Home Distiller

3" modular build on a 16 gallon boiler, 2 4500W heating elements one running on a PID one on a variable controller. Packing is 6 litres of SPP (49" packable height) and 3lbs of copper mesh.

Finally got it all and put it together!!

Here's my 8gal milk can with the 2" column with a 16" spool (also have a 24" spool to add), and a 240v 5500W stainless Camco. The pot and spools are covered with two layers of military wool, then a layer of black and dark red polyester upholstery custom sewn by yours truly (also do custom sewing as a hobby). Powered by an AuberIns DSPR1 with a 40A SSVR, 10ga 4-wire cords, all mounted to an old hairdressers cart I got for free.
Cooling provided by a 55gal LME tank and a KEDSUM 65w 770gph submersible pump. I'll grab a pic of the whole thing next time it's assembled.

2" modular VM packed with SS SPP and som copper mesh just above boiler. Total packing height is almost 130 cm. Power it with 2 kW. Read temps via an raspberry pi.

Great for neutral. But time has come to explore the world of whiskey. Gonna set a batch of Odin's rye bread whiskey mash, set the still up as a pot still and give it a try.
PS, I know about the valve of the pot still mode. Parts on it's way, so it can be run without that valve when stripping.

Edit: removed picture of still in pot still mode with valve for safety reasons.

This is my forced-air / swamp-cooled setup that I use in the cooler months:

Many nice stills out there.

Here is my 15 gallon SC Traditional setup.

Here she is pumping out some rum. Got’er mostly polished up now.

My stock pot gin still (currently stripping some expired commercial beers), a 20 quart stainless stock pot on my modified Cadco hotplate: Another look at the still in action, this time from a different perspective. And for a “bird’s eye” view, it shows the relativly small footprint. Easy to setup and operate...positive WAF (wife approval factor). Elsewhere on the HD website, I’ve addressed the modified hotplate and what I did. I don’t want to go into it here (if interested, here’s a hotlink to that thread: viewtopic.php?f=85&t=71687), but I wanted you to see the hotplate in action. As you can see, I couldn’t fit the ammeter inside the stainless base, so I added an externally mounted project case to the base and wired the ammeter inside.

Also, the lighted power switch is the one included with the hotplate but I rewired the rest of the internals, replacing the thermostatic control with my custom made triac regulation circuit. I also added a switched 120VAC cooling fan to help remove heat build up from the case interior. The amber peanut light shows power to the fan. During the run, heat removed in the product shotgun must be eliminated from the system. So, I use a sink reservoir to recycle the water until it is too warm to maintain efficient heat transfer from the product condenser. Then, I drain the basin and refill with cold water. The complete turnover uses about 1-1/2 to 2 gallons of water. And during this run, which held about 3-1/2 gallons of beers, needed 5 reservoir turnovers to strip in the 2 hours of operation. After the strip, from which I collected roughly 3/4 gallon of low wines, I ran the spirit run. From the spirit run, I collected about 1 liter of white whiskey at 90 proof. And it turned out quite nice, although not as tasty as a bourbon/corn mash, but very consumable considering the expired beers were destined for the drain.

Not bad for a few hours and a little investment in the equipment.
ss

Finally got a keg, bought it off an old guy that used it for home brewing beer.
Not sure how long he’s had it but I’m confident I have nothing to worry about as far as owning it.
Finished up the copper and just need a burner to do some cleaning runs.

Here is a picture of my keg still project. I call this my "Personal Mini Distillation System" I designed this with a few goals in mind. 1 it have to be built with simple hand tools so pretty much anyone handy could do it , 2) It solved my issues with leveling my other stills when taken a part and moved around and put back together as I was always looking for this board or that board to get it all hooked back up since I only run outdoors. 3) reduced foot print of a triple distillation system 4) look different that what I have seen others do.

Though a pic or my current set up for rum stripping runs might be good.
Please note I am aware of and support the 30 gal boiler limit, the 44 gal drum in the pic is borrowed and used only for low wines storage until I can get a few generations going and I can afford a barrel.

Oldvine Zin wrote:Clean setup there What, love all the stainless but I hope that you have a bit o copper placed in the vapor flow.

OVZ

Hey OVZ
Took me a long while work out the importance of copper but the 6>4 reducer at the bottom of the column is filled with these. It appears to have reduced puking too.

4 plate set up for rum spirit run.
Taken a few weeks but 6th generation dunder seems to be the tipping point for real rum smells

I know, I know, my rig isn't complete yet, but it's getting there... plus the forum page didn't specify completed or in progress rigs. Feedback would be amazing.

See the full build so far below.
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=73686

Thanks

Hey guys, don't think for phallometry but today I have the significant upgrade to show across the board

Pt.2

Wow. I thought mine was the bees knees till I saw some of your rigs. Mines all from scratch with the exception of the keg.

First still finished yesterday and done 2 stripping runs last night.

First run with new 3500w 240v MYPIN controller and wow what a difference from propane. One of these first days I will upgrade so I can also run from glass police.

Cheers

.

Forgot pic

True Dat ya'll.
Modular concept is also addicting.

I finished my thumper attachment, looking forward to giving it a run it next weekend.

Claw hammer 5 gallon with improved 36” Liebig

My homemade rig

My little pot still. I made this a couple of years ago after a tour of a distillery.
I will be building a column still soon, just waiting for all the parts to arrive

Decided I needed a smaller still for small batch things like gin or any other experiment that would not be suited to my main keg boiler still. Yes, this has had the requisite cleaning runs performed already...

This is a simple pot still built on, well, a pot. It is composed of a 12qt stainless heavy bottom stock pot and matching lid. I attached a 3" ferrule to the lid simply because it was what I had on hand. A bell reducer a friend made attaches the 2" riser and other parts pictured. The liebig condenser is 36" long and made of 3/4" over 1/2" with a 12ga wire spiral between the pipes. Surprisingly efficient condenser.

I think I will keep my eye out for a suitable SS mixing bowl and go with a domed top, but there seems to be no real issue with the flat lid, it is just more for aesthetics. I have not decided whether to install an internal element or just stay with the induction cook top; I see advantages and disadvantages each way. Yes, my support for the spout end if the condenser is a rifle bipod I wasn't using...