simple Recirculation technique for liebig and boiler 1500w

[planohog]

Im dizzy from reading and tired of running the water real slow down the sink.
Is there a simple water re-circulation that doesn't work you to death that can
be used in the shed ? some runs take 4 hours, seems like a large iglo with water
should be able to keep vapor a liquid.
is there a practicle example around anywhere ?
or a perfered pump off of ammo-zon ?
asking for a friend that uses water hose connections.

[Twisted Brick]

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homedistiller recirc pumps

[NormandieStill]

The rule of thumb that I was given when I started was that you need two times the volume of your boiler charge in cooling water. Which generally means you're going to need a barrel. A 30L stripping run would need 60L do example.

If you add reflux into the mix then the volume goes up exponentially. Imagine a 4 to 1 reflux ratio. You're now condensing 5 times as much vapour. So you're going to need 5 times as much water.

I started with an aquarium pump in the kitchen sink (I still use this for small runs) and rapidly upgraded to mains water. I now recirculate from a 1000L IBC full of rain water with an immerged pump. I can do a reflux run in the summer without the water getting too hot and back-to-back stripping runs are no problem.

[Salt Must Flow]

I'd start with a 55 gal poly drum. Larger the reservoir the better because as the stripping run progresses the water becomes warmer. The smaller the reservoir, the faster it heats up.

I use well water/ground water and send the hot water down the drain so I don't have to fuss at all with recirculating.

[shadylane]

Since you only need to condense 1500w, maybe use an aircooled condenser and do away with the water.

[JTBullfrog]

Just use the largest container you have/the cheapest one you can buy. More water = more thermal mass = longer cooling. For recirculating the water, the cooler it is, the better.

You can get a large trash can for cheap. Depending on where you are, letting it get full of rain water is a free option for initially filling it. Also depending on where you are, now that it's getting colder at night, just fill the trash can the day before your run and let it chill overnight. You could put a bulkhead fitting on the side near the bottom for draining it, but siphoning it is cheaper and doesn't run the risk of leaking.

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

That's what I did, I had a pump, so I grabbed a 42-gallon trash can and made a bypass system. I'm running a 15.5 keg boiler and so far, 7 runs in, it's worked great. It starts down at the bottom of page 4 on my build thread and goes to page 5 for the final assembly.

Rusty

[planohog]

yes, this is the place viewtopic.php?t=93285&start=90
I think ill get myself a large can with wheels like that. should work pretty good. I might also
use a huge ice chest I have and see how that works. I ordered a 800gph pump.
Main reason to go this route is , with electric water meters these days people can tell when your
dribbling , or have a slow leak. I bet they take rate readings on the hour.
so I should be able to fill a large can or ice chest and see how it goes. I have several frozen milk jugs
I use for to keep remote freezer frozen when electric goes out.
to aid if things get out of hand.
Thanks for the ideas

[squigglefunk]

i use this pump

https://www.harborfreight.com/620-gph-s ... 63314.html

I recirculate like so, as simple as it gets

[Yummyrum]

Iff’n it’s a pot still , which it sounds like .then…..
It will take about 2x the volume in the boiler to cool/condense a stripping run .
So if you have 10gal in the boiler , you need a minimum of 20 gal to condense it . Doesn’t matter if it’s 1000watts or 5000watts . gonna take the same amount of cooling water to get the job done . ……just one will take 5 times longer .

Having said that , a brute or 55gal as mentioned will sort most stripping runs out . ( remember …. We have a 30 US gal boiler limit on HD forum .Assuming you are only going to 2/3 - 3/4 fill your boiler to allow enough headspace for foaming , then 55 US gal drum of water is going to be enough )

Best not to use Ice , it costs a lot to buy or make and upsets the condensing conditions
IE .., dump in a bunch of ice , condenser starts huffing ….. no biggy , but not desirable

EDIT : caveat .
A condenser should be able to handle the power applied .
Having said that , 1500w is not much power and most condensers around should handle that no worries .

[googe]

[shadylane]

A metal barrel could be used so it can radiate heat better than plastic.
This way less water would be needed.