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Can I use plastic tubing instead of copper for a condenser coil
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I was just wondering if it would be possible to use that flexible 3/8' tubing coiled around the inside of a bucket w/ice water as a condenser coil? It's just easier than bending copper tubing, and easier to take apart and clean.
Suggestions?
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Juell...
In theory it certainly can be done..After all the coil does nothing more then reduce vapor to liquid...However Let me attempt to point out several things you may be over looking..First and foremost would be the temp of the vapor is going to cause that coil to act like cooked noodles..It wont hold its shape..In turn youll get what I call a low spot in the coil and you wont get a ''clean run'' your flow will be up and down as pressure will be needed to force the low spots out.That same ''Back Pressure'' will affect your temp in the actual still..To very very minor degree but it will.
Now I'm a firm believer in copper..from the pot to the coil only thing on my setup that isn't cooper is the probe from the thermometer.Far as cleaning either way your going to have to clean it the same way.. Backflushing it with lots of clean water.
Ill give ya a lil tip for bending copper..Its VERY easy to make a worm..I don't know what size of setup your talking about so I can give ya a few ways of bending the copper to make your worm..For starters..There are several types of copper..What we call Tubing ,Soft, is what is needed to make a coil..No need to cloud your mind thinking about..Go to the local lumber yard and go find the Box of it they have on the back shelf.It comes coiled already..Unfortunately as they unroll it to measure it so much for the coil shape it was in..Again depending on the size of a coil you need..You can wind it around anything round to get the ''worm'' shape to it..A paint can..A piece of round firewood..A 5 gal bucket of joint compound even..The trick is do it tightly but at the same not so tight that it wont slip off what you wound it around..Porch post will work too But It makes it real hard to get the coil back off the post..The damn floor and the roof get in the way..LOL
Just my thoughts on it...
Ovie
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I think Doc is right here. The liquid coming out of the column or alembic is around the 180 degree F mark. I have stainless running to, and constructing the condenser jacket/unit. The exit tube is made from the alcohol resistant clear type that came with the unit. I have found if the cooling water isn't kept very cold ,in the realm of 50 +/- degree F,, the condensate comes out into the plastic tube too warm and the product becomes cloudy with an off smell. That can be fixed with a second running, but why bother if you dont need to. I would figure that if the condensate, coming pre-cooled will affect the tubing like that, it would be a good idea to exclude it from the pre-condensing/condensing operation altogether. I personally want to run a copper tube, in lew of the plastic one I have now, just to eliminate the chance of the future cloudy and smelly occurances. Also, they make cheap and simple benders for copper tubing. They look lie little spring funnels that can bend flexible tubing like refrigerator ice maker supply line and the like easily. Money well spent. Just look in the plumbing tool section of Lowes or Home Depot. Right next to the flaring tools and faucet wrenches.
good luck.
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Trumpets and other brass instruments are made from brass tubing that is filled with water and then bent. The parts are then hung out to drain and then assembled. I've used this for copper tube. Just a thought.
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Can I use plastic tubing instead of copper for a condenser coil
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