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heres my new still design all non soldered joint will be wrapped with ptfe tape and slipped in tight
any help would be appreciated

thank you in advance

That design will work, but going from 2" to 1/2" is not the best thing to do. Lengthen it out a bit and go something like 2"-1.5"-1"- 1/2 after your 90. This will make your rig run smoother 2- 1/2" is going to cause some choking.

I assume this is going to be a 5-7 gallon pot. If this is so starting at 3" is over kill go 2" and invest the saved money in reducers after the 90.

Other then that looks like a good plan to me, but if your using gas why not consider using a 15 gallon keg. Your going to end up gettig one anyway if you stay in this hobby for any length of time. There a lot easier to use then a stock pot.

Thorn,

What kind of spirits are you aiming to make? I ask because there are many "how to build a still" threads on the site and a moderator could guide you to an appropriate build thread if they knew what you were here after.

S&S

rubber duck wrote: Lengthen it out a bit and go something like 2"-1.5"-1"- 1/2 after your 90. This will make your rig run smoother 2- 1/2" is going to cause some choking.

2"-1.5" - 1.5"-1" - 1"-1/2" so that will be smooth hey yeah i was worried about such a dramatic reduction so thats why i posted to get input on my design from people who hav tried it and not done so well thanks rubberduck or should i say Sense

rubber duck wrote:I assume this is going to be a 5-7 gallon pot

i have already tested the pot its holds like 70 litres /18Gal so i figured a 50 litre /14Gal mash would be good in there

Slow & Steady wrote:What kind of spirits are you aiming to make? I ask because there are many "how to build a still" threads on the site and a moderator could guide you to an appropriate build thread if they knew what you were here after.

whisky there my good freind im already aware of the plans/pictures/drawings available on the site i got half of the stuff i need so i figure i might use what i got and save money on build cost.

i forgot to add it onthe drawing but does anyone think a recirculating water system in the bucket would be helpful?

Thorn_veritas wrote:
i forgot to add it onthe drawing but does anyone think a recirculating water system in the bucket would be helpful?

My dad ran a huge pot still with a thumper and a worm coil forever. It was his dad still and over 100 years old when my moms drug addicted neighbor snuck into my dads shed after he past away and cut it up for scrap copper.

Anyhow he would freeze gallon bleach jugs and then use those to regulate his worm temp

My dad ran a huge pot still with a thumper and a worm coil forever. It was his dad still and over 100 years old when my moms drug addicted neighbor snuck into my dads shed after he past away and cut it up for scrap copper.

That is damn close to a hanging offence.

Some of my dads best "friends" are local bike gang.
When the scrapper called me, who was a boyhood friend to tell me that the scumbag was at his place and he recognized the "scrap"
He got his first beatin
When I happened to mention it to my dads "friends" he got the nickname Lefty
The bad part is the A-hole got free health care and Oxy for the pain sometimes you can only think you got satisfaction
The still was all lead soldered and galvy but I guess when you don't know better it tastes great

Thorn_veritas wrote: i forgot to add it onthe drawing but does anyone think a recirculating water system in the bucket would be helpful?

Recirculation can be a very helpful for big boiler charges. Where conservation of water is needed a reservoir is a great tool. I don't have water in my distilling shed so over the years I have tried several different approaches to water recirculation. The movement of the water by pump will mix the water. This ruins the natural stratification of the hot and cold water... not so desirable. The slow movement of the rising hot water in this design preserves the stratified water in both the condenser and the reservoir. There should not be a top on the reservoir as pictured in this drawing this way the hot water can evaporate to loose heat in-between runs. No moving parts to break down... just top off the water before each run

The reservoir can be as big as you wish, but never less than 4 times your boiler charge.

S&S

HookLine wrote:

My dad ran a huge pot still with a thumper and a worm coil forever. It was his dad still and over 100 years old when my moms drug addicted neighbor snuck into my dads shed after he past away and cut it up for scrap copper.

That is damn close to a hanging offence.

Close to a hanging offence?????? It IS a hanging offence, and I'm opposed to the death penalty. BASTARD!!