My 1.5" boka

Reflux still design and discussion

My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Sat Feb 08, 2020 11:24 am

No questions, just pretty happy with a run I'm doing now.

Stripping 5L of 35% low wines from a TPW today in my home made 1.5" boka. It's made from stainless steel exhaust tube and has 500mm of packed scrubbies. I've tried a few different things as packing, including copper mesh and lava rock, but this run is the best so far. Only a few hundred millimetres in, but the 100ml foreshots came out at just a smidge over 95% and my first jar of heads came out at 95.5. Pretty stoked! I'll be taking the rest in jars of 200-250ml.

I've got a couple cheap $5 Chinese temp sensors - one in the column under the top slant plate and another in the coolant outflow. Camera couldn't take a proper pic of it, but the top is the column at 76.1 and the bottoms coolant temp was 40.9.

The boiler is just a 10L stockpot. The column to lid connection needs a bit of work as it still leaks, hence the flour paste.
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby Professor Green » Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:00 pm

Hi Tubbsy,

Sounds like you're having a good run but I have some safety questions for you.

Do you know what grade stainless steal the boka made from - exhaust pipe may not necessarily be safe for distilling spirits.
How are you sealing that stock pot? I can see you have some heavy duty clamps to hold the lid down but what is the seal made from?
I can also see what looks like flour paste on the top of the lid, this isn't really such a good idea and you should look at fixing any leaks in a more permanent fashion.

I'm not trying to be an arse, just being concerned for your safety.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:07 pm

I'm not trying to be an arse, just being concerned for your safety.


No problems at all. I'm safety conscious as well. The exhaust pipe is 304 grade stainless steel. The lid seal is made from EPDM. The flour paste will not be needed once I get the new lid and ferrules I ordered a few days ago.
Last edited by tubbsy on Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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equipment: 50L keg with a 3" x 4 plate column. Convertable to a pot still with worm condensor.

Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Sat Feb 08, 2020 12:40 pm

Ok, I do have a question now.

To get azeo the output is less than 500mL per hour. Is that a typical production rate for my size still?
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby scythe » Sat Feb 08, 2020 3:04 pm

Yeah pretty much, if you want to go faster while maintaining high ABV you need to increase diameter or height.
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby RC Al » Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:02 pm

To be honest im surprised that you can hit 95 with a half meter of any diameter of packing - have you looked at the temperature adjustment for your alcometer? if your product was at 40 degrees and showing 95, you only actually had 91%
alcoholmeter_correction_chart.xlsx
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:08 pm

I didn't measure this time, but I did on the stripping run and the liebig was able to get the temp down to 23°C.
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:10 pm

My hydrometer set only cost around $10 off eBay though, so they may not be the most accurate.
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby Sam. » Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:10 pm

tubbsy wrote:My hydrometer set only cost around $10 off eBay though, so they may not be the most accurate.


Metho should give you 95 and water 0, good test for the old alcometer ;-)
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:27 pm

Thanks Sam. Will have to get some method tomorrow :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby bluc » Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:30 pm

Just a question . Why would you build a 1.5" boka instead of a 2 or better yet 3?
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:38 pm

bluc wrote:Just a question . Why would you build a 1.5" boka instead of a 2 or better yet 3?


Already onto it. Realised after my first run that I should have gone bigger - so I did! This is my 3" boka going through it's cleaning run. It didnt leak so I've since insulated it, for performance but also to hide my rubbish stick welding :shhh:
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby bluc » Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:40 pm

Lmfao nailed it :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby db1979 » Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:41 pm

I don't envy you trying to control the needle valve all the way up there.
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:43 pm

db1979 wrote:I don't envy you trying to control the needle valve all the way up there.


Yeah, I didn't think that through. Thinking of attaching a stepper motor to it to do it semi-remotely.
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equipment: 50L keg with a 3" x 4 plate column. Convertable to a pot still with worm condensor.

Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby bluc » Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:11 pm

how much packing you got?
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Re: My 1.5" boka

Postby tubbsy » Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:17 pm

It'll have 1.5m of lava rock. I was thinking stainless steel scrubbies, but it would be weird having to buy the amount I'd need to fill it. Given the height, I'll use them as is (20-30mm) first to see how they perform, then will look at crushing them smaller after.
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