Home Distiller

I've just finished building my steam stripping rig that can double as my corn cooker.

I'm using a pony keg for the steam generator, and built this gadget to attach to the top with a tri clamp. The bottom end of this gadget is a 2" TC to 1" male SS adapter, tri-clamped to the keg with a one-sided PTFE gasket.
The 3/4" valve is the main output to the keggle. It will be connected with a yellow CSST gas connector.
The 1/2" valve on the left is to divert steam away from my body. (still need to solder tubing to the output to divert it away)
The pressure gauge is from a pressure cooker, and next to it is an adjustable relief valve.

The Injector assembly at the kettle is made from these parts: The injector (the copper thingy) uses a 2" TC to 1" male SS adapter to clamp it to the tee, and a 1" FPT to 3/4" copper adapter (file off the stops) to allow a 3/4" pipe to pass thru it and remained sealed. Two 45s were used because a 90 would not allow it to fit thru the tee. Each end has a 3/4 FPT adapter.

The assembly is inserted into the tee (slide on a TC gasket first) and clamped to it. The steam wand must be separable from the injector assembly so that it can be disassembled into 3 pieces. It is a 3/4" copper tube with 36 9/64" holes drilled in it, then inserted into an SS braid sleeve. The braid is trimmed and the ends are stuffed into the tube. I force fit the cap on the bottom, and the coupler on the top to keep the SS braid in place. I should have annealed them first. It is topped with a 3/4" male adapter.


Just add the pot still head and shotgun condenser and its ready to go. I tested it, fixed the leaks, and allowed it to build up about 5 psi. I adjusted the relief valve so that it was just open @ 5 psi. I turned the power off and the pressure stayed steady. I opened the 3/4" supply to the keggle gradually to relieve the pressure. I then closed it up and turned the power on and when the pressure got to about 4 psi the relief valve opened. I've still got to add a drain to my keggle before its maiden voyage, and I've got a 15 gallon pot (my current still) to cook the corn in.

Now to get busy mashing some bourbon.

Kewl.

Looks great higgins. At 4 psig, your steam is at 224-225*F, so be careful. It has a lot of energy and can burn you quickly.

Let us know how it works in service. Others will want to learn.
ss

Thanks, ss.

I'll be starting a bourbon mash this next week. I should be able to try it out in about 3 weeks.

Hey Higgins,

That looks Great.

the 7.5 looks familiar....... lol

Hoosier Shine9 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 7:36 am Hey Higgins,

That looks Great.

the 7.5 looks familiar....... lol

Wouldn't have been possible without your contribution.

higgins wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:43 am

Hoosier Shine9 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 7:36 am Hey Higgins,

That looks Great.

the 7.5 looks familiar....... lol

Wouldn't have been possible without your contribution.

I am glad that is it being used.
and happy that it was so quickly.

Looks the goods Higgins .

Will you be running it on Gas ?

Will it be filled with water and used or are you going to convert it to a continuous water feed generator ?

HoosierShine9,
2 of the half barrel kegs went to homebrewers, and still have another to give away (the coors keg), but no takers so far. I'm keeping the pony keg (the steamer), the half bbl with the TC connection (bigger steamer), and the New Belgium half bbl (my new keggle boiler). The pony and the keggle are the ones in the pictures.

Thanks again for your generosity.

Yummy,
Electric with a 3500W element. I'll fill with water and run it. I don't expect to use much more than 2-3 gallons at a time, but that's just a guess. During my testing, it added about 1/2 gallon of water to the empty keggle in about 30 minutes, but there was some steam coming out the open top. It only takes about 2 gallons to keep the element covered. If it does end up being too small, I've got a 15.5 that I can use, or if too little power, I have a 5500W element I can swap out.

Once it is proven and will be in use regularly, I plan to insulate it with a fiberglass water heater blanket, then wrap it with aluminum flashing. I can put a few pop rivets thru it into the upper and lower chimes, then use foil tape to seal the vertical seam. I'll do the same on the bottom and top, and put pipe insulation on most of the pipe and steamer head (keeping the CSST connectors exposed).

