Home Distiller

i have a small 20 L pressure cooker pot still and am not sure if i should use a propane cooker or hot plate. Is it safe to use an open flame? If you use a hot plate what size do you have? Thanks

I think we have our first newbie question for the FAQ....anyone care to tackle this one? There will be a vote afterwards

How about putting the FAQ on the wiki, so others can contribute at will...


Gonzo.

#1 - I don't know how to use the WIKI.

#2 - You or anyone else can initiate a FAQ at the WIKI at any time and have had that option all along if I understand the concept of how the WIKI works.

#3 - I'd rather not spend all the time coordinating a FAQ to have it replaced 10 times a day with low price Viagra ads.

#4 - You can contribute at will here. In the post you just replied to, did I not just ask for anyone to volunteer an answer?

#5 - Homedistiller.org even has a FAQ. We started the idea of an FAQ about distilling for this board because the only FAQ on here pertains to the operations of the board itself.

Anonymous wrote:i have a small 20 L pressure cooker pot still and am not sure if i should use a propane cooker or hot plate. Is it safe to use an open flame? If you use a hot plate what size do you have? Thanks

Well if you're talking about causing a fire, the wash you're cooking in the pot still does not have enough alcohol content in it to cause one but the alcohol coming from your condenser is very dangerous around an open flame for sure. Now if you were doing a double or triple run in a pot still and had a leak, spill over or what ever, that would sure enough be dangerous around an open flame.

I've never used anything but open flame propane under my stills. It's perfectly safe (just ask Hank Hill ) as long as you use a little common sense. IE; do your collecting a good distance away from the heat source and then in a closed container.

If the hot plate is not controlled by a voltage regulator, it will cycle on and off. Your wash will almost instantly stop boiling when in the off cycle. The collection rate will be spurratic and almost impossible to control.

I also use propane. It is very easy to fine tune and adjust on the fly.
Another thing on the safety issue. In addition to collecting a good distance from open flame, make sure that no vapor is escaping from anywhere on your still and you should have no problem.

If you are running a simple pot still, the cycling of the element is not a difficulty. Without a column to calibrate, I use my 20 liter still on the electric stove with impunity.

Thanks guys, I was mostly worried about vapor from the condensor gettin near the flame...BOOM. Should i get the most powerful hot plate i can find, like a 1500W or does that not make too much of a differnece?