Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

As the title suggests, I want to discuss my build here. If all goes to plan, the aim is to use this for both gin and rum, with significant cleaning in between...

I started discussing it in the Welcome Centre (viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12624), but here is obviously a better place. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Basically, I have a 50l stainless keg, which I had to remove the lid with prejudice (and a cutting wheel), as the lid refused to move, under either strong persuasion, or severe heat. So, the lid is off, and it is currently at the local engineering place, having a stainless ferrule attached via some crafty TIG.

I work at a plumbing supplies place, so all of the copper tube, tees and bends are easy to source. For this build, I am only using a 2-inch copper tube-set, while I understand how it all works. Later builds, if they happen, will be 4-inch or more. But for now, this will be adequate. I hope.

The layout of the copper piping is designed to give it a little balance, so that at any stage, there is on fear of it falling over. Basically, it will go vertically up for 70cm, then back at 45 deg for 30cm, then another 45 degree bend to take it vertical once more for 20cm, where it will meet a tee. The top of the tee will have a triclamp (for access to a removable botanicals basket for gin). The side of the tee will follow the steam trail with a 10cm extension onto another 45 degree bend, where a 60cm shotgun condenser will be attached. On the bottom of the condenser will be a final 45-degree bend, onto a 50-20mm reducer. From there, I can either attach 20mm tube to a fillable height, or wing it from there.

I'll draw this up and attach an image in a subsequent post, later.

Still to do:

Drain plug - need to find something in stainless, if anyone has thoughts on this.

Heating elements

I do have a question for those trailblazers who have paved the road ahead....

With regards to heating elements... if I am looking at distilling a 25 litre wash, can I get away with using only one 2400w heating element? Is there a formula I can use to determine what will work best, over a relatively short timeframe? Or am I better off using 2 elements? Keeping in mind that I'll need to be powering each element from a separate house circuit.

Please feel free to add your 2 cents' worth. All thoughts are welcome, as I most likely haven't had them myself.

Cheers all,

Shano

G'day Shano.
2400W will be ample to run a 25L wash. Will probably take between 45-60 mins to get to temp.
Re drain plug. I tipped my 50L keg upside down and used the original fill port as my drain using tri-clamps. Since you've already cut its head off, you could buy a 2" tri-clamp ferule and weld it to the bottom and make up a tap set up.

We're gonna need some sketches mate, I can't really follow what your trying to do.

Is it going to be a pot or reflux? Trying to make rum and gin with the same still is gonna be hard unless your going bubbler. You will need a reflux to make the neutral to put through the pot to make gin and you will need a pot to make rum.

OK, the attached image is what I have in mind. It is a bit rough, and definitely not to scale.

At the top, where the Tee is, I want to add or remove a botanicals basket as required.

Cheers for the advice on the heating element. I have ordered a no-weld from FSD, along with some copper mesh.

That's what we call a pelican pot. Have a search, there are a few on here. Professor Green has a nice one :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Do you have a reflux still as well? You will need one to make neutral for gin.

Well so the ladies tell me woodduck!*

My pelican build using off-the-shelf parts from FSD can be seen here:
https://www.aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=10461
https://www.aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9212&start=0


*Sorry, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson have a lot to answer for.

Professor Green wrote:Well so the ladies tell me woodduck!*



*Sorry, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson have a lot to answer for.

Bwhaaa , nothing like a skite .
But there's nothing like pi...... nahh not gunna say :o
But your pelican looks nice :laughing-rolling:

[quote=*Sorry, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson have a lot to answer for.[/quote]

Oh, I was just watching Bottom Live the other night. I love those shows. Hooligan's Island is the best of the 5, IMO.

woodduck wrote:That's what we call a pelican pot. Have a search, there are a few on here. Professor Green has a nice one :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Do you have a reflux still as well? You will need one to make neutral for gin.

I don't... yet.

I was hoping to make an AIO, but that looks like a no-no...

A little more research then...

Shano592 wrote:[quote=*Sorry, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson have a lot to answer for.

Oh, I was just watching Bottom Live the other night. I love those shows. Hooligan's Island is the best of the 5, IMO.[/quote]

Love Hooligans Island!

The live stuff is great - especially when Rik stuffs up his lines.

And the uncontrollable laughter. So contagious.

"But where did you find it, in this f**king void?"

I started with a pelican design, and can assemble my pot that way, but depending upon lengths, your output ends up just in front and above the still, for ease of collection consider strongly adding a few triclamp joints in so you can move things about (and use for other things later) - depends on your work area :handgestures-thumbupleft:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=12432

Hi RC Al,

Triclamps is exactly what I'm doing. One at the base of the stack to allow for easy removal and cleaning, one at the top to admit botanicals and for cleaning, and one at the join for the PC. That way, I can just throw the PC in a long bucket with some percarbonate to clean.

I like to build, make mistakes, and revise. Hands-on is my way of learning with these things.

It will expel the liquid just in front of the keg, so I am building a permanent platform for the collection bottles, onto the base that the keg will sit on.

I have run the keg on a percarbonate cleaning boil. 25 litres, and it took about an hour to reach boil, from cold water. This was then rinsed thoroughly, and I ran a 30 litre vinegar wash through, which took about the same time to boil up. Suffice to say, the inside of the keg is sparkly...

I have a first-up batch of Wineos Sugar Wash in ferment. It is bubbling merrily away. I added an aquarium heater to the fermenter, but it is rarely being used, as there is a lot of action happening in there...

Pics so far. The first stage is cut and ground. I'll leave it to the local engineer to braze, but I will supply the 15% Ag rods for the copper. He already has lead-free solder and flux for the SS-to-Cu joins...