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Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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"Hi everyone! I designed a distiller after a couple weeks of research. I still need to decide what to use as a boiler, what size pipe for the condenser, and how to connect/disconnect the condenser to the pot. :) ![UserPostedImage](http://i.imgur.com/vAzFn.png) "
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Rank: Guest
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Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC) Posts: 5,254
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Welcome to the Brewhaus Forum. Looks like a SS pressure cooker be the best bet for the boiler since it gives you a built in mechanism to lock down the lid plust all of them I have seen already have a hole in top to run the tubing. Believe I would vote for 1/4" on the condenser since it bound to be cheaper and easier to find than the other. Not sure on attaching the tubing to the lid. I made a pretty snug fit one time using some copper fittings. Might require some soldering. The SS pressure cookers are pretty pricey last I checked. Might could afford a real still for what it cost to build this. I would put the pencil to it and see. Happy hooching.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/17/2008(UTC) Posts: 424
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Pressure cooker is overkill, unless that is just what you want. A cheap SS pot with a fitting attached to the lid would be fine. Make a flour paste for sealing & use some large spring claps (like the big ones for holding papers). Since the pot will always be open, though the condenser, there will be no pressure buildup. If still worried then drill a bigger hole & insert the copper tubing through a gum stopper & push the stopper into the hole. That will blow out a long time before the pot would explode. I'd look for 3/8" tubing, probably not a lot more than 1/4"
Lots of times a place like Ross or TJ Maxx will have large stock pots that are real cheap.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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Thanks for the advice! l'll go with the 3/8" and a stock pot. Would efficiency be lost if I used smaller diameter pipe for the worm? (1/2" VS 3/8")
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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Originally Posted by: bigwheel ![Go to Quoted Post Go to Quoted Post](/Themes/cleanSlate/icon_latest_reply.gif) Might could afford a real still for what it cost to build this. I would put the pencil to it and see. Happy hooching. What stills could I get for 150-200 with shipping? I've been browsing and they all seem like over priced ripoffs. Is three a separate thread for selling?
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Rank: Guest
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Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC) Posts: 5,254
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Well one of our esteemed fellow forum members got a real cute tulip shaped copper pot still for a few bucks more than you mentioned. Hopefully the Sheriff let him out of the hoosecow and he come give us the scoop. That boy makes enough rum to supply every pirate in the Carribean. In the mentime try googling up swan necked copper pot stills or something like that. Maybe we can get a link. PS Edit: Ok try this. Looks to be cheaper than dirt and it may not even be the right place. http://www.copper-alembic.com/s...?act=viewCat&catId=6
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2012(UTC) Posts: 354
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aclambrecht hey the site big is talking about but to much hassel sorry big when i was getting mine i looked all over for a copper alembic that site you got to many charge atleast for us poortrash lol plus cusmteim when it hits the states not worth it to me. try this site it cost me 368.thats the still and shipping for a 5 gal they got bigger whiskeystill.com here big talking about rum later this month i going to be starting a new rum lol
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Rank: Guest
Groups: Guests
Joined: 2/10/2002(UTC) Posts: 5,254
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"Ok here ya go. Selling thread..2"" pot still complete kit with an 8 gallon bucket for $265. http://www.brewhaus.com/Essenti...ller-Complete-P1020.aspx Not sure on the shipping. Add some no doubt. Originally Posted by: aclambrecht ![Go to Quoted Post Go to Quoted Post](/Themes/cleanSlate/icon_latest_reply.gif) What stills could I get for 150-200 with shipping? I've been browsing and they all seem like over priced ripoffs. Is three a separate thread for selling? "
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2012(UTC) Posts: 354
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good one big i wasnt looking there
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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I love the stills, but I want to try to make my own. And after more reading, I think my plans are forming.
I'm getting a 20 Qt stock pot as a boiler and hooking it up to 1/2" copper pipe.
The worm will be 1/2" OD copper coiled around with an 8" inner diameter. I toyed around with a condenser calculator and it said I needed about 11-12 feet. Is this right?
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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"Here is how I connect my pot to the pipe. ![UserPostedImage](http://i.imgur.com/TRrph.jpg) "
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/17/2008(UTC) Posts: 424
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12 ft of 1/2" sounds like overkill to me, but I've never built one. My PS2HC only has a 3/8" outlet & it's just jacketed, not coiled. The jacket is only 18" - 24" & this things pumps product like a well. But w/o any column maybe you need more coils.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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Couldn't hurt. It's just money, right? ![Sad](/Images/Emoticons/msp_sad.gif)
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/17/2008(UTC) Posts: 424
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That's correct - excess copper & coils hurt nothing but your wallet.
