Electric Options for Still

[HarryCaray]

I have a 10 gal alembic that works ok but i wanted something different so I'm buying an 8 gal milk can with a Liebig condenser. It has a thermoport and I found a 1500 watt and a 5500 element with controller. The first is about $220 and the second is about $550. Should I bite the bullet and buy one of these or should I build one? I did some research on it and I don't know the first thing about wiring so it's a little overwhelming. Not sure if there are cheaper options out there or if it is really simple to build one. Any advice would be welcoming.

[Badmotivator]

What kind of man are you? I'm not trying to challenge you or shame you, I just mean, are you the kind of guy who WANTS to build stuff? Or are you the kind of guy who has more cash than time and you just kind of want a ready-to-fire kind of thing? No judgement either way. I think we can help with either strategy but it would be helpful to know which way you lean.

If you were to put your own package together, I think you could do it for a lot cheaper than $550. I mean a lot a lot. But it would mean a lot of time reading,a lot of time planning, a lot of time shopping, a lot of time building, a lot of time correcting mistakes, etc. This was my strategy and the strategy followed by many others here. The ones who bought something readymade usually don't talk about it much because hey, it just works. If you were to buy something I think you could do a little better than $550. Others might fill in the details if they know a little bit about your preference.

[jedneck]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 85&t=46472 dont get much easier than this.

[rgreen2002]

Well... My feeling is that all depends on your comfort working with electricity. I am no electrician (in any way...) but I get the physics of it. I can tell you that I purchased a few things from different sellers and was able to build a protected element, and the controller for less than $200... Now that's not including adding the 220v breaker to the house and running about 100 ft of 10/2 romex to get it there ( that....um...got expensive). The 5500W rippled Camco ULWD (Ultra low watt density) element costs about $60-70 so that is a reference point.

My controller

As for the HOW...well...you're already in the right place...



PS: posted with Badmotivator ...listen to what he says! I agree... if you build it you understand it and frequently save some $ on the labor....its your own.

EDIT: Apparently posted with jedneck too...God I'm slow. Jimbo's thread helped me realize I could build my beauty(at least to me).

[HarryCaray]

What kind of man are you? I'm not trying to challenge you or shame you, I just mean, are you the kind of guy who WANTS to build stuff? Or are you the kind of guy who has more cash than time and you just kind of want a ready-to-fire kind of thing? No judgement either way. I think we can help with either strategy but it would be helpful to know which way you lean.

If you were to put your own package together, I think you could do it for a lot cheaper than $550. I mean a lot a lot. But it would mean a lot of time reading,a lot of time planning, a lot of time shopping, a lot of time building, a lot of time correcting mistakes, etc. This was my strategy and the strategy followed by many others here. The ones who bought something readymade usually don't talk about it much because hey, it just works. If you were to buy something I think you could do a little better than $550. Others might fill in the details if they know a little bit about your preference.

I'm the kind of man that has two little kids and just built them a two story swing set and slide after self leveling the back yard with a sod cutter and skid steer...no help needed. I'm comfortable with dirt and wood, not sure about electricity. I bought a still because of time issues with other projects. I'm not bragging but I am not a sissy boy from the city who is afraid to work with his hands. I'm distilling on a small scale to have enough product to last through hunting season and sippin around the house. I've been making good product I just wanted to use an electric element. Trying to figure out what my best options are.

[HarryCaray]

Well... My feeling is that all depends on your comfort working with electricity. I am no electrician (in any way...) but I get the physics of it. I can tell you that I purchased a few things from different sellers and was able to build a protected element, and the controller for less than $200... Now that's not including adding the 220v breaker to the house and running about 100 ft of 10/2 romex to get it there ( that....um...got expensive). The 5500W rippled Camco ULWD (Ultra low watt density) element costs about $60-70 so that is a reference point.

controller 1.jpg

As for the HOW...well...you're already in the right place...



PS: posted with Badmotivator ...listen to what he says! I agree... if you build it you understand it and frequently save some $ on the labor....its your own.

EDIT: Apparently posted with jedneck too...God I'm slow. Jimbo's thread helped me realize I could build my beauty(at least to me).

Thank you! It definately looks do able and right now it's about weighing the cost of buying one against the lesser cost of building one and choosing to neglect about the 10 other projects I need to get done for the time being.

[rgreen2002]

It seems more daunting than it is....
If you built it you really get to understand it a whole ton better IMHO

...and if this city boy can build one (I left out the sissy...because well....not)... I am sure you can put one together, save some dough and understand the workings. I bought the element stuff from here: https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1832.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

The controller is scattered all over the place so my advice is to check out Jimbo's or cranky's... or the Related Electric Accessories http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=85

[HarryCaray]

It seems more daunting than it is....
If you built it you really get to understand it a whole ton better IMHO

...and if this city boy can build one (I left out the sissy...because well....not)... I am sure you can put one together, save some dough and understand the workings. I bought the element stuff from here: https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1832.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

The controller is scattered all over the place so my advice is to check out Jimbo's or cranky's... or the Related Electric Accessories http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=85

Thanks! Nothing against city boys btw! That website is really nice and I am intrigued at the possibility of building one of these.

[rgreen2002]

It seems more daunting than it is....
If you built it you really get to understand it a whole ton better IMHO

...and if this city boy can build one (I left out the sissy...because well....not)... I am sure you can put one together, save some dough and understand the workings. I bought the element stuff from here: https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1832.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

The controller is scattered all over the place so my advice is to check out Jimbo's or cranky's... or the Related Electric Accessories http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=85

Thanks! Nothing against city boys btw! That website is really nice and I am intrigued at the possibility of building one of these.

HA... just giving you s**t. NO harm done!


Here is my element. Took all of about 10 minutes to wire together

Idiot proof for idiots like me.

The controller took a while because I needed the 220 V in the house. I was using 2 elements and 2 HFT Router Speed Controllers I had modified...

When I got the parts together the controller took like 20 minutes to wire and maybe an hour total of modifying the box.

As far a buying is concerned... I have built a few stills (3 I believe...well four if you count my first...a real POS) but I bought my last. I love it and am glad I did (don't have a workbench and tools necessary to build a flute) but I still wish I had the opportunity... its damn fun.

That being said still Dragon sells a prefab box controller that is pretty easy to assemble and use (so I hear): http://stilldragon.com/index.php/diy-co ... r-kit.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Another place is vision stills : http://visionstills.com/product-categor ... ler-parts/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Both reasonably priced and all parts included.

[jdetechguy]

I built an SCR rig following Kimbo. Less than $100 and that includes 30 feet of 8 guage wire. I had the same concern and decided it was super easy!

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[npstephe]

I built mine too following jimbo's thread. I put in a new 220v outlet and breaker in my garage and built the controller for around $150-$200. I used the same 5500w wavy element as others have.

I say do it yourself!


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[cranky]

I think I have around $50-60 in my controller, The 3rd link in my signature details everything. The all in one's like detailed later in Jimbo's thread have gotten super easy. Still Dragon offers a real nice kit.