My Modular Steam Set Up

[Powder Monkey]

Many hours reading but infrequent poster. Just finished my first all grain whiskey run since last winter and thought there might be a few people interested in my set up. I don’t think there’s anything new here, but a compilation of various ideas I’ve gleaned from others on this site. Any questions ask. I certainly haven’t mastered this set up but am improving.

I mostly do all grain whiskey as I have a small farm with access to plenty of grain. I started out with the turkey fryer half barrel keg/pot/lie bag set up making mostly rum. Bought a mile high flute a few years ago and then added the second boiler for steam/ agitator and built the steam injector/manometer last winter. Many of the parts and agitator came from oakstills.

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My main drive to switch to steam was I hated straining grain goop plus I wanted more options to step mash rye/wheat/oats plus truely cook corn at higher temps for longer as I’m now committed to electric heating elements. I can also do pot/thump rum styles and add or subtract plates as needed, which is helpful for experimenting.

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I distill in a barely heated insulated corner of my barn in winter (commonly below freezing), so running water for cooling has difficulty. I have since plumbed the barn in “functional” capacity but previously wanted to rely on a radiator recirculating system as shown in the pics. It performs adequately, probably undersized to get the full wattage capacity out of my still but manage to get good product. Depending on outdoor temps I can keep the cooling water in the 75 degree range. It is ran by a 1200g/hr pond pump and two fans. I’ve also hooked up a wort chiller which is helpful.

The manometer build is functional but wanted to have a modular “proof of concept” when I did it specifically for necessary height. The 1/2” tubing is a bit flexy and I’d rather used 3/4 but it is what I had lying around. The lower sight glass ensures I can monitor the water level as it boils off so I don’t fire the electric dry.

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I also added a flow meter with thermometer so I can monitor deplag flow rate and water temp. I found this was somewhat helpful for consistency with needle valve replication as I’ve been improving my other distilling senses.

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Overall Im happy with this set up. My list of grain bills/experiments is much greater than my current time available for this hobby. Probably a common problem…