Whats the different in 3/4 inch worm and a cooling arm

[jjprit]

Im curious guys .I want to chance my Chilling/condensor set up but i am wondering what is ther difference between having a worm and a Long colomn and a cooling arm? i will post picture of my set up and the pictures after are the picture of wht i want to build this weekend. I do have some other questions though
1) what size copper should the column be coming right out the top of my 10 gallon FLAT stainless steel LID? Whats the best way to seal it to the lead for no leaks? i have no welder!
2) what size do i reduce the column at the 90 degree elbow on the top of the colomn?
3) How long should the cooling arm be?
4) Also what size do i put over the Cooling arm dropper for the cooling system?

My normal recipe is
5 pounds of sugar
4 inches of sweet feed with molasses (ALL GRAIN NO PELLETS)
4 1/2 teaspoons of active yeast ( 2 packets worth but i buy the glass jar)
4 gallons of water (feed takes up to much space for 5th gallon.)
My last batch only came out like 100-120 proof

My Still (3/4 inch copper)


What i want to add

[pfshine]

Ditch the plastic. Then read some more.

[just sayin]

A worm is passive in that does not require constant flow of water, with a large enough flake stand water can be used over and over with no pump.
Judging by the photos you posted the condenser you are refering too as a "cooling arm" is called a Liebig condenser. The most common size used at our scale is 1/2" ID vapor path with a 3/4" ID water jacket 24 to 36". The Liebig is much more effe

[jjprit]

What plastic are u talking about? I dont have any plastic in my system. The image was just an idea of what im looking to get.

[jjprit]

A worm is passive in that does not require constant flow of water, with a large enough flake stand water can be used over and over with no pump.
Judging by the photos you posted the condenser you are refering too as a "cooling arm" is called a Liebig condenser. The most common size used at our scale is 1/2" ID vapor path with a 3/4" ID water jacket 24 to 36". The Liebig is much more effe

So do i use a 1 inch pipe as a column? if so how long should i get it? , then get a 1" to 1/2" reducer. then keep that 1/2 all the way to the collection jar? using a 3/4 pipe 3 foot as a water jacket?.

Also can u please help me understand how to add a Thermostat to the very top of the condensor. Ive seen people use CORK. Not sure if i can buy that at a hardware store like homedepot. I wanna use a nice digital thermostat from walmart right at the top of my column.

[pfshine]

That plastic right there looks like your output line. The ports on the right look like coolant in and out. From the pic labled "my still".

[jjprit]

That plastic right there looks like your output line. The ports on the right look like coolant in and out. From the pic labled "my still".

No plastic. That is a Food grade rubber hose i just use to Drain the pot that i clamp when its filled with water. No way at all does it interfer with the distilling liquid just cooling. That rubber hose is actually on the 3/4 in copper coming out the line that will be replaced with a Liebig condenser this weekend.

[Antler24]

A worm is passive in that does not require constant flow of water, with a large enough flake stand water can be used over and over with no pump.
Judging by the photos you posted the condenser you are refering too as a "cooling arm" is called a Liebig condenser. The most common size used at our scale is 1/2" ID vapor path with a 3/4" ID water jacket 24 to 36". The Liebig is much more effe

So do i use a 1 inch pipe as a column? if so how long should i get it? , then get a 1" to 1/2" reducer. then keep that 1/2 all the way to the collection jar? using a 3/4 pipe 3 foot as a water jacket?.

Also can u please help me understand how to add a Thermostat to the very top of the condensor. Ive seen people use CORK. Not sure if i can buy that at a hardware store like homedepot. I wanna use a nice digital thermostat from walmart right at the top of my column.

First thing, ditch the plastic. You column height doesn't really matter for a potstill, most people just make it high enough that puts the output at a convenient height. 1" is fine, most people go bigger. The "condenser arm" is called a liebig and yes it's the 1/2" vapour line goes straight through, and a 3/4" water jacket goes outside that. You'll have to do some research about that on your own, there's lots of options. I use a 36" long Liebig. It easily handles everything my 48,000btu burner or 5500w electric element could put out.
I'm not sure why you want a thermometer on your potstill. It's useless. It's another point for a vapour leak (disaster) and just something else that will confuse you, or have your attention when you should be seeingg smelling feeling or tasting something more important.


Most important thing here is you need to do more research. Most people on here won't just give out the information your looking for, simply because it could be easily found and understood by looking for and reading it on these forums. As long as you give the impression you haven't done the research your going to get the cold shoulder around here, and it's obvious you haven't done much research. Head over to the Novice Distiller section and get to reading, there's a whole lot to learn!

[jjprit]

well i been making shine so far for about 2 years. i still consider myself new. I only ran that rubber tubing for one batch becuase my copper was stepped on lol. I didnt just come here and ask a question to be honest. I been doing research on this for about 2 month and i cannot find anywhere an idea on sizes but now i know. I have always done research before i ask anything. It is in my nature from schooling and the service. With my experience with 10 year of plumbing i can build it no issues. I just did not want to build something and come to find out i should of went bigger or smaller. Im considering a 2 foot column with a 3 food Liebig condenser that goes down at a 45 degree angle. As u can see from the top of my bot the best place to put the column is directly in the center. Will also help with any weight issue from the Leibig. But i do really appriciate the help that u 2 have given me. I just made a Parrot yeasterday

[Snackson]

That plastic right there looks like your output line. The ports on the right look like coolant in and out. From the pic labled "my still".

