from water heater to milk can

[praefect]

Guys,

I'm gonna ditch my water heater (I know most of you hate this method anyway) to tell you the truth, I've been using it for years and it's starting to look rusty and old plus I can never be sure how clean it is inside...

Anyway, I'm probably gonna buy a milk can from hillbilly stills http://www.hillbillystills.com/category_s/45.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow (moving in an appt so not much room and/or tools to build my own). These are very nice, ready to receive an heating element and all..

My only question is this, I plan on using the same 1500W element I currently have in the water heater, how much a factor is heat loss, the water heater is insulated but not the milk can, do I have to take this into account? Also, do I need to do something specific to the bottom of the milk can, will it become hot enough to burn something, should I put it on bricks or something?

thanks guys,

[praefect]

ok, maybe this one will get an answer,

I'm using a PDA-1 (3/4 NPT connector at the base of the column). Should I try and get rid of this 3/4 inch choke and fit it properly to the milk can (a straight 2" opening) ?

I've read somewhere that this choke to 3/4 of an inch has an incidence, I don't understand how..

thank you

[rad14701]

The 3/4" fitting merely accelerates the vapor speed through the opening which has a dual effect... It speeds it up and then it rapidly expands into the base of your column... This may or may not be beneficial... It could potentially create a choke point, causing column flooding, if the volume of vapor speed rising won't allow adequate reflux to return to the boiler... I'd probably be inclined to figure out a way to eliminate that reduction area, but that's just based my personal preference...

[praefect]

thanks rad

well, I never thought it was related to that choke point but reading your message I remember that once (on about 30 runs), I put too much mash in the water heater and it was literally shooting out the top (I'm taking about a 5 foot column here, I never understood the physics of how this liquid was getting pushed, against gravity up to the top of the column when it as at some point all resting inside the tank...

Anyway, I can assure you I was really surprised to see that spurting on top of the column through the vent hole, I turned the heater off for 30 seconds and it all got back in the tank, anyway, I'll probably try to mount the 3" column (not 2 as previously stated) directly to the milk can.

thanks for that

[rad14701]

I can definitely see there being a problem with 3/4" into 3"... I can flood 3/4" with 1.25"... Not at the boiler, but at the reflux head...

[elctrohomebrwer]

Guys,

I'm gonna ditch my water heater (I know most of you hate this method anyway) to tell you the truth, I've been using it for years and it's starting to look rusty and old plus I can never be sure how clean it is inside...

Anyway, I'm probably gonna buy a milk can from hillbilly stills http://www.hillbillystills.com/category_s/45.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow (moving in an appt so not much room and/or tools to build my own). These are very nice, ready to receive an heating element and all..

My only question is this, I plan on using the same 1500W element I currently have in the water heater, how much a factor is heat loss, the water heater is insulated but not the milk can, do I have to take this into account? Also, do I need to do something specific to the bottom of the milk can, will it become hot enough to burn something, should I put it on bricks or something?

thanks guys,

very nice site, thanks. here is where i went to get my heating elements and control http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productc ... s-c306.htm milehi distilling has cheaper milk cans and all stainless columns. i put copper in the tower as packing with ceramic saddles. just a thought for anyone wanting to look around.