I won't bother with a continuous fill feeder - too complex for my needs. I've got a 1.5 TC ferrule on the still boiler, so I can run it electric too. Plus I have a 15 gallon Blichmann with 5500W element that I have been using as my still boiler that I can use to boil water, mix in the corn meal to get it real hot, then switch to the steamer to keep it boiling without scorching. I'm thinking I'll boil the corn for an hour or two, using about 1-3 gallons out of the steamer. If it uses more, I have a 2+ gallon cushion.

At least that is the theory. We'll see if practice is the same.

I have not used my steam stripper / cooker for a while and this makes me want to! Just need to be located where I can dump leftovers.

Your flex line is interesting. Good idea. Potentially solves a couple issues. Look forward to seeing how that works for you.

look forward to hearing about your first cook and run.

To keep the outlet valve from closing completely.
I'd figure out how to make a stop on the valve handle so it can't be closed completely.

shadylane wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:44 pm To keep the outlet valve from closing completely.
I'd figure out how to make a stop on the valve handle so it can't be closed completely.

Gotta say that scares me a bit too shady . Maybe a T port three-way valve that never allows cut off but can divert steam to another port .

shadylane wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:44 pm To keep the outlet valve from closing completely.
I'd figure out how to make a stop on the valve handle so it can't be closed completely.

That's a good idea, shady. I can probably widen the stop tab on the ball valve with some silver solder so it doesn't close all the way.

is that valve even needed?

Seems it has an adjustable PRV no?
Calibrate it to your comfort level and put a tin can over it.

higgins wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:02 pm ....

Yummy,
Electric with a 3500W element. I'll fill with water and run it. I don't expect to use much more than 2-3 gallons at a time, but that's just a guess. During my testing, it added about 1/2 gallon of water to the empty keggle in about 30 minutes, but there was some steam coming out the open top. It only takes about 2 gallons to keep the element covered. If it does end up being too small, I've got a 15.5 that I can use, or if too little power, I have a 5500W element I can swap out.

Higgins,
I think you may need to limit the volume of what you strip in your 15 gallon thumper because you have only 3 gallons of water available as a source for steam. Be careful not to ruin your element by running it dry. You will likely want to use that 15 gallon boiler. I use a 15 gallon boiler and 15 gallon stripper. Here is what the volume levels looked like on one of my strip runs:

Start
10 gallons of water in the 15 gallon boiler
7 gallons of wash in the 15 gallon thumper

End
6 gallons of water in the boilers
8 gallons of rye backset
3 gallons of 28% low wines

And nice work on the build. I really like your thumper head assembly.

Otis

OtisT wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:39 am
Higgins,
I think you may need to limit the volume of what you strip in your 15 gallon thumper because you have only 3 gallons of water available as a source for steam.

The steam generator is a 7.75 gallon keg, and it needs 2 gallons to cover the element, so I should have 5+ gallons as a steam source. And as I said, if it isn't enough I can switch to the extra 15.5 that I have.

I added a drain valve to the kettle yesterday and used the steam head to test it (no leaks). I adjusted the PRV down to about 2 PSI. Boiling point at 2 psi over atmosphere is 218.5F, but since I'm at 3200' elevation, my boiling point is 6F lower, so 212.5 for 2psi.

LWTCS wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:21 am Seems it has an adjustable PRV no?
Calibrate it to your comfort level and put a tin can over it.

Good idea on the tin can - a tomato paste can would be perfect

ecir54 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:13 am is that valve even needed?

All it really needs is a direct feed to the keggle and a PRV.

I can't do the math at the moment, as I'm 2 Margaritas in at the moment.

But when using 22,000 watts on our little steam genny we use 3.8 gallons of water a minute.
I imagine scaling that to your element should get you really close to your water consumption rate would be per minute.

