Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hi all,
Just wondering if it's possible to convert my turbo 500 column from reflux to pot still?
I've had a taste of what Xcavator is making & it's incredible to put it lightly. Thanks mate for getting me keen again
Cheers
Listo

Listo,

No luck there. Just not set up that way, too much plastic.

I now have a pot still to attach to the boiler and works a treat. Just waiting for my power controller and i will be ready for my spirit run.

Plenty of info on the pot stills and T500 boilers on here.

No, the t500 column has plastic parts that warp under pot still temperatures.
Give the guys at 5 star distilling a call, get a t500 adaptor and either build or buy yourself a 2 inch pot still to go on top of the t500 boiler.
Also get a voltage controller to do spirit runs.

listo, as Plumby says, really it is quite simple, procure the adaptor for your T500 lid, organise a copper pipe and a few fittings ( read up about it) i reckon if u r going to do it go the 3'' cos it is quicker, have someone tig it for u to the stainless, and you wont look back.
OR... you could buy a new t500 lid for around 10 bucks and attach the pot to that thus having 2 units and an easier changeover, without dropping dollars on an adaptor.

Cmon guys! Of course it's possible. I've done it.

Real question is... is it worth it?

If all you want is a pot still then not really. There are plenty of custom pot still heads available made to fit onto the t500 boiler.

I made a custom lieberg type condenser and column cap from copper to replace the stock plastic parts and crappy inefficient cold finger type condenser. I also seperated the reflux and main condenser coolant feeds so I can control them independently.

I can now strip run with the boiler running flat out and no reflux.

To run pot still style you will need a controller so you can regulate the boiler power.

Was it worth the effort? I like tinkering so for me... Yeah.
Is it as good as a purpose made pot still head? I have no basis for comparison so I don't know. Probably not.
It is however a much better reflux still which is what I mainly use it for.

If you have the cash get a bubble plate and enjoy the best of both worlds. Fraction compression AND flavoured hearts :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Entity, rest assured, your pot will be just as good as any 'purpose built' version, the principal is so simple, pretty much any basic pipe will do the job adequately...
Pics of builds on this forum have shown small, medium and super long pot columns...all do the job just fine.

Thanks for the help guys, I might go with the new lid idea & get one made up for now unless I can come across a good second hand unit.
Thanks again