Home Distiller

Yet another slightly different version of the DIY valve....
The 5/16 tube inside the 3/8 tube provides a seat for the needle valve.
The take off tube is split with a hacksaw and opened to fit on the other tube (massaged with body tools for proper fit), flare tool would work just as well or better I'm sure.
I can post instructions but I think it is well described in the previous versions
Tested with water and seems to work great, good control. I will update as soon as my Boka build is done and tested.

Tested today with sac run, valve works perfectly....

I might try this. Does the bolt screw on the copper tubing by itself?

Just screw the bolt into the 3/8 tube and it cuts it's own threads easy enough, just make sure you start it straight. There is enough length and tight clearance that there is no leak past the threads of the bolt.

Wouldn't it be easier to build this using a copper Tee and a thicker gauge bolt instead of splicing together tubing?

cat herder wrote:Wouldn't it be easier to build this using a copper Tee and a thicker gauge bolt instead of splicing together tubing?

Could be, I would love to see pictures of the one you build

cat herder wrote:Wouldn't it be easier to build this using a copper Tee and a thicker gauge bolt instead of splicing together tubing?

I bought the hardware to build the needle valve design I mentioned above. I'll use it on the boka I'm building if it works. This is my first attempt at building either a still or a needle valve, so before I get started I need to know if the valve needs to be water tight. Obviously, I''ll have to shorten the length of pipe coming out of the top of the tee. Also, I might need to grind the tip of the bolt into more of a point. Any thoughts?

cat herder wrote:...Wouldn't it be easier to build this using a copper Tee and a thicker gauge bolt instead of splicing together tubing?

This just seems like a "pot luck" solution to me. No engineering involved.

cat herder wrote:...I might need to grind the tip of the bolt into more of a point. Any thoughts?

Is that a 1/2" bolt? What are you going to use for a "seat" for that "needle"? It seems very, very large to give a fine control of liquid runoff. I just don't see how that would work. 3/8" ID would be as large as I'd attempt...1/2"....good luck.
ss

still_stirrin wrote:

cat herder wrote:...Wouldn't it be easier to build this using a copper Tee and a thicker gauge bolt instead of splicing together tubing?

This just seems like a "pot luck" solution to me. No engineering involved.

cat herder wrote:...I might need to grind the tip of the bolt into more of a point. Any thoughts?

Is that a 1/2" bolt? What are you going to use for a "seat" for that "needle"? It seems very, very large to give a fine control of liquid runoff. I just don't see how that would work. 3/8" ID would be as large as I'd attempt...1/2"....good luck.
ss

SS, It's a 9/16" bolt and 1/2" tubing. It should be a tight fit. You're right to ask what I'm going to use as a seat for the needle, because there isn't one. Technically this isn't a needle valve at all, but an enlarged version of the one chickenfeet built. Maybe the solution is to not grind the end into a point at all. I'm not an engineer by trade, that's why I'm asking questions. I'd really appreciate further discussion on this issue.

Another thought: what if I nixed the 1/2" tubing at the top of the tee and went with a bolt that was sized for the ID of the tee instead? That way when the bolt was screwed in it would rest on top of the 1/2" tubing joined to the bottom of the tee thereby restricting flow. Maybe grinding down the tip of the bolt into a needle would make more sense then.

I went ahead and assembled my valve to test this idea out. I started by soldering the fittings together and then, while the copper was still warm, I put the assembled valve body into a vice. I inserted the bolt on top, applied WD-40, and screwed it in with a wrench. It went in as expected and left a nice thread that can now be easily wrenched in by hand. I tested it at this point to see if it was air tight by blowing through the open end of the tee while the rest was submerged in water. A little air escaped from the top and a bit more from the bottom. At this point I applied teflon tape to the top and bottom of the threads as shown in the picture. I reinserted and air tested again. Doing this virtually eliminated airflow out of the top, and severely restricted airflow through the bottom. To pass air through it now gets me red in the face because I have to blow so hard. It is easier by far to blow air through my condenser.

As I wrote before this is my first attempt at building a still. I don't know if severely restricted flow will be good enough for a boka capable of producing azeo. I would be very interested to hear what some of the more experienced among us have to say about that. From what I have read on this thread it seems that no one has eliminated flow with a DIY valve. If it is necessary to block it further, I can add more teflon to the tip of the bolt, or possibly upgrade to one that is an inch longer.

Thoughts?

Just remember air is thinner than liquid so if only a small amount gets through and it's not under pressure the liquid may not seep through the thread