Edit: So about 0.010363638 gallons per minute. Or 0.03923063741031 liters per minute,,,,,,I think
Edit: wait that's not it. Someone help me.....

Edit again: ok disregard everything above till I confirm when I'm sober.

Ok sorry .25 gpm with 22,000 watts.
So just under .04gpm with 3500 watts.

ecir54 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:13 am is that valve even needed?

Closing the valve part way, increases the boiler pressure and temperature.

higgins wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:14 am

OtisT wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:39 am
Higgins,
I think you may need to limit the volume of what you strip in your 15 gallon thumper because you have only 3 gallons of water available as a source for steam.

The steam generator is a 7.75 gallon keg, and it needs 2 gallons to cover the element, so I should have 5+ gallons as a steam source. And as I said, if it isn't enough I can switch to the extra 15.5 that I have.

I added a drain valve to the kettle yesterday and used the steam head to test it (no leaks). I adjusted the PRV down to about 2 PSI. Boiling point at 2 psi over atmosphere is 218.5F, but since I'm at 3200' elevation, my boiling point is 6F lower, so 212.5 for 2psi.

Doh! I mistakingly was thinking the boiler was 5 gallons, not 7.5. My bad.

I've used Haggy's calculator for Potstill + Thumper to estimate the water required in the boiler. Enter a 0% wash in the Pot.

https://homedistiller.org/wiki/htm/calc ... umper.html

I have a sight glass just above the heating element as a back up.

Higgins,

As Otis T says above, he used 4 gal of water to steam strip 7 gal of wash. If you do something similar in the 7.7 gal keg boiler, you would end up with 3 gal water left in the boiler, kind of close to your heater at 2 gal fill.

You could strip more wash if you used more stripping steam ( water ). Using your 15 gal boiler would allow more wash to be run, the 7.7 gal boiler would not.

I used my updated version ( with optional US gal or Liter inputs ) of the Haggy calculator mentioned above by zach to simulate the Otis T run. Then, I did a run with more wash ( 11 gal ) in the 15 gal thumper using a 15 gal boiler. Here are results of those calculator runs:

First, the Otis T Steam Strip Run This simulation ended up making low wines of 2.9 gal of 29% ABV from 7 gal of 12% ABV wash using 4 gal water, similar to the Otis T run. As you see from the Table, you could stop the run earlier and use less water, but will make less low wines.


A Steam Strip Run with more wash using a 15 gal boiler: This simulation ended up making low wines of 4 gal of 32% ABV from 11 gal of 12% ABV wash using 5 gal water.


So,
You can make at least 1 gal more low wines with more wash in the 15 gal boiler in each strip run. Which boiler keg to use will depend on how much wash you want to strip and when you want to stop a run. The above information can help guide your decision.

I will get the updated ( with optional US gal or Liters ) version of the Haggy calculator on the HD website soon. Results are the same as the current HD version.

haggy ( aka Haggy )

Thought I'd report on my first use of the steam stripper. Heck, this is my first use of my keg still in pot mode with my new shotty.

What I decided to do was to draw off the liquid from my bourbon mash and strip that as I normally would with an electric element in the kettle. I ran 2 strips of 10 gallons at 100% power on a 3500W element, getting about 3.7 gallons each @ 30%. It did take a bit over 2 hours each strip, not including heat up time. If I can adapt my 5500W element to a 1.5 tri clamp end cap I can use it and strip even faster.

I had 10 gallons of thick mash remaining. Previously this is what I would squeeze to get more liquid out, and I'd be lucky to get more than 2 gallons (7.5L). So instead of squeezing, I swapped out the element to the steamer, dumped the mash in the kettle (having left a gallon or so of backset in there), and steam stripped it. I figured I would get another gallon or so of low wines - any more would be a bonus.

But I sure didn't expect it to run as it did.

