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hi,
im building my first gas heated pot still and im thinking of building a worm condenser (not much access to running water).... i still have lots of reading to do but ....
so far from reading on here about building a worm condenser i have found info on the size of the flake in relation to the boiler and the heat gradient of the cooling water ect but not about how the worm should be constructed. in terms of how meany coils and the size of the spacing between each coil .... i have read that the spacing between each coil should be half the diameter of the tubing , but all photos ive seen of worms dont have this... does it effect the vapors if the coils are spaced closer together?...id assume the vapor would travel faster and smear = bad .......

and does the gradient of the slope in the worm matter? obv it should keep a steady downhill..... i have found the worm calc on the parent site but as of yet i dont know my heat input...

does any of this even matter?! should i just source my boiler and size my flake accordingly, calculate my worm length (if i can figure my heat input from a gas heater) which will then denote the spacing and gradient of my worm ect .....

if you don't have running water bigger is better in terms of worm size and the vessel that holds the water

If you have access to ice, then use it to cool your water. Recirculation of a water tub is also good. I have heard alot about people using bottles of frozen water to cool down the water. Might be an idea.

If your gonna use ice, you better due some research shock cooling.

I said ice in water. Not just ice.

Using ice in the water can shockcoole also if not done rite. Just want the op to be as informed as possible.

Don't use ice at all. Anywhere. Putting ice in the flake stand make the top colder then the rest of the water. You need a good temp gradient. Hot at the top. Warm in the middle and cold at the bottom.

But he says that he has problems with running water. To keep it cold at the bottom could be solved by using the mentioned ice bottled and weigh them down so they'll keep to the bottom...

A big enough flake stand will keep cold enough. Build it right and don't take shortcuts.

If ice is required then the entire cooling system needs to re-evaluated and modified... Ice is is piss poor crutch... If you've used ice you know you have a cooling problem that needs to be addressed ASAP... It's been discussed more than enough times, to the point where we shouldn't have to keep explaining...

I apolligize for my apparent ignorance on the subject. I did not know that it would have such huge impact on the functions. I use ice for my boka recirculating cooling and have not had any problems in that manner described. But apparently the same physics cannot be applied here. I don't own a worm, so it was just speculations for a problem solution. No harm intended.
Good luck with your plans, elderfire.

Digital_Plasma wrote:I apolligize for my apparent ignorance on the subject. I did not know that it would have such huge impact on the functions. I use ice for my boka recirculating cooling and have not had any problems in that manner described. But apparently the same physics cannot be applied here. I don't own a worm, so it was just speculations for a problem solution. No harm intended.
Good luck with your plans, elderfire.

Totally different scenario between circulating ice water through a reflux column and using ice in a flake stand... A flake stand requires a temperature gradient between top and bottom with the bottom being the coldest and the top being the hottest... Ice screws that up big time and can induce shock cooling which can lead to huffing and surging... That being said, it is also possible to over-cool a reflux column and have it choke and flood...

rad14701 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 19, 2014 12:00 pm If ice is required then the entire cooling system needs to re-evaluated and modified... Ice is is piss poor crutch... If you've used ice you know you have a cooling problem that needs to be addressed ASAP... It's been discussed more than enough times, to the point where we shouldn't have to keep explaining...

If It's been discussed more than enough times, to the point where You should provide links for the rest of us.
Don't belittle the newbies!!! No one gives links to the answer just calls them, stupid.

Digital_Plasma wrote: ↑Sun Oct 19, 2014 2:54 pm I apolligize for my apparent ignorance on the subject. I did not know that it would have such huge impact on the functions. I use ice for my boka recirculating cooling and have not had any problems in that manner described. But apparently the same physics cannot be applied here. I don't own a worm, so it was just speculations for a problem solution. No harm intended.
Good luck with your plans, elderfire.

If they don't give links then it's not Your fault that their better than the rest of us and want to keep it that way.