Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hi guys I've just been doing a bit of reading and I was wondering if it's possible and safe to use aluminium tube for a condenser. Apparently it is fine to use until a temperature of 100 degrees and then it's starts to corrode?

:laughing-rolling: I'd think not . I've seen aluminum corrode in fridges where it would rarely get above 4' :? and it reacts with things even mildly acidic or alkaline . Just do some pasta sauce in it and leave the pot to soak over night . I think it would act as an anode for the copper and anyway sulfides would chew the shit out of it in no time , just my thoughts anyway

aluminium cookware has been linked to alzheimer's disease, not sure I'd want use it seeing the distillate you consume could have some of those nasties in it.

Hello Mitch,

in real life most folk avoid using Aluminium.

There are more grades of Aluminium tube than you could count and if you had access to a specailist 5000 or 7000 grade( pressure vessels or aircraft types) it might be worth considering after a bit of research.

If it's a purchase you'll find copper far cheaper than the specialist grade you'd need.

Guess it's like any thing used in our craft, its about risk level your prepared to wear.

Personally I wouldn't use it.

bt1

MacStill wrote:aluminium cookware has been linked to alzheimer's disease, not sure I'd want use it seeing the distillate you consume could have some of those nasties in it.

no, its been suspected it may be a contributor, there is no known correlation yet and a few cases where people exposed to insanely large amounts of aluminium have exhibited signs of dementia. jury is still out though. unless you subscribe to the vaccines give you downs syndrome websites..

as for using aluminium in part of the distillation process occasionally for making a beverage that is in effect consumed in minute quantitys, ingestion amounts would be extremely low compared to just using an aluminium saucepan to boil your spuds in, or heaven forbid, nice acidic pasta sauce...

personally, i would not use it with an acidic wash, I only intend to pot still spirit, water and herbs as I imagine it would taint, though many old distillers claim otherwise.

but if it affects flavour .. its out ! thats unacceptable.

obviously no good for day in and day out operation, like commercial use, but for intermittent use i fail to see a great deal of risk.

but then, i have ridden a motorcycle for 40 years ., guess an aluminium pot might have my number on it.

my gran is 92, lives by herself, dementia free, couldn't find her the other day, she was on the roof cleaning out the gutters. no ladder, she climbed up a fence, onto the top of a door to get up there (come to think of it she might be demented)
every pot she owns is old and aluminium.

someone want to take care of this dickhead please, he's starting to piss me off !