The mash was preheated by the backset to about 120F before I added it to the kettle. The steamer element was running at 100% power, steam valve wide open, then after another half hour or so product started coming out. But it started at about 30% ABV, tapering off to 15% rather quickly, then staying there for 30-40 minutes. I ended up with 1.5 gallons @ 14%ABV. I figure the low ABV was due to dilution of the mash with the steam. I think also that it heated the mash unevenly, so it started producing but only part of the mash was boiling.

I used about half the water in the steamer - started with about 7 gallons. In about 2 hours it added a couple of gallons to the mash, but then I took off 1.5 gallons.

So for steam vs squeeze? The jury is out until I clean the mash out of the keg tomorrow morning.

Congratulations on your first run with the new steam rig.

Insulating the thumper would help a little. I wonder if a really wide diffuser on the thumper spear would heat the thick mash more evenly? Probably nothing short of an agitator would really help with that thick stuff.

higgins wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:24 pm So for steam vs squeeze? The jury is out until I clean the mash out of the keg tomorrow morning.

How did the clean out go? I have my keg's 2" port on the bottom reduced to a 1.5" elbow and 1.5" ball valve that gets clogged up pretty easily with thick corn goop. Have to keep stirring it from the top side to get it to flow.

I don't have a bottom dump like that - just a 1/2" port on the side down low for liquid transfer.
So I had to turn the keg over and dump it into buckets. It was a bit messy, but OK.
I need to modify my steam injector wand - will probably reduce to 1/2" to a tee to 2 tees in sort of an H pattern.
I'll cap the ends and drill a 1/8" hole in each.

I've been working on learning my flute, so haven't done any more bourbon mashes since.

I'm going to be starting a new bourbon mash in the next week or so, so I will have another chance to use my steam stripper later in December. I've made a new injector - a solid downtube with a tee to a pair of tees, capped and drilled. It will fit thru my 4" port, and then I attach it to the downtube with a copper wire shaped into a pin (circled).

My last (and first) steam strip run I pulled out all the liquid I could and steamed the thick mash. This time I think I'll keep a couple of gallons in the thick mash to make it a bit 'soupy', which I think will make the steam heat distribute better. I'll still have about 4-5 gallons of headspace available for added water from the steamer.

higgins wrote: ↑Fri Nov 24, 2023 1:20 pm My last (and first) steam strip run I pulled out all the liquid I could and steamed the thick mash. This time I think I'll keep a couple of gallons in the thick mash to make it a bit 'soupy', which I think will make the steam heat distribute better. I'll still have about 4-5 gallons of headspace available for added water from the steamer.

Good idea. Steaming mash does require some liquid. I steamed a very thick mash a while ago. Product was running but the bottom 1/3 of the thumper was cold. Mash went in cold.

I shut it off, opened it up and stirred with a drill. Added some hot water. Carried on and it all went well after that.

I keep noticing people going straight to the bottom with their steam. Is there a reason not using different levels to disperse the heat more evenly. I would think at the bottom then 40% up would do a better job...
Waiting to see how your new setup works. I'll soon be working on the steam side of my still.
Tōtō

higgins wrote: ↑Fri Nov 24, 2023 1:20 pm. I've made a new injector - a solid downtube with a tee to a pair of tees, capped and drilled.


It will fit thru my 4" port, and then I attach it to the downtube with a copper wire shaped into a pin (circled).

My last (and first) steam strip run I pulled out all the liquid I could and steamed the thick mash. This time I think I'll keep a couple of gallons in the thick mash to make it a bit 'soupy', which I think will make the steam heat distribute better. I'll still have about 4-5 gallons of headspace available for added water from the steamer.

Your thread here inspired my own steamer build and I had intended to post my own build here... but I've not had a change and I'm still tweaking things. Funnily enough I've been thinking about a similar foot for a while now. I like the copper locking pin. I'm going to brazenly steal that idea.

I came to the same conclusion as you regarding mash thickness. My first steamed batch was a super thick fruit wash with all the bits! I think I missed out on quite a bit of alcohol because I just could get the heat to spread through the solids.