Home Distiller

Pikey wrote: I wonder if any of our members with propane apparatus would like to comment ?

Yummyrum wrote:I have a three ring Banjo burner , it came with a standard Gas reg .I upgraded to an HP reg . See HERE ...picture tells a thousand words Thanks for the effort.
I agree with pikey that the keg rim does act as a heat shroud , certainly at the power that you would want to stuck up this . I don't think the distance from the flame to the keg bottom is that much of a deal .The heat is pretty much contained in the keg rim .
I don't think he wants to saw the rim off as long there are other causes possible. And generally a longer distance helps against scorching (but will need a shroud or he looses too much propane).
But there is no point giving this still anymore power than it has already due to the flooding issues . Yes
Which is my next question .
Why can't the fluid drain back to the boiler ? Is there a mesh or holder in the bottom of the column to hold the packing that is causing a flow issues ? If so , it doesn't need to be there .Scrubbers will hold themselves in place .

thecroweater wrote:One thing that does strike me as a small but significant design faut it the position of the take off valve and that blenky return line. I feel it would be far better to have the valve right against the column and remove that return line altogether. A diagram of the Internal construction of the head would clear this up straight away

der wo wrote:

2-zoll-filterscheibe.jpg

https://www.stilldragon.eu/de/filtersch ... heibe.html
I wouldn't use it for this application. It looks like the holes are too small to allow both vapor up and reflux down. But it's a stilldragon product for example for gin baskets. I think a gin basket should work in reflux mode too. What do you think?

Swedish Pride wrote:

der wo wrote:

2-zoll-filterscheibe.jpg

https://www.stilldragon.eu/de/filtersch ... heibe.html
I wouldn't use it for this application. It looks like the holes are too small to allow both vapor up and reflux down. But it's a stilldragon product for example for gin baskets. I think a gin basket should work in reflux mode too. What do you think?

A lad on the Swedish forums use the 3" version as perfplates and they hold the liquid at bay alright, vapour can come up but he uses a 1/2 downcommer to get return to the keg.

der wo wrote: I wouldn't use it for this application. It looks like the holes are too small to allow both vapor up and reflux down. But it's a stilldragon product for example for gin baskets. I think a gin basket should work in reflux mode too. What do you think?

der wo wrote: But now I think, perhaps you get the Sherlock Holmes award. He wrote me yesterday he uses this for retaining the scrubbies:

2-zoll-filterscheibe.jpg

https://www.stilldragon.eu/de/filtersch ... heibe.html

thecroweater wrote:hole is the Liebig

- hole in the liebig nearby the valve (the tube has to be angled for this I think)
- hole at the top of the pig tail or removing it

00Speedy wrote:Ok "Wo", even German members don't know if I am wo or der or der wo...

I'll try the following things first:

- hole in the liebig nearby the valve (the tube has to be angled for this I think)
- hole at the top of the pig tail or removing it

Don't forget, you will need to have the liebig angled!
You have pretty Names for my Works... Pig Tail . This seems to be a special problem with Germans here. Look at the comments about my still http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 27&t=56682
Yummyrum sayed its a Bastard I am sorry, but he said, you are the bastard, not your still.

der wo wrote:...it gives air another easy entrance and exit, the air doesn't have to get pushed through the whole liebig. The distillate will be able to flow faster through the liebig. Perhaps this is enough to fix it.

still_stirrin wrote: The liquid return line to the column is larger than the opening of the valve, so the liquid will tend to flow into the return more likely than down the long path of the Liebig. Only if the return was vertical too. But it's horizontal here. As long there is no sucking from the side, all the distillate will flow down to the valve.

As the condensate "tries" to flow down the Liebig tube, it needs an air relief vent to break the partial vacuum pulled as the liquid flows. Currently, air must suck up through the Liebig to relieve that partial vacuum, and that trades a steady liquid flow down the Liebig's liquid tube for the pulsing flow of liquid and relief air suction.

If the Liebig's liquid (condensate) line had a larger bore, perhaps even as large as the liquid takeoff from the plates, then the competition for flow crossectional area may not be so compromised. But a needle valve with such a large bore diameter would not allow to control the product as fine as we want. But angling the Liebig from vertical may also help solve this as well. I want him to angle the liebig mainly that no distillate will drip out the hole.

And, if you can get a pressure relief vent above the Liebig such that it doesn't try to flow condensate, then that solution might also solve the stability of liquid flow dilema.

This place is great...where experience and innovation join to solve problems. Perhaps we can solve "world hunger"...or thirst similarly.
ss Ah no, this is boring. I currently play with a valve, a few copper tubes and fittings and hot glue in my bathtub to find out more details about this issues of LMs. Much more fun than saving the wales or something.

der wo wrote:

00Speedy wrote: Yummyrum sayed its a Bastard I am sorry, but he said, you are the bastard, not your still.

der wo wrote: Ah no, this is boring. I currently play with a valve, a few copper tubes and fittings and hot glue in my bathtub to find out more details about this issues of LMs. Much more fun than saving the wales or something.

thecroweater wrote:OK you had me confused with hole in the liebig, you are meaning a vent at the valve I guess in which case that return for sure has to go. Makes me wonder why the liebig at all if its to run in pot mode forget the vent. My old reflux still had a vent straight after the take off valve
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 6#p7017750

der wo wrote:

still_stirrin wrote: The liquid return line to the column is larger than the opening of the valve, so the liquid will tend to flow into the return more likely than down the long path of the Liebig. Only if the return was vertical too. But it's horizontal here. As long there is no sucking from the side, all the distillate will flow down to the valve.