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Would there be any reason not to do this?

I have a 20ft of 3/8" for a worm in 6 gallon bucket.

I really only run 5 to 6 gallon batches.

I also have built a couple Liebig with 1/2" thru-pipe that aren't doing anything but looking pretty. I read a post stating using 1/2" could/would speed things up a bit. T or F?

It'll work but I don't think your gonna notice alotta difference in speed. If I remember right take off speed depends more on the column or cap/lyne size than the diameter of the condenser tube. 1/2 is def. better choice if pukin is a possibility, but as your runnin a thump barrel it would catch it first.

A Liebig product condenser is much more efficient than a (traditional) worm and flake stand. They both condense hot EtOH vapors. 1/2' is the recommended minimum diameter for hot vapor flow to reduce the possibility of plugging in the event your boiler (or thumper) pukes solids.

Advantage for the Liebig is size, which relates to the cost of the copper. It's shorter using less material. It also is easier to manage the water temperatures which is necessary for a proper temperature gradient for your condenser (regardless of the design). The temperature gradient minimizes huffing (and puffing) due to shock cooling, that is, you want to gently cool the vapors. So, don't make a worm and flake and fill it with snow. Don't!

So now about speed...the vapor speed is determined by the heat input (how much power you have for your boiler). With a lot of heat, your wash will come to boil quickly and produce a lot quicker. A small boiler outlet and condenser ID such as 3/8" will result in the vapor traveling through very fast. It will require adequate cooling to knock the vapor down. If the diameter is increased to 1/2", the vapor will be slower plus you'll have more surface area in contact with the vapor to conduct the heat out. Contact time and surface area as well as turbulent flow regime improves heat transfer efficiency.

The recommended procedure is to bring the boiler to a boil and heat the lines and thumper to temperature. When the product condenser starts to produce, back you heat input down to regulate your output flow to a broken to pencil thin stream. If you get huffing, you're cooling too rapidly.

Summary...larger diameter boiler outlet and larger product condenser produces a faster product. Minimum vapor tube size recommended is 1/2", for safety reasons. A Liebig, while slightly more involved to build, is easier to regulate and likely more cost effective.
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Great Thanks, lastly I believe 20 degrees is the recommended angle, yes? I just want to build a support for the Liebig that puts me at the correct angle and not put any undo stress on other parts.

Haus6565 wrote:Great Thanks, lastly I believe 20 degrees is the recommended angle, yes? I just want to build a support for the Liebig that puts me at the correct angle and not put any undo stress on other parts.

I'm not sure where that figure came from but I believe that most of us find that 45 degrees is the best angle. 20 may be too shallow and vertical too steep. I recall reading somewhere where someone did tests and found 45 to be most efficient but not sure when I read that or where it was.

Thanks, I will make that adjustment.

An angle too shallow can cause pooling in the liebig vapor tube. I run mine as close to vertical as possible. I have a union fitting in the horizontal part of my lyne arm that I use to adjust the angle of the liebig to accommodate different sized collection jars. I would say that if it runs without spitting and huffing at 20 degrees, that's fine - just so you get a smooth output stream.

The heat gradient is also important. The liebig should be warm at the top where the cooling water exits and cool at the bottom where it enters. Most people find that it doesn't take much coolant flow to accomplish a good gradient. The point of the gradient is to gradually condense the vapor. If it condenses too quickly at the top of the liebig, that's where shock cooling happens which causes huffing and some smearing of your cuts. If you're using a faucet to supply the cooling water, it's easy enough to adjust to the proper flow rate. If you're using a submersible pond pump and reusing the cooling water, put a tee fitting with a ball valve on the side of the tee. Use the ball valve to divert some of the flow back to your coolant reservoir. If you're recirculating from a reservoir, you might also need to make adjustments to the water flow as the run progresses because the water in the reservoir will eventually heat up.

Good luck with it.

my liebig is 24 inchs 3/4 oer 1/2. on striping runs I run my water from the faucet with the exiting water very hot with only the top 1/3 of the liebig hot. I average about 5 gallons an hour or so use. this is for a 5 gallon boiler and 2 gallon thumper. its also set bout 15-20 degrees from horizontal and have had no problems.

I angle mine at +/- 45 because that's what is convenient for me and works well . I also use kegs for both boiler and thumper .