No plastic. That is a Food grade rubber hose i just use to drip in a Active carbon Filter before going into my collection jar. That rubber hose is actually on the 3/4 in copper coming out the line that will be replaced with a Liebig condenser this weekend.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =35&t=5090 See Rule 8
8. These forums take a very strong negative view on the usage of plastics and synthetics in distilling. It simply is not safe to use in any area of hobby distilling (however HPDE buckets are acceptable for fermentation.) There simply are too many types of plastics and lack of reliable information about plastics, for us to reliably advocate their use anywhere in the distillation apparatus. Also, from past posting history, this topic seems to quickly boil down into an almost religious flame war. Thus we simply will not put up with it, and posts about any form of plastic use will be edited, deleted or locked. There is a forum for proven info for or against any material (material/safety.)

[cranky]

Food safe doesn't mean alcohol/solvent safe. There is too much wrong with the way you are approaching things, it tells us you need to do a lot of research before going any further. Start here
http://ww.homedistiller.org/forum/viewt ... 52975//url" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
It is the beginning of what you need to know including why you don't need a thermometer.
My pot still is a 1.5" diam column reducing to 1/2" into a 3/4 over 1/2 liebig that is 36" long and does a wonderful job. I'll give you a hint about where to find details on building your own, it is in Condensers/Cooling Methods section and a thread started by HookLine.
That's all the direct spoonfeeding I am going to do. It is important to be able to find your own way in this hobby.

Posting same time as others
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =87&t=9247

[Yummyrum]

jjprit.
A thermometer is very useful in a reflux still but it is practically useless in a pot stil.
I hate the way your output jar is only inches from your gas burner. Lower your riser pipe and use the length of the liebig to create a safer distance from the flame .

[sltm1]

You can hook up your 1" takeoff line the same way as on the pic you posted. A male end soldered (not welded, look up "soldering" if you're not sure about the term), to the base of the column with a hole in the lid the right size for the threads to pass though. On the inside a compatible nut either out of copper or stainless steel and plenty of Teflon tape on the threads to seal it.

[just sayin]

### Previous post continued: I ran out time at lunch and hit the wrong #%^££¥$@in' button, please forgive my tech ineptitude!
Post continued.......efficient. The Liebig condenser is an extremely efficient heat exchanger when operated in a counter flow configuration. Counter flow meaning hot vapor enters the condenser from the top and coolant enters the cooling jacket from the bottom, exiting at the top.
Your post stated you had a 3/4" worm. Looking at your photo I estimate your worm at 7/16" OD at best. I didn't see any plastic in your vapor path at all.

The riser on a pot still does not have to be any larger than the diameter of your condenser, no mater what you have read. A thermometer is not required on any still, that being said thermometers do provide information many find useful.
You are off to a good start, stay safe, enjoy the journey you have begun.
I have to agree that it would be prudent for you to do much more reading here to get yourself fully up to speed. Please don't feel insulted be my suggestion, I have visited Home Distiller other excellent forums since before the turn of the century and learn something new almost daily.
Just Sayin'

[still_stirrin]

...I just made a Parrot yeasterday...

Not necessary for a potstil with a boiler size you've got. You'll smear top to bottom with it. Keep it for when you upscale to a 15.5 gallon (1/2 barrel) keg.

And you should ONLY use glass, copper, or stainless steel on high proof alcohol whether it is a vapor or a liquid...PERIOD! No food-grade polymers can tolerate the solvent quality of high proof alcohol...and that means ANYTHING coming off your still.

Back to the Liebig size...there are many threads (on the construction or condenser forums) which will help you with sizing....and design details. To restate it here is redundant again...get it?

For your boiler attachment, the Triclover clamps are the best. But there are other options too. Again, reading in the construction forum will help enlighten you. To restate it here is redundant again...get it?

Be safe. Be responsible. And be discrete.
ss

[just sayin]

I read the posts between the two halves of my post, obviously plastic and synthetics are not accepted here, safety is the absolute motto here. Plummer's tape is the one exception. The world view here is if we are in error it will be on the side of safety. One of big boogeymen keeping our hobby illegal is the prohibition version of the argument "You will shot your eye out, Kid!"
The government required poisoning (denaturing) of industrial ethanol combined with the greed of gangster during prohibition gave "untaxed" spirits a deadly reputation.
Hobby distillers are generally attempting to craft spirits for their own consumption and that of their loved ones. We therefore set the bar higher than industrial distilling corporations.
If you are to enjoy your stay here and contribute to the ultimate goal of removing the legal ramifications of hobby spirit crafting just stay within our posted safety constraints. As I noted before, I did not see anything in you photos indicating you have violated any of our highly esteemed mandates. I present this argument for the benefit of neophyte yet to come.
To your questions: the riser on a hobby scale pot still serves only to elevate the product end of your condenser to a convenient height. The tall height of Glenmorangie's pot stills produce a spirit lightening passive reflux, at our scale the column, be it 1/2" ID BY 24" length or 3" by 36", produce minimal enough reflux as to negligible. The column in a hobby scale pot still amounts to no more than a conduit connecting to pot to the condenser. This will fly in the face of widely accepted dogma, but none the less....facts are facts.