Home Distiller

here she is







Thats my $100 still head off a mate all the hard work done! ( i think ) This is my first still but with months of hibernation on this site i feel ready! Now i know the take off pipe is way too short but thats just a minor adjustment with some old copper pipe another problem i face is that the condenser is soldered in!!! later i will cut it off and fix it and maybe make a doubl helix just cause i want to try . My boiler will be a 50 lt s/s stock pot with mixing bowl lid and flour dough seal with paperclips all will be sitting on a plug in heating element maybe 2 for heat up!

This same still head was making 90% at roughly 1L p/h from a 25 litre sugar wash.

I know this still is tried and proven but i just want any outside input for peace of mind!

Welcome to the board Thorn. Is it just me but I don't see any images. bd.

Welcome Thorn, I have got to find my glasses, I can't see a thing.

She's lookin' good. Nice job

scarecrow

So Scarecrow, you could see the pics? bd.

The images are hosted on facebook and do not show up here.

Thorn, I suggest you upload them directly to this site. See the file upload box below the comments box.

Apart from others here being able to see them, the facebook account also has your name on it, which is not so good an idea unless you live in New Zealand.

Is there a safety vent in the cap?

Where is the output control valve?

Can you describe the interior?
As long as the output doesn't have a valve on it, pressure isn't a problem. It does make it into a potstill with extra stuff above the takeoff port though.
Hard to tell.

blind drunk wrote:So Scarecrow, you could see the pics? bd.

Ummmm.........no. You caught me out.

Am I naughty?

scarecrow

You can see the pics by hitting the quote button on the original post, and then copy and paste the links into a browser window.

Thorn_veritas, what type of still is this supposed to be...??? Is it an LM or a VM...??? Looks like VM to me because I'm not seeing any plates or condensate collection cup...

Do you attach a secondary condenser to the take off branch...???

We need more details...

It looks like the outlet tube catches the liquid from the condenser somehow. I can't see any cuts for the plates. Unless the outlet tube has a funnel on the inside to catch the drips.

Sorry, I was takin' the mickey out of olddog on my last post.

scarecrow

Yeah, I was wondering if the top half of the tube was removed for use as a catch tray... The problem with that is that you have a very high preset minimum reflux ratio... You can never run zero reflux...

Sorry guys i cant work out the pics i have tried the advice given but im not much good with the computer. plz follow hooklines advice!

Hawke wrote:Can you describe the interior?

after the mounting plate i pack in 6 ss scrubbers then there is a reducer soldered onto the outlet valve above that is the therm port, at the top is the condenser .

rad14701 wrote:Yeah, I was wondering if the top half of the tube was removed for use as a catch tray...

nah no removal of the tophalf

Hawke wrote:It does make it into a potstill with extra stuff above the takeoff port though.
Hard to tell.

how so???? Im new to this learning everyday and i havent even started a wash yet!!! would rather wait and get it right!

all your help is appreciated guys.

Thorn_veritas wrote:

Hawke wrote:It does make it into a potstill with extra stuff above the takeoff port though.
Hard to tell.

how so???? Im new to this learning everyday and i havent even started a wash yet!!! would rather wait and get it right!

all your help is appreciated guys.

Without a vent in the top, you can't close off the takeoff port, therefore you can't run the unit in 100% reflux to equalize the column. As soon as the still heats up, it starts producing. This puts it into a catagory closer to a hybrid potstill. The size of the catch cup sets the reflux ratio.

Look for this dialog in the "Post a reply" panel... Click on "Browse"... Locate the image and click "Open"... Add an optional description... Click on "Add the file"... Place the cursor where you want the image to appear in your post and click on "Place inline" in the "Attachments:" section that will appear once "Add the file" is clicked... Done...

Thorn_veritas wrote:here she is

Thats my $100 still head off a mate all the hard work done! ( i think ) This is my first still but with months of hibernation on this site i feel ready! Now i know the take off pipe is way too short but thats just a minor adjustment with some old copper pipe another problem i face is that the condenser is soldered in!!! later i will cut it off and fix it and maybe make a doubl helix just cause i want to try . My boiler will be a 50 lt s/s stock pot with mixing bowl lid and flour dough seal with paperclips all will be sitting on a plug in heating element maybe 2 for heat up!

This same still head was making 90% at roughly 1L p/h from a 25 litre sugar wash.

I know this still is tried and proven but i just want any outside input for peace of mind!

For those of you without Facebook or those who are better with tools than a puter...

I hope you have a vent hole in that top cap

olddog wrote: hope you have a vent hole in that top cap

nah no vent hole but never under pressure so not a problem except the reflux ratio some mods to be made i think!

If i drilled a hole in the cap and put a cork in there that should be suffecint shoudnt it? i know i couldnt be jammed in there hard as, but still tight would be alright hey?

Thorn_veritas wrote:

olddog wrote: hope you have a vent hole in that top cap

nah no vent hole but never under pressure so not a problem except the reflux ratio some mods to be made i think!

If i drilled a hole in the cap and put a cork in there that should be suffecint shoudnt it? i know i couldnt be jammed in there hard as, but still tight would be alright hey?

You ABSOLUTELY need a vent hole in the top, and I would NOT recommend putting a cork in it. Some people do things like put a penny over it, and if any vapor starts to escape, the penny will rattle a little.

If your condenser is working properly, then there should be no escaping vapors. However, what if the pump motor fails (or the impeller). IF that happened, and u have no vent, then you have a bomb, plain and simple. A vent hole WILL leak vapor, if the condenser shuts down, so you still have to pay attention (as you should do 100% of the time the still is running). The vent hole (many people NEVER cap the top of a column), is a critical safety 'device' for a still. The still must be open to the atmosphere in some manner.

Also, the vent hole keeps your boiler from collapsing in on itself, when you shut the still down, i.e. it also keeps vacuum caused by quick cooling away, just like keeping the pressure away during the run.

H.

Actually, a vent wouldn't be required IF there is no valve on the take off branch... But without a valve it would be impossible to allow the column to reach equilibrium or to make any reflux adjustments...

I guess we're all kinda perplexed as to what type of a reflux column this is supposed to be... What is it supposed to be, Thorn_veritas...

rad14701 wrote:I guess we're all kinda perplexed as to what type of a reflux column this is supposed to be... What is it supposed to be, Thorn_veritas...

well as far i can make out its like hawke said its a hybrid

but as long as i take of the foreshots, heads and tails i should still be able to get a decent run of ethanol out of it shoudnt i ?

the coin on top sounds like a winner there i think

so if i put a tap on my outlet and the hole in the top cap that would take it from a hybrid to a full pledged reflux still??????

If you don't put a valve in, and don't put a vent hole in, all you have got is a tall potstil.

olddog wrote:If you don't put a valve in, and don't put a vent hole in, all you have got is a tall potstil.

i thought that because of the ss scrubbers that would make it reflux not pot but thats just the thought i was on.

You will need good control of your heating element(s) and good cooling efficiency otherwise your still with chuff and cough like a chain smoker.

Please get as much info as possible before you try anything. I do not want to see you hurt yourself or others.

scarecrow

olddog wrote:If you don't put a valve in, and don't put a vent hole in, all you have got is a tall potstil.

not really... not without a slant plate or something. the distillate will just drop down the column.

So, what kind of a hybrid do you think this is, kingearwig...??? Is it a VM...??? It's not an LM unless there is a collection cup... Without column packing it would be an energy wasting pot still or de-tuned VM...

your right one would only have to add a libig.