Home Distiller

Maybe if I start the post, I'll have to get motivated enough to build one pretty enough to let folks see.
Here's a drawing of what I'm thinking.
It uses a large diameter, multi-turn coil for condensing and what's basically a concentric LM takeoff.

I like it! Bonus points if you somehow make it look like the air filter housing on a muscle car.

I was thinking of borosilicate glass.
I already know a dimroth hidden inside invisible copper works, but I'd kinda like to see what's happening.

shadylane wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 1:06 pm I was thinking of borosilicate glass.
I already know a dimroth hidden inside invisible copper works, but I'd kinda like to see what's happening.

Borosilicate? Wow! What diameter do you have in mind? From the drawing it looks like it would be pretty large. That would be amazing to see in action.

I've been shopping around on for a 4" x 12" sight glass tower to house my reflux condenser. I always thought it would be cool to see 100% of the reflux condenser in action.

Large diameter glass cylinders are expensive and hard to find.
I'm thinking use an inverted pyrex glass cooking pot.
All the plumbing would come through the copper bottom plate to avoid drilling any holes in the glass.
And have a lip on the bottom plate so the liquid alcohol wouldn't leak.

shadylane wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 4:09 pm Large diameter glass cylinders are expensive and hard to find.
I'm thinking use an inverted pyrex glass cooking pot.
All the plumbing would come through the copper bottom plate to avoid drilling any holes in the glass.
And have a lip on the bottom plate so the liquid alcohol wouldn't leak.

Something like this?

h**ps://pyrexcontainer.com/pyrex-3-pack-glass-food-storage-set-with-lids/

Change ** to tt

I've been scrounging through my scrap copper pile and it looks like I need to order some copper sheet for the base.
I could do it by spitting tubing, hammering it flat and tig welding the pieces into a sheet then cutting it into a disk but I'm getting too lazy. Guess it's time to get on amazon and drag out the debit card.

Plan B, is to use SS for the base.
But I like copper because it can be coaxed into the shape needed, were SS forces you to adapt to the shape it comes in..

Somebody needs to talk me out of this build, I already have several other options that will get the same job done.
There's no logical reason why do do it, other than it hasn't been done here before.

shadylane wrote: ↑Wed Dec 31, 1969 4:00 pm There's no logical reason why do do it, other than it hasn't been done here before.

There’s one right there

shadylane wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 7:13 pm Somebody needs to talk me out of this build, I already have several other options that will get the same job done.
There's no logical reason why do do it, other than it hasn't been done here before.

Man, Shady, you are definitely asking the enablers for help and you know we're just gonna egg you on.

I for one can't wait to see a glass condenser!

Rusty

Was thinking that if you made the base out of sheet , it would tend to bow down without some sort of support .
Then I realised that that would actually be a good thing as the condensate would run to the edge where the spout is .

My other thought was take the coolant lines up then down to the coil …..so you can see stuff dripping iff the coil . Otherwise it may just run down the lines and you’d see nit so much fun .


I wonder if you could do a water seal for the pyrex bowl .
I guess condensate running down the glass might mix with it . But so long as the lip was higher on the outside , it should run back inside rather than leak out .

It would make refilling easy , just lift the glass lid off and put a funnel down the middle and fill er up

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 9:00 pm
I wonder if you could do a water seal for the pyrex bowl .

I'm thinking a seal isn't going to be needed as long as the condenser is doing it's job.
Vapor can't escape because of the glass lid, and liquid can only escape out the drain because of gravity.

That makes sense to me Shady

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 9:31 pm That makes sense to me Shady

Sounds workable to me, but then I'm also trying to talk myself into doing something that I don't need just for the fun of it.

Go on, do it you know you wanna.
So shady. Will that sit on top of your column, i like that idea, i might have a bash at that, would be awesome to see the condenser working, i have a glass graham condenser that i use for making essence always like to watch it working.
Good luck Shady, start a build thread dude.
Reefer1

I've seen a few like this.
I have a dimroth that I made from a 4 inch tri clamp filter housing assembly with csst . Mine has a 1/2 inch take off so I can strip without reflux up to 15 KW.

zach wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 10:32 am I've seen a few like this.

Home Distilling, Moonshine Stills, & Micro Distillery Equipment _ Olympic Distillers.jpeg

I have a dimroth that I made from a 4 inch tri clamp filter housing assembly with csst . Mine has a 1/2 inch take off so I can strip without reflux up to 15 KW.

Are you doing that with no back pressure?

Tammuz wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 11:30 am Are you doing that with no back pressure?

The top above the coil is open .

The liquid drain has a p trap with no metering valve when stripping. The liquid trap internal to the condenser will build to a depth of 2 inches prior to overflow back to the boiler input.

zach wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 12:20 pm
The liquid drain has a p trap with no metering valve when stripping. The liquid trap internal to the condenser will build to a depth of 2 inches prior to overflow back to the boiler input.

By design a LM takeoff that's throttled by a valve has a liquid seal.
I wonder if a "short fat" stripping dimroth needs a P trap to keep vapor from sneaking out the outlet?

shadylane wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 1:43 pm
By design a LM takeoff that's throttled by a valve has a liquid seal.
I wonder if a "short fat" stripping dimroth needs a P trap to keep vapor from sneaking out the outlet?

I previously had a 1/4" drain that could not keep up with my capacity requirement for stripping. ( I could see reflux in the sight glass) I don't think it mattered if the 1/4 line had a trap. The 1/4" tube drain was restriction enough to avoid vapor from escaping the drain.

shadylane wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 1:43 pm I wonder if a "short fat" stripping dimroth needs a P trap to keep vapor from sneaking out the outlet?

This mezcal still has a takeoff from an internal plate without a trap