Home Distiller

Hi guys,
I've spent the last months reading all the "newbie" posts and after that I decided to register in the forum to ask my remaining doubts.

So here it is my first one:
I'm a bit confused about the use of a pressure cooker as boiler. Honestly I would like to start small in this hobby since I already have a ton of artifacts for my homebrewing, and the wife will compain if suddenly I enter a 30 liters beer keg with a 100cm column... so for start I would like to go small and simple and I was thinking about making a small pot still using a pressure cooker and a counterflow condenser (the Idea is based on my conunterflow beer chiller), or maybe go simpler and make just a coil condenser and put it into a bucket with iced water.

The doubt I have is about the seal of the pressure cooker. In the classic ones the seal is a thick rubber "cord" and the new ones is a kind of silicone band (or maybe rubber as well depending on the model) At least I think is rubber... not sure.

Anyway, as far as I've read in this forum non of them is safe to use with boiling/vapor alcohol; However I've read many posts of people using a pressure cooker as a boiler. Then, here is my doubt; the people who uses a pressure cooker is risking his health or is the pressure cooker safe to use as a boiler?

Thanks in advance.
If there is any post specific about this, I would be happy to continue reading

Cheers!!

The internet has geniuses posting clever stuff, idiots posting stupid stuff and everything in between, so be careful where you get your safety info from.

There are more than a couple of very good reasons not to use pressure cookers and I'm sure they have all been posted here more than once. Try using the HD Google Search.

Thx NZChris !!

Over all I prefer to be safe than sorry. So you just confirmed what I thought, that is not safe to use them, but maybe my reasons are wrong. I will look for an alternative instead, and in the meanwhile I'll follow your advice and keep reading about it, but at least now I know I must look for another option.

Thanks and regards!

Cheers!

My advice is not to spend any money until you know a lot more about suitable materials for distillation.

Start here, viewtopic.php?t=52975

Totally agree, and the post, I already readed it and all the referenced there. Therefore my confusion, when I also readed some post on this forum about people using a pressure cooker...

simeonruiz wrote:T................. Therefore my confusion, when I also readed some post on this forum about people using a pressure cooker...

On THIS forum you say ? - can you give us a link and we'll see if we can explain ?

If you want to start small, start with a ss pot of 12 - 16L size, make a column with 1.5" copper pipe, run it off a stove top, and you're in business..

Mars

This is what I started with some 10 yrs back, and it is still being used for small batches now then..