Home Distiller

Polyvinyl chloride is among the worst plastics you could use. It is almost never used in food grade applications. It is not just the PVC itself. In it's raw state pvc is a hard brittle plastic, so, to make it useable for bags/tubing it is loaded with a number of different plasticizers. these are particularly unhealty. Many share common effects with or interfere with hormones noteably estrogen and progsterone. This makes such chemicals paricularly dagerous for pregnant women, who I suppose shouldn't partake of distilled spirit anyway. Even so you run the risk of cancer?, growing breasts? , who knows what. long story short, use copper/stainless tubes and glass bottles and you will have no worries. not all plastics are created equal, and even if some are food grade they may still be completely unsuitable for use with ethanol.

agl wrote:Polyvinyl chloride is among the worst plastics you could use. It is almost never used in food grade applications. It is not just the PVC itself. In it's raw state pvc is a hard brittle plastic, so, to make it useable for bags/tubing it is loaded with a number of different plasticizers. these are particularly unhealty. Many share common effects with or interfere with hormones noteably estrogen and progsterone. This makes such chemicals paricularly dagerous for pregnant women, who I suppose shouldn't partake of distilled spirit anyway. Even so you run the risk of cancer?, growing breasts? , who knows what. long story short, use copper/stainless tubes and glass bottles and you will have no worries. not all plastics are created equal, and even if some are food grade they may still be completely unsuitable for use with ethanol.

Its a good thing i take steroids then! lol

Hmmmn! I guess this makes a pretty strong argument for NOT making an "Amazing Plastic Still" then, huh? It may be true that you probably won't produce anywhere near 150 proof hootch with this thing on the first run, but what you guys ARE pointing out is, ALCOHOL and PLASTIC just aren't compatable and don't mix well!

It would appear that plastic is not good in any application where alcohol comes into direct and/or prolonged contact with it! Food grade or otherwise, it's just not a good idea since anything produced will have ever increasing amounts of a very aggrssive solvent (alcohol in one form or another) with each subsequent distilation!
Hmmmn!

Guess I may get back to work on my new reflux model. By the way, I just scored a really good deal (FREE) on a 5-gallon "Conry Keg" thgat I intend to use as my boiler. My question is how to mount the column to the drop out lock cap that comes with these kegs. I'd kinda like to keep the cap cause it provides a good seal. I sure would appreciate any suggestions you might offer. Of course, I am reading up on reflux stills and the most popular construction techniques, and I see where a lot of people use "Coeny Kegs". But most of what I read just skims over these basic questions.
Thanks for listening,
Spiritmaker

yo
i tried my still out
it went good except i found it difficult to control the heat
im going to modify it before my next run
ill move the themometer up near the condenser input and see if my local electrician can modify the thermostat
i got about 3 liters of 60%
i kept collecting 40% and below stuff in different bottles witch ill re distill with my next batch
anyways ill keep experementing and learning

ps. whats peoples thoughts on a pvc carbon filter setup like AuntyEthyl's on the polishing nutral spirits page? is pvc ok on cool diluted alcahol?

Mick

Mickarus wrote:yo
i tried my still out
it went good except i found it difficult to control the heat
im going to modify it before my next run
ill move the themometer up near the condenser input and see if my local electrician can modify the thermostat
i got about 3 liters of 60%
i kept collecting 40% and below stuff in different bottles witch ill re distill with my next batch
anyways ill keep experementing and learning

ps. whats peoples thoughts on a pvc carbon filter setup like AuntyEthyl's on the polishing nutral spirits page? is pvc ok on cool diluted alcahol?

Mick

Are you using a thermostat to control your heat input?

I haven't used a pvc set up like that you described, but have played around with carbon and various charcoals... In my opinion, its FAR better to use good yeast and make good mash and add stripping runs to the beginning of your process instead of carbon polishing at the end. Carbon is totally unneeded and really a big pain if you have to use it, like with turbo yeast.

heres my pot still modified
http://spaces.msn.com/mickarus
i moved the thermometer up the top and it made a big difference
i still havent changed the thermostat but
when i make a reflux still i may give carbon polishing a miss but untill then i made a carbon filter like uncle remus's
my home grown rum i made gave me 1 wicked hangover. but i did get fairly intoxicated.