Home Distiller

My build. Apologies for the low quality photos but didn’t want to post full resolution pics in fear of file size.

This is my second build, but my first build with a large enough boiler to make it worth it.

Bubble plate style, with keg boiler. Bubble Column spool pieces can be added or removed, and used with or without bubble plates.
Pictures from the build, to completion. Legs and handles added

Element penetration
Fit up

Welded
Insulated
Complete.

•15.5gal keg boiler
•5500w ulwd element
•3/4” ball valve drain
•2” sightglass and halfway mark for boiler fill level indicator this gives me a 3-4 gallon visual safety above top of element
•4”sightglass on top for another visual indicator
•2 thermometer ports, one at element level and one at top of column before first bend going to condenser
•Stainless shotgun condenser : 7 tube 2” by 24”
•4” borosilicate glass inline sightglass above bubble column. This sightglass holds 8’ worth of pure copper welding wire braided around itself. Tons of copper surface area compacted in a tight space
•2 layers of Reflectix insulation with airspace’s formed with expanded PTFE gasket.
•All gaskets are ptfe tri clamps in the piping, and expanded PTFE gaskets in the sightglasses.

All welding and design work done by myself.
Condenser came from Russia. I priced out the parts locally and it would have been almost $100usd more expensive to build it myself before labor.
Bubble column from Ali express
Dernord pipe from Amazon.

Can’t wait to fire this pig up.

Clean work.
I'm really impressed with the insulation job.

Hillbilly Popstar wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 5:59 pm Clean work.
I'm really impressed with the insulation job.

Way to much geometry, a whole afternoon and a complete roll of aluminum tape.

SPUTNIK 2.0. I love it!

looks functional with nice art deco . would have put the element lower?

It looks like arc welding. Did you use MIG? A wire welder? What kind of filler rod material?

The keg is 304 stainless. Usually, it is TiG welded.

I hope your joints don’t rust over time (carbon arc welding would likely cause it to corrode).

But, I like the “spaceship” shape from the Hoff-Stephens keg.

I used to have one of those and I thought about making a boiler out of it. But, I would lay the keg down and put the electrode ferrule on one end. And I’d put a drain opposite the bug opening. And then weld in a 4” ferrule where the bung boss is as that section is actually double walled, so I would make sure it was vented so it wouldn’t buildup pressure when heated inside the boiler.

A horizontal boiler would have a larger surface on top of the liquid allowing more vapor to boil at a lower rate (much like a larger pan on the stove top will liberate more steam with a more gentle boil). The Hoff-Stephens kegs were phased out of utility in the 1970’s around here. So they would be pretty rare to find, even at a scrap yard.
ss

Hannibbl wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 5:38 pm

•2” sightglass and halfway mark for boiler fill level indicator this gives me a 3-4 gallon visual safety above top of element
•4”sightglass on top for another visual indicator
•2 thermometer ports, one at element level and one at top of column before first bend going to condenser
•Stainless shotgun condenser : 7 tube 2” by 24”
•4” borosilicate glass inline sightglass above bubble column. This sightglass holds 8’ worth of pure copper welding wire braided around itself. Tons of copper surface area compacted in a tight space

Perhaps you just skipped over it but I don't see a dephlegmator in your photo or parts list. How are you creating reflux to load the plates ?

ecir54 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:44 pm looks functional with nice art deco . would have put the element lower?

Cant see this from the pictures, but the bottom of the keg is convex into the inside. So I had to bring it up a few inches. but yes. I could have brought it down an inch or so lower without hitting.
I want the element to be removable and I couldn’t find one for a reasonable price that was a triclamp. I got this one for $35, the tri clamp ones were much more.

still_stirrin wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:29 pm It looks like arc welding. Did you use MIG? A wire welder? What kind of filler rod material?

The keg is 304 stainless. Usually, it is TiG welded.

I hope your joints don’t rust over time (carbon arc welding would likely cause it to corrode).

But, I like the “spaceship” shape from the Hoff-Stephens keg.

TIG welded with 100% argon purge. 316 filler metal. Back ground.
If it rusts there is an issue. Keg was $20 from local brewery. They were getting rid of them. A little more than scrap price. Held their brewed root beer.

greggn wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:36 pm

Hannibbl wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 5:38 pm

•2” sightglass and halfway mark for boiler fill level indicator this gives me a 3-4 gallon visual safety above top of element
•4”sightglass on top for another visual indicator
•2 thermometer ports, one at element level and one at top of column before first bend going to condenser
•Stainless shotgun condenser : 7 tube 2” by 24”
•4” borosilicate glass inline sightglass above bubble column. This sightglass holds 8’ worth of pure copper welding wire braided around itself. Tons of copper surface area compacted in a tight space

Perhaps you just skipped over it but I don't see a dephlegmator in your photo or parts list. How are you creating reflux to load the plates ?

This is on the “to do” list. Once busy season is over for work, that will be on the drawing board. The plates are in place now for the cleaning runs, but I will be running without them for my first whiskey batch.

Man, that is nice!