Home Distiller

It's come time to start gathering parts and solidifying a design for my still, and I thought it might be helpful to open the process up for discussion.

To start, I have a pony (7.75gal) keg that I'll be using as a boiler. I know it's smaller than most here use, but it's a starter, and if I ever want to upgrade, I figure it'll make a fine thumper. For now, I don't usually have more than a few hours on the weekend to devote to hobbies, and this should keep me busy for a few hours at a time. I'm also going with a worm condenser, to start. I'd like to build a Liebig or Graham in the future, but I like the look and functionality of a worm, and I have some 3/8" copper coil lying around, so why not? The coil is about 20' long, so while the diameter is small, I'm hoping the length will make up for it without slowing me down too much. I have one hump in the coil. Anybody reusing copper that has any tips for removing that? Just straighten and re-bend?

I plan on building a column 18" to 24" high from 2" copper. I'll solder on a stainless ferrule for connecting to the keg. From there, I'd like to keep this as modular as possible. Later down the line, I might attach more copper and build up a reflux column, so I figure a tri-clamp fitting at the keg will allow me to insert more copper, as needed. Samohon's pot still will be the inspiration here, and I'm thinking I'll leave the first 2" fitting un-soldered and seal with flour paste. This'll let me take it apart for easier cleaning and also swap in a 2" T later, if I want.

On the subject of the first 2" fitting, is there a benefit to using an elbow there and then reducing to 1" after the bend? It would shorten my column a little and cost about $20 more, but if I'm going to get performance out of doing it that way, I'm ok with it. Alternatively, I'd reduce to 1" vertically and then insert a 1" elbow for the first bend.

That's about where I am right now. I'm hoping to buy the rest of the copper in the next week or two, and I'll update then.

On mine I have 12" riser of 2" then it reduces to 1/2". There's a 90* elbow, then a union to attach my liebig condenser.

Thans, Antler24, that's helpful. I guess the main consideration is where your output ends up and whether it's at a comfortable height.

I think I've scrapped the idea of using my 3/8" coil as a worm condenser. Having read until my eyes bled, it just seems too restrictive for a vapor path. So I'm on to either a liebig or a dimroth (inverted Graham?). The coil is still useful for the latter, and I like the idea of the design. However, I'm having a tough time finding much mention of required dimensions for this kind of product condenser. Maybe I'm just dense (this is a certainty, actually), but is there somewhere on the site where I can find required dimensions?

NEGaxSEGa wrote:....but is there somewhere on the site where I can find required dimensions?

Start here...http://homedistiller.org/calcs/cond_calc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
ss

still_stirrin wrote:

NEGaxSEGa wrote:....but is there somewhere on the site where I can find required dimensions?

Start here...http://homedistiller.org/calcs/cond_calc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
ss

Greatly appreciate that. I'm treating this as a jacketed condenser, and I hope that's the correct understanding for the purposes of the calculator. With that in mind, it wants a 3/4" dimroth to be about 20" long. I figure I'd need to go at least that wide to pack in a coil of tightly wound 3/8" copper. At 2", though, the condenser gets the same amount of coil inside a 6" long jacket. Does that sound right? I assume a dimroth could be made a bit more compact than your standard liebig.

Look also at a Davies condenser.
Find it in Wikipedia if you can't see it elsewhere.
Cooling water tubes running inside and outside the vapour.
Simple and not much more cost or effort compared with a liebig.

Geoff

The Baker wrote:Look also at a Davies condenser.
Find it in Wikipedia if you can't see it elsewhere.
Cooling water tubes running inside and outside the vapour.
Simple and not much more cost or effort compared with a liebig.

Geoff

I'll be honest, I'm often looking for a way to add some unnecessary complexity, if it means some gain in quality, but even that looks like too much for me.

Hope y'all don't mind me bumping this, but as I get closer to getting all my materials together, it helps me to figure out if I've checked all the right boxes. I swear all this is leading up to an actual still.

