Home Distiller

I'm currently using a 5 gallon copper pot still from ClawHammer Supply, using my kitchen stove as the heat source. Setup works very well, but it takes a little over an hour from the time I turn the heat on high on the stove, to the time the condenser starts dripping. I was hoping to shorten the heatup time by possibly adding an internal 110v 2000w water heater element. What my plan would be, is to wire up the element with no controller, using a length of electrical extension cord with male end to plug it directly into the wall outlet. When I initially heat up the still, I would turn the stove on high (like normal) but also plug in the water heater element to the wall outlet, and once the still was hot and running, unplug the heater element, and use the stove only to control the heat input. Once the run starts, the stove works very well to control the heat during the run. I think this would shorten the heatup time considerably, but I didn't know if it was safe to wire the element directly to a chord and plug, and just plug/unplug it at the wall outlet like that. I could also consider wiring an on/off switch (like a common light switch), to be a little safer, rather than just pulling the plug from the wall and risking any sparks near the still. The outlets in my kitchen are all GFCI, and I think that would help increase the safety factor and reduce the possibility of spark.

a. Is this feasible?
b. Is this safe?
c. Would this work to shorten the heatup time?

Thanks!

Jeremy

If I was you I would ditch the 5 gallon still ,pick you up a keg and run a 5500 element

Well, I don't make a whole lot, and I don't run very often, so I can't really justify the expense of changing over to a whole new still. I've been very happy with what I've been using, just hoping to shorten the heatup time so a five gallon run doesn't take forever to get started.

I think what you described should work OK. Be careful with the gas(?) flame and your electrical cord. I do stripping runs with my 240V 5500W element plugged directly into 110V service.

Be kinda nice to have a switch. If you picked up one of those harbor freight router speed controls it would be even better. You wouldn't even need the stove top then.

Yeah the possibility of spark from unplugging the chord was an afterthought, but thankfully I did think about it before trying it and blowing everything up! lol That's why I think wiring up an on/off switch, which I could turn off, THEN unplug the chord, would be the safest bet. I just didn't know if a heating element could be wired up directly like that, or if it required some sort of controller to actually make it work.

I do like the stove though, since it's 240v and already has the stove element control where I can adjust the heat right there. I was thinking having a second element inside the tank, say six or so inches from the bottom, would help heat up the upper portion of the liquid and thus, reduce the overall heatup time. I haven't decided for certain that I'm going to do anything yet, mainly just asking in case I do decide to go this route. I'd hate to cut a hole in the side of a perfectly good boiler only to discover the idea doesn't work, and end up having to go back and plug up the hole.

What would be even better is a 5500w element and controller. Plug that into you oven wall plug, your heat up would probably be like 10mins. Haha.

Just a followup:

I got my 2000w 120v element installed and wired up yesterday. Did two runs out of my 5 gallon Clawhammer still. I usually use just the stovetop to run the still, and it would take apprx 1 hour 15mins from time I turned the stove on high to the time the first drips started coming out of the condenser.

After installing the heating element (apprx 6-8" up from the bottom of the pot), and wiring it directly to a 15amp appliance rated extension cord, I charged the still, plugged it in, and also turned the stove on high.

My heatup time dropped from 1 hour 15 mins, to about 25mins!! After it started running, I unplugged the element, and that's when I decided, I definitely want an on/off switch wired in line between the outlet and the element. It didn't throw a huge spark when I unplugged it, but it was enough of an arc that it concerned me, and I think it would be safer to use a switch to cut off the power first, THEN unplug it.

I did two runs using the new element to assist with heatup, and reduced my total run time by almost an hour! Definitely a successful experiment!

Not sure what your reason was for mounting the heating element 6-8" up in the boiler. I guess it will work if you keep a good eye on it, but be sure that your new heating element doesn't run "dry" after vaporizing whatever you're taking off in distillate. Without being fully submerged, you'll burn up the element very quickly.

The boiler pot is about two feet tall, and I only run it with a full charge of five gallons. With the element being about 6-8" above the bottom, it heats the mash from the middle, while the stove heats from the bottom. Once the condenser starts dripping, I turn off the heater element, and only run using the stove as my heat source. The element is only there to assist and speed up the initial heatup of the still, at which point I unplug the element, so it won't overheat mash or boil over. Since I unplug the element as soon as the condenser starts dripping, there's no danger of the element running dry, because not enough liquid has vaporized yet to reduce the level inside the boiler to the point of exposing the element. If that makes sense.

On the plus side, the element I'm using only costs about $10 at Home Depot, so even if I did burn it up, it is so inexpensive that it wouldn't break the bank if I had to replace it.

Fast heat up is a time saver, but keeps even a clear rum wash from developing more flavor(s).

During a long heatup conger and ester flavors are developed and enhanced. Scotch distilleries that went to electric heat, tore it out and went back to fire and steam after they noticed the flavor changes.

I started slowing my heatup when I went to all grain ferments...now I make them all over an hour, on purpose!

I actually TOTALLY agree with what you're saying DAD300. I primarily make sugar shine as a basis for apple pie and peach pie moonshine, and have a couple friends who like plain white lightning. I've done rum, tequila, sour mash corn whiskey, and tried a rye whiskey one time, and I do agree, when distilling anything other than neutral spirits, slow and low is the way to go. I really like good rum, so most of the time, I'll either do just a single spirit run straight from the mash, or if I do two runs (stripping and spirit) I'll go deeper into the tails to get that extra flavor when I'm making my cuts. I've also been thinking about adding a thumper and using backset from a prior run as my thumper juice to add additional flavor to the rum.

As for the current results of my experiment with the new water heater element, I've found that on average, it cut my heatup time from about 1.25-1.5 hours to about 20-30 mins, from first applying heat to the first drips from the condenser. Once I cut the heater element off and use just the stove for heat, I cut the stove down from High (10) to about 8.5 on a stripping run, and down to 7 on a spirit run. My actual run time (once the drip starts) is still the same, since I'm not using the heater element after the run begins, but so far I haven't noticed anything negative as far as off flavors or poor quality product from using the element. I'm very pleased with the results so far.

I do think I'm going to upgrade the wire size on my element cord though, because I noticed it was beginning to get warm last night during the heatup. It says it's rated for 15 amps, but doing some quick math, the element being 2000w, and average US household current being 120v, that works out to about 16.6amps. The last thing I want is a fire or worse explosion from a spark and alcohol vapor in the air. I'm going to upgrade the wire, and also install an inline on/off switch and fuse this weekend for it, to add an additional margin of safety.