Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hi all I have just ordered an FSD neutraliser now the wait in the meantime I can work on the new boiler I have a keg an so far thoughts are;
50 ltr keg (left upright)
4" still attachnment
4 " fill/ clean port
2x FSD 2400w elements (welded type)
3/4" At bottom centre, welded and plumbed to the side drain pipe
4 x castors 200 kg rated in total
I am cutting a new hole in the bottom as using the 2" and reducing it down will increase the heigh a fair bit and maybe I than can keep the handles as well?

I also have as an option making a custom boiler with these photos below

Stainless pot calculated 87 litres as a boiler Qs
It is welded round the bottom and welded up the side,as shown it is waterproof any issues with strength?
If someone knows rough costing to have a lid put on? Maybe asking a bit much

Copper pot around 75litres as boiler
If used again issues with a lid for this and its strength to carry the still ( it would look nice :think:
That's shitloads for now any help appreciated :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I'm still using a 30 liter t500'alike but wish I had a 100 liter jobby. Why? 1 run as opposed to 4 and when you're doing low washes, 6-10%, its a pain in the butt to have to empty and refill and start all over again. I have my sights set on a 100 liter milk can from FSD but can't afford to spend the money at the moment (so my wife says). I say go big if you can but from a practical sense the keg is tried and true and works like a dream. There's a reason so many people use them.
Copper in your boiler would look pretty but there's not really any practical reason to use it if you can get stainless steel. That pot look like sheet metal. How thick? It's going to have to support a bit of weight. No probs with the keg or copper pot walls. They're bombproof.

what if you welded 2 kegs together, end on end and made a stand like DBV. would be 100L and lower maybe. After all your putting in the fill ports and such, instead of trying to make a ss pot work by welding here and there just weld 2 kegs together with a few legs

like the below pic of DBVs only 2 kegs welded together

I thought dbv was just an 18gallo? I say put the keg inside the copper pot then fill the gap with expanderfome as insulation :handgestures-thumbupleft:

WTDist wrote:what if you welded 2 kegs together, end on end and made a stand like DBV. would be 100L and lower maybe. After all your putting in the fill ports and such, instead of trying to make a ss pot work by welding here and there just weld 2 kegs together with a few legs

like the below pic of DBVs only 2 kegs welded together

That's a wild bit of gear nice and agricultural :handgestures-thumbupleft:
i don't think the heating would work two kegs on their side?

Thanks for the tips I am probably leaning towards putting a lid on the tub just not sure of its final strength if that fails I will stick with the keg!

One of my 'airy fairy' ideas was to connect two 50 liter kegs with 2" triclamps at the top and bottom (to stop pressure building up in one or the other) to connect them together to create a 100 liter boiler. Just use the elements in the keg connected to the still to heat them both up. Physics say all the liquid will get to the same temp even without an element in the bottom of the other keg.
Then you'd have a 100 liter for a stripping run and a 50 for a spirit run. Kegs and triclamps are fairly cheap but it would probably end up costing the same as a 100 liter milk can.
If you haven't guessed already, I love to f**k around with things and try and make them better. Sorta why they keep me around at work I guess. :laughing-rolling:

I just upgrade my boiler using two 50L kegs. Took the top of one and joined it with the top 2/3 of another. Ended up round the 80L mark i think. I use 60L fermentors so the upgrade allows me to use the whole volume of the fermentor when doing a wash with head room to spare in the boiler. Kept the handles on the top but cut the rest off.
Decided to put a 6 inch fill/clean port so could get my whole arm in to clean. Put a 3/4 drain center on the lowest point linked it up with some 3/4 elbow and and extension to a 3/4 valve. Best thing i did as my old boiler wax s 50L keg and had the drain ~1 inch up the side. Was a real pain to empty. Had to put the keg on feet for clearance bit works a treat. Also put a 3 inch sg in the top to allow a peekaboo in the top when boiling. Just waiting for the second element to rock up from fsd now. Got a 3600w to run for heat up with the existing 2400w which will then finish the run.

My recommendations are definately a low point drain and a big fill/clean port.

%-( Having recently completed a keg build, the only thing I would have liked to have changed is a 5" still ferrul so I can get my arm inside the keg to clean!!

I don't mean to brag, but 4" is just too small for me
:laughing-rolling:

I suffer from man sized arms as well and mine wont fit in a 4" ferrule.
Had any luck finding a 5" ferrule and clamp, i have had no luck in search.
I'm just going 6" i think.

Ive have had my elbow stuck in my 4" ferrule. Had to conect the hose on mains pressure to the bottom drain to and pressurise the keg to "pop" my arm out. :oops:
Never bothered trying to stick my arm in again. :violence-smack:
Not only was it embarrasing but carrying my keg complete with wooden shroud around wasnt easy and left my arm black with bruising
Was glad the hose worked. I was dreading having to call someone
to come and help.

Meatheadinc wrote:Ive have had my elbow stuck in my 4" ferrule. Had to conect the hose on mains pressure to the bottom drain to and pressurise the keg to "pop" my arm out. :oops:
Never bothered trying to stick my arm in again. :violence-smack:
Not only was it embarrasing but carrying my keg complete with wooden shroud around wasnt easy and left my arm black with bruising
Was glad the hose worked. I was dreading having to call someone
to come and help.

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: thats gold meat :laughing-rolling: it would be a bit hard to explain to the firey's :teasing-tease:

Yep just cut out a 4" hole no way I can just get my hand through does Mac have the bigger and will they fit with a 4" still mount and 6 " port?

5" works a treat :happy-partydance:
Does FSD have them?

This is exactly why I ordered the 100 litre can :)

Yep just cut out a 4" hole no way I can just get my hand through does Mac have the bigger and will they fit with a 4" still mount and 6 " port?

Think you will run out room mate.

If you really want a 6" make it the still mount with a reducer and use a 2" fill port.

To be honest i have not taken down my still in over a year. Just clean in place. 3/4" triclamp hose attached to the parrot and back flush. Use a 90 deg bend attachment through the 4" port to flush the boiler top.

Do an occasional vinegar run to clean the plates

jacobraven wrote:This is exactly why I ordered the 100 litre can :)

Went straight back to look at them but neutralizer has me broke so maybe I have to weld two kegs together maybe 80 ltrs than the 60 ltr fermentor I can run at once another spare grand would be great for a milk can :shock:

I'm with meathead here. I've never had to stick my arm in the boiler. It doesn't look dirty in there to me but maybe I'm just lazy. Give it a rince with water or do a vinegar run every now and then.

Six inch fits with a four. Just have to have the still mount back from center. To fit to a keg i filled where the original keg two inch was and the cut the four and six in. I also put a three inch to the back as a peekaboo hole when boiling.
I would nor make the still Ferrell bigger and then reduce. Is a pain to have to take the still off everytime you want to clean inside the boiler