Being as I have a good bit of 3/8" coil on hand, I think I want to take a shot at building a dimroth product condenser for my pot still. There's not a lot of specifics around the forum (that I've found) dealing with the proper length of this kind of condenser, but DAD3000 has posted extensively about his all stainless version, and I think between those posts and the condenser calculator on the parent site, I've got a good idea of what I need to do. Smack me if I'm getting too far afield or too ahead of myself.

I'll build a 2" head, reduced to 1/2" before the condenser. My dimroth condenser jacket will be about 16" of 1.5" copper with 1/2" reducers on each end. I'll drill the top reducer to allow my coil to come out for cold water inlet and hot water outlet (soldering to seal the penetrations). Coil will be 3/8" single wound with outlet run back up through the middle. The height of my 2" column depends on how long this condenser ends up being, as I'd like to be able to run it vertically or at an angle.

I know there are people on here who know alot more than I do but I will give my 2 cents worth. First, I would find a 16g keg for the pot. The 8 gal is small and there will not get a whole lot of likker out of it. I make 35 gals of mash at a time and after running that through I will get about 3 gals of drink if I am lucky. I use a 16 gal keg foe pot and 16 gal thumper with Liebig condensor. You can check out my thread for my build, maybe you can get some hints. As for just a few hours on the weekend thing.... aint gona happen lol.... your gona be hooked and find you will be spending many hours with your new hobby. Have fun and be safe.... hint with the kegs,,, drill some small holes in the rim top and bottom, there is a thread about an exploding keg. If I can help feel free to ask we are here to help

coalminer wrote:I know there are people on here who know alot more than I do but I will give my 2 cents worth. First, I would find a 16g keg for the pot. The 8 gal is small and there will not get a whole lot of likker out of it. I make 35 gals of mash at a time and after running that through I will get about 3 gals of drink if I am lucky. I use a 16 gal keg foe pot and 16 gal thumper with Liebig condensor. You can check out my thread for my build, maybe you can get some hints. As for just a few hours on the weekend thing.... aint gona happen lol.... your gona be hooked and find you will be spending many hours with your new hobby. Have fun and be safe.... hint with the kegs,,, drill some small holes in the rim top and bottom, there is a thread about an exploding keg. If I can help feel free to ask we are here to help

Really appreciate that input. Yeah, I know the hobby can take as much time as you have to give to it. Brewing has been that way. It's not a matter of how much time I want to give it. It's a matter of how much time there is. I have 3 kids, and there's activities and just all-around quality time to spend on the weekends. If it's something that demands days at a time, then I'll be getting out.

To me, 3 gallons is a lot at one time. A quarter of that will satisfy my drinking needs easily, what with beers maturing all the time and the favorite commercial wines and liquors I keep on hand. If I was sharing, it'd be another story. Fortunately for me, the limited time I have to devote to stillin' is proportional to the limited time I have to spend drinkin'.

Really appreciate that tip on the rims. I'd seen warnings from folks with converted brewing keggles, and I could do with a reminder. I'll get that done ASAP.

I'm thinking you will find it almost imposible to wind 3/8" to fit inside 1/2" without it serverely flatening .
I'd go no less than 2" shell

Yummyrum wrote:I'm thinking you will find it almost imposible to wind 3/8" to fit inside 1/2" without it serverely flatening .
I'd go no less than 2" shell

I think you're right. An inch and a half is going to be very tight. I can wind a 2" coil of 3/8". It'd leave about an inch up the middle, though. You think that's too much? If I used a 2" shell, I reckon I could shorten it some.

Have fun and be safe.... hint with the kegs,,, drill some small holes in the rim top and bottom, there is a thread about an exploding keg. If I can help feel free to ask we are here to help

Great response, Coalminer.
As we share a common interest, we should also share a common responsibility. Safety first. If one still causes damage, injury, or death,,, they're ALL declaired unsafe


On the subject of safety, run steam through your system for 15 min (no cooling/condensing). The steam should be blowing out the end where you collect.

Check for leaks!
This also cleans out the machine oil left in the tubing from manufacture process, and any oils or coatings put on the copper to keep it shiney in the store.

Then, run vinegar while condensing.
You should not smell vinegar until you get condensate.

Run water again, to rinse.
Enjoy the art safely.