not worry about the 45°, seems like more trouble than it's worth right there at the condenser.

I think you guys will chuckle at my water "fittings" going into the condenser, I'll post that up at some point soon once I test it. Thanks for all the input, help and encouragement. It's been a fun little build; I can't wait to sample something from it.

Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Maiden voyage!

Rusty

[shadylane]

What's the black stripe?
Is it for using a digital infrared thermometer?

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

What's the black stripe?
Is it for using a digital infrared thermometer?

Velcro and black Gorilla tape that holds the Reflectix.


Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Well ,she's running right along, it's not gonna be a speed demon, but it works pretty good.

It's running at 1300watts, 113v, take off rate for water is 32m/quart. It heated up and started running quickly, at least it seemed that way to me. I've only run with a thumper so maybe it's just the extra time it takes to heat it up just made it seem that way. Now that I'm sure it's not leaking anywhere I'm gonna add insulation to the riser.

The little Lion Brewing condenser can knock that down, no problem. The faucets for hose connections are working great, I can control the flow better than my original control on my reservoir. That's what I'm running it with, my bypass water setup from the Goat. I've got a nice heat gradient going. Product is coming out cool. I have one small leak at the outlet faucet, but it's nothing a couple more wraps of ptfe tape won't cure.

It's been running now for a couple of hours with no problems. I'm gonna run out a couple more with just the water to make sure I'm ready. The electronics are running cool enough to touch.

Gonna drop a sacrificial run and a batch of panela rum tomorrow. The sacrificial run, I'm gonna try to see how high I can get the abv this time since I'm tossing it, just for the fun of it. I'm using a couple of pounds of sugar per gallon, lots of vitamins and minerals plus a handful of DADY. The panela is gonna be Dougmatt's recipe. We're out and that doesn't make my wife happy.

I think it's gonna work for it's intended purpose and was a fun little build.

Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Duh...I have a 5 gallon keg full of heads and fients from my sugar shine and panela runs. I'm gonna drop a couple of gallons of that and couple of gallons of water in there tomorrow and use that as my sacrificial run. Not sure why I didn't think of that before, I guess I'm just not use to having 5 gallons of liquor sitting around yet.

Rusty

[Yummyrum]

Nice job Rusty

Like the tripod on the end of the PC . Whats with the dish ? Is that go collect drops and spills ?

[Copperhead road]

Love the tripod Rusty,
Nice little set up

[MooseMan]

Well, you've turned what most people consider to be a bit of a crap still, into a genuinely reliable and easy to run rig, I'd call that a great success.
And you got to do it with your boy too, which is the real win.

I see what you mean about the water fittings now, haha they do look kinda funny, but I think it's a great idea, way better flow control than the ball valve I have on mine.
I'm going to look for a brass tap next time I'm at the scrap yard, thanks for the idea.

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Nice job Rusty

Like the tripod on the end of the PC . Whats with the dish ? Is that go collect drops and spills ?

Thanks Yummy! It worked good last night. The dish is a round I cut out of solid surface material used for countertops, it's just there as a collection shelf. When there's alcohol present it'll have a stainless bowl under the jar on the shelf.

Love the tripod Rusty,
Nice little set up

Thanks Copperhead! It's already been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to getting a drink off it in a couple of weeks.

Well, you've turned what most people consider to be a bit of a crap still, into a genuinely reliable and easy to run rig, I'd call that a great success.
And you got to do it with your boy too, which is the real win.

I see what you mean about the water fittings now, haha they do look kinda funny, but I think it's a great idea, way better flow control than the ball valve I have on mine.
I'm going to look for a brass tap next time I'm at the scrap yard, thanks for the idea.

Thanks Moose! It was fun figuring it out. I wanted something that I could store in the kettle, throw in the truck and take anyplace, your tea urns peaked my interest, great idea. Boy is out of town with friends this weekend, but he was here for all the build. It was fun showing him how it works.

The faucets worked good, but that brass got hot at the outlet. I might try to figure out how to insulate the handles. I do need to clock the handles so they match when open or closed.

Thanks for all the help with this one! It's been a ton of fun.

Rusty

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Morning y'all. I added enough heads&tails to bring what water was left in the pot up to about 10% abv, maybe 5 gallons total in there. Cranked her up about 15 minutes ago, just waiting now. I also added the riser insulation. I'm not happy with the elbow but I have more 2" insulation to try again at some point.

EDIT: Alcohol comes off considerably faster than water, wide open is a pint every 11 minutes. From flipping the switch to first drips was 50ish minutes with all the insulation in place. Take off is easily adjustable from a slow drip to a steady stream. It's working good.

Rusty

[Yummyrum]

EDIT: Alcohol comes off considerably faster than water, wide open is a pint every 11 minutes.

It sure does Rusty .That is why a run will slow down from start to finish .

