Home Distiller

so i just scored a free piece of 2.5" copper pipe 4ft tall
i would like build a still that i can do both a pot still and a reflux/fractional still


i was thinking a shotgun condenser attached to a 2 T's with threading at both so i can flip it up/down

the shotgun has ~.3 meters^2 (3.22 sqft) of surface area for cooling 1/4" tubes (21x12" tubes)
i would need about 50ft of 1/4" tube in a coil condenser to match the surface area of a shot gun (theoretical surface area)

i was thinking a 8qt pressure cooker for stove top use

ideas? thoughts?

Anything less than 20 quart/litre for a boiler is just a toy. A 2.5x48" column would suck an 8qt boiler dry before it equalized.

Hawke wrote:Anything less than 20 quart/litre for a boiler is just a toy. A 2.5x48" column would suck an 8qt boiler dry before it equalized.

i wasnt going to make the column 48" tall to get a 10:1 reflux ratio in the column it would have to be 25" tall packed + the head (~15-18"). for the pot still i'd most likely make it 18" tall + the head (~15-18").

to big for a 8qt boiler?

as far as a 20liter boiler thats kinda big for apartment use ?

Even a 20L boiler is too small. A normal wash is 5 gallons(18-22L depending on who's gallon we're talking), and you need head room. Seems huge, until you use it, and see how little it really is.

I can't say I endorse stillin' in an apt. Especially for a newbie. It's one thing for us to place ourselves near a fire harzard in a shed or backyard, but a whole other thing to put innocent neighbors at risk. Hurting/killing others while partaking in a illegal activity carries big time. Even though the risk is small, if you're going to mess up, you're most likely to do so early-on.

Barney Fife wrote:I can't say I endorse stillin' in an apt. Especially for a newbie. It's one thing for us to place ourselves near a fire harzard in a shed or backyard, but a whole other thing to put innocent neighbors at risk. Hurting/killing others while partaking in a illegal activity carries big time. Even though the risk is small, if you're going to mess up, you're most likely to do so early-on.

Some truth in that.

The column described is way too big for an 8 liter boiler... By the time you bring the charge to temperature and reach equilibrium you'll have a majority of the available alcohol in the column packing...

Kitchen distillation can be done safely, even by novices, as long as you don't get sloppy and pay close attention to details... However, using an electric range is far more safe than using a gas range top... I can't say as I'd eagerly recommend gas firing a boiler within residential dwelling...

Seems like some people just ain't scared at the idea of boiling up a whole pot of gasoline on the kitchen stove...

The wash in the pot is safe enough - ain't goin'ta burn no-way. But what's in the column will be pretty well pure explosive.
I worry about sparking from the contacts on my electric controller, never mind a gas flame. An' I keep my still in a shed, a good ways away from the house.

On a second distillation you REALLY gotta worry. Then the pot's full of phlogiston too.

But while we're here, what IS a good ratio pot to column volume/capacity? Haven't seen that mentioned anywhere. Never even thought about it but it's obviously important.

Not sure where this fear of flame comes from. They were stilling over a flame for a thousand years before they figured out steam or electric heat.
Yes, if you don't follow safety protocals, bad things can happen. But that's true, no matter how you heat a boiler.

It's not about fear of flame; it's about fear of doing hard time because you burnt down the apt. building and killed a family or two. Okay, that's a worse case scenario, but, anyone who wants to put a head that size on a 8l boiler doesn't know enough yet to still safely, and I stand by my message.