Home Distiller

I can put various 3"pipe lengths together and have a little over 8'. I've been wanting to add an onion but I know I can use the money elsewhere.
I was curious if anyone has both and ran both ways.
I realize about the surface area but not sure how important mixing the vapors in the onion is.

My gut feeling is to save you money for something more important, Hobby distillers in general have managed quite happily without onions for a long long time now.
You see a lot more of them now because they are heavily promoted by HBS and other retailers..
When I see or taste positive proof that they contribute to superior aged product, then I may change my mind.

Have you tried using the lyne arm both rising and falling?

Rising would most closely emulate using an onion.

No expert , but I thought the whole Onion idea was vapour goes into a large diameter . Larger space causes vapour to slows down , gives time for heavier compounds to fall back to boiler .

Long narrow tube just keeps shooting through . But agree , uphill has half a chance of redemption ., down hill , no chance at all

I agree with the above probably saying the same thing in a different way but more surface area can also add to passive reflux, because the larger area can slow down vapor speed. NZChris’s suggestion of changing the angle of the Lyne arm maybe a cheaper alternative to get you the same results. If your going for a wow look I like the looks of an onion shape.

The pressure drop as the vapor enters the onion is rumored to have an effect.

viewtopic.php?p=7466427#p7466427

The decrease in diameter increases the rotational speed of the vapor, centrifuging droplets and particles to the walls to run back down into the boiler, the same as happens in a tapered riser.

I have plans to add a plate w/thumper tube and downcomer to my onion head whiskey helmet for a one plate vertical thumper. Other than that I enjoy looking at it on top of an 18”x3” riser section.

Cheers,
-j