Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I have 2 x 280 liter olive barrels joined together that will be used as a cooling system for my still, the barrels are black (with lids)and will be kept inside the garage. What is the best way to stop/prevent them from going stagnant ?

Keep the water moving!

Use a pump to move the water from the bottom of one tank to the top of the other tank... only thing else I could think of that may be needed is aeration... how long are you thinking of storing the water!

Stagnant water (that I've come across) has been static and warm/hot.. .

EziTasting wrote:Keep the water moving!

Use a pump to move the water from the bottom of one tank to the top of the other tank... only thing else I could think of that may be needed is aeration... how long are you thinking of storing the water!

Stagnant water (that I've come across) has been static and warm/hot.. .

Hi yeah i was hoping to keep as long as possible, like months

I have a 1000 litre pod for my cooling water, had the same water for 3 years now. I have my pump in the bottom and the water returning from my still splashes on top. On average I do a run every weekend in summer and every 2nd or 3rd weekend in winter.
Never had a problem with stagnant water

If you're not drinking it it can go stagnant. Wont hurt the stainless. If it goes green chuck a little chlorine in it and give it a few days to clear.

warramungas wrote:If you're not drinking it it can go stagnant. Wont hurt the stainless. If it goes green chuck a little chlorine in it and give it a few days to clear.

:text-+1:
Or try bromine (used in spas) as it won't decompose as fast as the chlorine at the higher temps in your condenser/s.

I could be wrong but i thought chlorine and stainless dont mix

ed9362 wrote:I could be wrong but i thought chlorine and stainless dont mix

Only put a little in to kill the algae and other snot and give it a little time to clear before you use it.
At low concentrations it shouldn't cause any problems with your stainless.

warramungas wrote:

ed9362 wrote:I could be wrong but i thought chlorine and stainless dont mix

Only put a little in to kill the algae and other snot and give it a little time to clear before you use it.
At low concentrations it shouldn't cause any problems with your stainless.

If you're worried adjust the pH. In swimming pools the pH is kept just above 7 to make sure metals don't corrode. Too far above 7 and it stings the eyes but that's not an issue here. Besides it's not like it's going to contact your stainless for long.

Why do you want to keep the same water could some or all be put to some other use and replaced with new water.

I reuse mine because we are on town water and its one less thing to pay for if you reuse it.

I wouldnt bother. As long as you keep it in the dark and leave a lid on when not in use, it should last a long time.
If you are worried about particles clogging the pump then add an in line filter to your setup
cheers RS

If you put the discard alcohol in the water as a preservative would that effect its cooling properties say a 10 % solution .

I put the tiniest bit of chlorine in to stop algae and have been using same water for 2 years. still looks clean

a 25lit wash can easily use over 300lit of water, so not a bad idea to 'save' it. I pick up rain water from my garage gutter as a slight fresh topup and just drain a bit out of the 1000lit tank when it is bucketing down.But my tank is out side with no heating/algae probs.