 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2007(UTC)
Posts: 27
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"I remember reading some posts about the sears water purifier for distilling alcohol but cannot find them after forum re-design.
Somebody mentioned ""drilling out a yellow thing"" in order for it to work with alcohol.
I bought one of these from sears - a 3 quart unit. I filled with my first run of rum mash (brown sugar and molasses) I was careful to not overfill and was about 1 inch below the fill line. after about 30 minutes my heads starting coming out - about 35ml or so and then stopped collecting. after a while I noticed that a crystal clear liquid was pouring out the back of the unit through the fan vent openings (my hearts!) smelled and tasted good but was all over my counter top and kitchen floor. I stopped the run and waited 15 minutes before opening up the pot and about 3/4 full with left over mash - no evidence of foaming at all so tha's not the problem. I tossed this all out as I did not know if I could return this to my mash tub.
If there is a easy mod I should do to correct this please advise me.
I figure I could return to sears if I can't get this thing working - starting to wonder why I started into this hobby - this is a strike two for me on distilling method.
I did do 2 successful water only runs with unit before trying my mash so I don't think there is a defect - I guess I will run another water only run again to make sure.
THANKS"
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 86
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The answer to your question is under distilling at home distiller.com. that unit will only run 2.5 L max due to foaming and headspace from too hot an element. (375-475ml of ok product after cuts) They are pot stills so you have to learn how, and make cuts. You also have to solder over the chlorine vent hole in the worm as well as drill the yellow thing. I would return it and use the EP still if it was me. There are threads on both sites, but that unit really is far too much effort for the reward. Your pot will run circles around that one.
Give pot a chance?..?
Peace...
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2007(UTC)
Posts: 27
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"The yellow thing - is that under the pot lid (a plastic elbow)
drill out to widen opening?
how would you get to the chlorine vent ? is that where the liquid is esacping from?
I was hoping to use the unit for water also so did not want to make that impossible with the mods
The pot was not wet so I don't think it was leaking via the lid seal.
I'm not giving up on my conventional pot yet , but being able to do this indoors on counter top is just alot more convenient.
Spending alot of hours outdoors and keeping my 3 1/2 yr old son away from the still setup is diificult . If he knows that I am doing something he wants to be my helper and will drive wife nuts while I am out there..........."
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 86
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"The answer to your question is under distilling at home distiller.com. Not the forum there, the yellow links. No one is responding because they know you have not read it yet, and it specificly talks about your unit. Those are nice folks and they will help you as much as they can, but not one bit if your answers are already on the main site, and you didn't bother to read them.
My advice is to return it, get some extra odd and ends and work the pot, or get an easystill that is made for distilling."
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2007(UTC)
Posts: 27
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"Brew - thanks for info
If you are ref: to homedistiller.org, I have read it and specifically the section on the sears unit. Before this forum was revamped I read a post from somebody who said that he had modified these and re-sold them but stopped due to lack of inventory, etc. That person (don;t remember name) also mentioned drilling out the yellow thing, etc. I was hoping to connect with that person. Unable to locate these older posts now using search - I guess some posts did not make it to new format. anyway I am going to try one more run with the sears without mods filling it up half way this time and hope that the extra head room in the pot allows for a leak free run - if this fails I will give it up and return it. Then will most likely buy the ez still.
I have done quite a bit of reading on home distilling and realize that some of my questions seem obvious to the pros - I appreciate all assistance and hope to be of some help to others as I get more knowledgeable - THANKS to all"
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2007(UTC)
Posts: 27
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Decided that I don't want to mess with the sears unit anymore and just ordered an easy still from brewhaus - my mash is more than ready now and can't want to start distilln' - THANKS
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 86
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You did the right thing. In the mean time keep working on your bigger pot till its all figured out. Ask questions. My bud is experimenting right now with his EasyStill. In the mean time go here and learn all there is so you are tuned up when it arrives. http://easystill.com/
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 Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 8
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"Im new to this distilling thing. I like the idea of making my own alcohol. I bought a water distiller online from http://www.webeatprices.com/pro...9d44cf4ace5a3cdff762d403. I heard that you have to make modifications to a water distiller to make it distill alcohol. Is that true? If so, what do I need to modify? Or do I just put my fermented mash in the distiller and distill it like water? Im confused as hell!! Someone please have a guide or help. Thanks"
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/20/2007(UTC)
Posts: 2
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" Originally Posted by: wwwtutoneentnet  Im new to this distilling thing. I like the idea of making my own alcohol. I bought a water distiller online from http://www.webeatprices.com/pro...9d44cf4ace5a3cdff762d403. I heard that you have to make modifications to a water distiller to make it distill alcohol. Is that true? If so, what do I need to modify? Or do I just put my fermented mash in the distiller and distill it like water? Im confused as hell!! Someone please have a guide or help. Thanks If you have the model that has a standard computer type power cord running from main body to fan power supply you can purchase a standard computer cord to power the fan and plug the main unit into a variable transformer. This way you have an easy way to lessen the heater wattage and still have the fan run at full throttle. The Variac Transformer model in link below should work fine for the little water distiller. They also sell a 2KVA model that can be used to control the heat from high output hot plates used on bigger stills. To do this turn heat all the way up on the hotplate and adjust output with the Variac so the thermostat does not cycle and cause unstable conditions in the column. http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=15162+TR"
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 8
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Where is the chlorine release valve? I bought a water distiller and cant find this valve so i can block/omit it. dont want to omit the wrong thing!
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 86
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Please do not encourage this person to alter a machine that will become toxic.
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Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/27/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1
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I bought one of these and ran water through it first to clean the unit ...no leaks... I then ran a batch of some 14% wine I had made through it and it leaked all over the kitchen counter....after disasembling the top of the unit I saw where it was leaking from......at the end of the cooling coil where it collects the condensate.....to fix this I added a small piece of 3/8 plastic tubing (the kind of tubing I use to sipon and transfer my wine from the bucket to the carboy jug) I made it about 2 inches longer so it would be closer to the collector where it drips down in the container....this fixed the leak!....the unit as it comes gets a little too hot to make your cuts correctly ...but it does work if you watch it and baby sit it...my next mod is going to control the voltage to the heater coil while keeping the fan running full speed this should get the temp down to a level that is workable.....overall this isnt a bad unit for $99....i will post other mods as I make them
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/13/2007(UTC)
Posts: 86
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Never use that tubing or any plastic, it will melt over time and degrade, slowly poisioning you. Get a stub of copper tube and solder it on with lead free solder.
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