Looks like it’s had it’s Sac run now and ready for action .

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

EDIT: Alcohol comes off considerably faster than water, wide open is a pint every 11 minutes.

It sure does Rusty .That is why a run will slow down from start to finish .

Looks like it’s had it’s Sac run now and ready for action .

Yes Sir! I got that rum wash in a fermenter yesterday; it's bubbling along nicely this morning. I topped up the 8 gallon fermenter so that should be enough for two stripping runs and a spirit run. I'll give it the real maiden voyage in a couple of weeks. I'm interested in how it's gonna taste compared to going through the thumper on my other mostly copper rig.

Rusty

[Yummyrum]

Hee hee , some more Backyardi for the Mrs

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Hee hee , some more Backyardi for the Mrs

Little update, I screwed this one up, it tasted terrible. When I was taking it off it seemed like I could smell soap. I was running in the outdoor kitchen, next to the sink, so I didn't think much about it. I took a couple of little tastes, and it seemed off, but I couldn't put my finger on the taste. I figured I'd finish everything up and let it sit for a week and air out. I ran it in two wide open strips and a really slow spirit run in one day, I collected the spirit run in pints. The EBII did a great job.

After it aired out, I did a blend starting at the middle jar and ended up with almost half a gallon. The blend proofed out to about 120 so I didn't even proof it down past that. I dropped some in coke to take for our sundowner at the river that evening and it was really bad, I tossed the whole thing after one sip! There wasn't any soap smell, but WOW was there a dish soap taste. I thought it might be the pint I was drinking out of, but I came back to the house and took a little nip, it was all over the rum itself, not the glass. I'm not sure if the soap was in the fermenter, the collection pints or the half gallon jar I had it stored in, but I messed this one up.

My glass rinsing procedure is definitely going to get more stringent and I'm done using soap in my plastic fermenters. It's a wash as soon as they're empty with baking soda and water, then sanitize before I store them or fill them again.

Anyway, update on EBII, I'm going to try and run her this weekend with a 5-gallon thumper. I want to see if I can replicate what we've been able to achieve with the Goat on a smaller scale. The plan all along was to make things portable and I'd be carrying my wash in a 5-gallon keg anyway, why not add one piece of hardware and make it a thumper? I'll let you guys know the outcome and if it works, I have 25 gallons of AG corn mash this weekend that I'm going run on it with the thumper if a water test goes the way I hope it does.

Rusty

[Saltbush Bill]

My glass rinsing procedure is definitely going to get more stringent and I'm done using soap in my plastic fermenters. It's a wash as soon as they're empty with baking soda and water, then sanitize before I store them or fill them again.

Nothing of mine ever gets more than a squirt with the garden hose and sometimes a rub with a scrubbing bush or piece of rag.
Soap and sanitizers are not needed in my opinion........leave that stuff to the beer boys.

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Nothing of mine ever gets more than a squirt with the garden hose and sometimes a rub with a scrubbing bush or piece of rag.
Soap and sanitizers are not needed in my opinion........leave that stuff to the beer boys.

Got it! I definitely learned my lesson with that sort of thing.

Rusty

[SW_Shiner]

I made the mistake of using soap once as well. 11 years later and none of my equipment has seen a drop of soap or sanitiser since.

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Well, she'll push a 5 gallon thumper. We're using Goat parts to test so it looks a little funny, but she's cadillacing right along at 500 watts for an AG corn spirit run. Got one of those fancy "loosely packed cork" safety PRVs for the test run.

Take off at 500 watts is a pint every 50 minutes.

Rusty

[Yummyrum]

Look’n good Rusty . Running nice and slow
Nothing wrong with a pop off cork . And you can pull it to release suction if you need to shut down mid run and save sucking the thumper dry . I like it .


What has caught my eye is the Power Factor (PF) on your meter shows 0.57
It should be very close 1.00 for a resistive load that is an element .
Not saying anything is wrong … just interesting .

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Look’n good Rusty . Running nice and slow
Nothing wrong with a pop off cork . And you can pull it to release suction if you need to shut down mid run and save sucking the thumper dry . I like it .


What has caught my eye is the Power Factor (PF) on your meter shows 0.57
It should be very close 1.00 for a resistive load that is an element .
Not saying anything is wrong … just interesting .

Thanks Yummy. I honestly haven't paid any attention to the PF number; I'll keep an eye on it and see if it changes at all with different adjustments. I've been running it watching the wattage and off take. I'm kinda starting to figure out what procedures are working, I think. I know both sides of the element are working, there was corn solids ring this past weekend that followed both perfectly. Somehow that didn't scorch, but you could see two lines of buildup that chased the two elements, I scrubbed it all out before the spirit run.

What would be a likely cause for it to do that? I don't know where to start testing that. I guess the first place would be to check the resistance of the elements. Maybe?

Rusty