And the flour paste is more for the edge of the pot/lid junction than the copper connection, but you may something there also.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC) Posts: 198
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Originally Posted by: bigwheel ![Go to Quoted Post Go to Quoted Post](/Themes/cleanSlate/icon_latest_reply.gif) Looks like a SS pressure cooker be the best bet for the boiler since it gives you a built in mechanism to lock down the lid plust all of them I have seen already have a hole in top to run the tubing. Believe I would vote for 1/4" on the condenser since it bound to be cheaper and easier to find than the other. Not sure on attaching the tubing to the lid. I made a pretty snug fit one time using some copper fittings. Might require some soldering. The SS pressure cookers are pretty pricey last I checked. Might could afford a real still for what it cost to build this. I would put the pencil to it and see. Happy hooching. A real still? Your's is real cause you bought it? C'mon dude, i could make your still in an afternoon. Would it be real? This site offers quality products for those without fabrication skills or means. But whether you built it or bought it its still a real still. Try and tell Johnny Law that its not a real still cause you built it yourself, see how far that gets you. I agree with you on the pressure cooker and lid. As far as attaching a bung i drilled and tapped a plate on a drill press then welded it to the inside of the lid where i already had my 3/4" hole drilled. Then used a copper npt fitting to attach the 3/4" column to the lid. I also agree with BW that buying a new pressure cooker is probably a waste of money in the long run. If you can find one used on the cheap its cool otherwise you are likely better off to pony up the cash and buy one with a nice sealing lid as available from this site. If you have fabrication skills and means go to homedistiller.org forums and search for how to build a bok. I used 3/8 for my worm. If i recall about 20'. My condensor will easily handle all the output a 2500watt element can throw at it which is over a gallon a hour.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC) Posts: 198
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" Originally Posted by: ratflinger ![Go to Quoted Post Go to Quoted Post](/Themes/cleanSlate/icon_latest_reply.gif) 12 ft of 1/2"" sounds like overkill to me, but I've never built one. My PS2HC only has a 3/8"" outlet & it's just jacketed, not coiled. The jacket is only 18"" - 24"" & this things pumps product like a well. But w/o any column maybe you need more coils. The column has nothing to do with it. Your ps2hc is a CM(coolant management) style still so the condenser needs to be able to condense all your product because product is collected by converting steam that passes the reflux condenser to liquid. If you had a VM(vapor management) or LM(liquid management) then the reflux condenser would be doing all or most of the work so you could use a much smaller condenser. Product output is directly related to heat input and condenser capacity. Of course the type and size of still(column) will dictate the quality of that product at that collection rate."
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC) Posts: 198
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Originally Posted by: aclambrecht ![Go to Quoted Post Go to Quoted Post](/Themes/cleanSlate/icon_latest_reply.gif) Hi everyone! I designed a distiller after a couple weeks of research. I still need to decide what to use as a boiler, what size pipe for the condenser, and how to connect/disconnect the condenser to the pot. :) ![UserPostedImage](http://i.imgur.com/vAzFn.png) 6" is too short for your column. Try 15-18". Also have it centered on the lid. Use bigger pipe for your column, 3/4"-2" depending on what you can get your hands on. The bigger the better. Then you can use and 90 elbow and reducers down to your 3/8" condenser. No need for a straight drop before the worm. You can run an incline or decline to the worm, your call. And incline gives you a little natural reflux as the vapor cools and travels back to and down the column as liquid. With a decline the same thing happens but instead of acting as relux the condensing just eases the burden on your worm. See the thing to consider is flavor. You need enough contact with the copper to remove the nasty sulfides. If you have a short column thats tiny your vapour speed will be so fast that you will get very little contact and you will unhappy with your end product. As far as boiler size goes the bigger the better. Stove top you are limited as too much weight will collapse your burner. I use a 7gallon pot for cooking mash and put down pieces of steel under the pot on the stove to support the weight so the burner won't have to.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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"Would this be better? ![UserPostedImage](http://i.imgur.com/xurKk.png) "
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![](/Images/Ranks/Advanced-Member.png) Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC) Posts: 198
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Yeah thats a perfect pot still. I used new sewer black 4"pvc for my condenser coil cooler. I messed around with a bucket at first but it was too much of a pain. The pipe is capped and sealed at the bottom and stands about 2.5'. Water inlet is at the bottom and the drain at the top. I used some npt to barbed fittings, drilled and tapped the holes and installed using a sealant. I set it so the water just trickles out the outlet, barely a drip out of the tap. The 3/8 condenser coil can drop in from the top then a 90 degree elbow at the bottom of the coil to a straight tube going out a sealed hole in the pipe. Any hardware store will have coils of 1/4" and 3/8" tubing. Make sure to test fit any fittings you buy at the store. Pipe is rated in id, tubing od, so sometimes a 3/8"fitting don't fit. You want the shiny stuff, not the dull stuff, its doesn't kink as easy when you bend it. I rolled mine around a jar of sundried tomatoes.
If you compare the price of an 8gal kettle off this site to some stock pots then consider the needed mods to the pot you will realize the kettle is a hell of a deal. I wish i had known about them before i wasted money a pressure cooker that cost almost as much and isnt as ideal. For my flute build i went with a 13gal milk can.
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![](/Images/Ranks/Member.png) Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/29/2012(UTC) Posts: 25
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"Well, I just got back from the store, and my column is all dry fitted. I need to figure out how to hook it to the boiler lid. Any ideas? I can't find a 1"" bolt. ![UserPostedImage](http://i.imgur.com/BfdCn.jpg) ^1"" column x 18"" tall, reduces to 1/2"""
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