CCVM thoughts

Reflux still design and discussion

CCVM thoughts

Postby JeremyF » Thu May 06, 2021 3:58 pm

I've decided to build a 2" CCVM still with shotgun condenser (skill allowing...)

I'm going to have to buy a full length of 2" pipe to do this (6M) but i can't transport the pipe in a 6M length so will have to cut it down (in the car park) my initial thought is to cut it into 2m lengths and aim to have a 1.2 metre column and a 600mm condenser (the remainder of the 2M will be used in all of the other connections). This then gives me another 2 pieces that I can sell on to others. I'll make it modular so that I can add "things" later and improve the efficiency but would a 1.2M column be big enough to get started and keep me going for 6-12 months?

I do have the time to nurse it when running.

I'll be aiming to make Gin.
Boiler will be 2400w
cooling will be 200L recirculating water (we're on tank water so eventually I might be able to recirculate from the main tank)

Thoughts?
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Re: CCVM thoughts

Postby RC Al » Fri May 07, 2021 7:42 am

The 1.2 is a good height, a bit more wont hurt if you have the height available, more than 1.5 on a 2" is getting into diminishing returns though.

Make the top bit modular enough that you get a pot still riser out of the build too.

Your in Melbourne - there are a number of great scrap yards down there, you will find unused 2" without too much drama. If you go that way and see a suitable legnth of 2.5 or 3" when your scrounging, grab it and use reducers to get back to 2"

Plumbingsales.com.au have pretty good prices on fittings, make your local tradelink or reece match them.

You seem to need a boiler too from your other thread.. grab a keg, a power controller like 5 Star's and 2x 2400w weldless elements, the extra one will make stripping less of a chore.
Last edited by RC Al on Fri May 07, 2021 7:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: CCVM thoughts

Postby RC Al » Fri May 07, 2021 8:02 am

I should add that the lengths im saying are for the packed section of the column and dont include the head/reflux condenser.
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Re: CCVM thoughts

Postby JeremyF » Sat May 08, 2021 8:56 am

RC Al wrote:Your in Melbourne - there are a number of great scrap yards down there, you will find unused 2" without too much drama. If you go that way and see a suitable legnth of 2.5 or 3" when your scrounging, grab it and use reducers to get back to 2"

Plumbingsales.com.au have pretty good prices on fittings, make your local tradelink or reece match them.

You seem to need a boiler too from your other thread.. grab a keg, a power controller like 5 Star's and 2x 2400w weldless elements, the extra one will make stripping less of a chore.


Thanks, haven't had much luck at the scrappy's down here (although only know of Recycal) and always feel like I'm getting ripped off when I do find something I'm after ("I don't mind people making money but really, I know what you paid for it").

I have 3m until I hit the roof so I'll make the most of it and look to build a 1.5m column, the plan was to make the top and condenser modular for the reflux and to include methods to turn it into a pot configuration for stripping runs, probably with a shorter column to run it as a pot that I can switch to the condenser side in an attempt to keep the outlet at a sensible and consistent height

Boiler issue has been addressed with a lid for my brewzilla (and I have two other suitable boilers for later) I have a 15A circuit available so may go the single bigger element if I build another.

Looks like a trip to the scrappy today...
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Re: CCVM thoughts

Postby JeremyF » Sat May 08, 2021 7:45 pm

RC Al wrote: If you go that way and see a suitable legnth of 2.5 or 3" when your scrounging, grab it and use reducers to get back to 2"


so I got a length of 3"... and some two inch and some half inch, a 2" T and a couple of 2" elbows, I'll need to do some more research now :-B

the 3" length is about 1.6m long so I expect I'll use most of that for the packed column reducing to 2" for the reflux coil and 2" for the condenser section, I'll need to draw that for it to make sense, just waiting on a shipping quote for the tri clover fittings and need to get the reducers and I'll be in make mode shortly.

Need to work out where the gin basket goes and how big it needs to be.

Also there's 11kg of empty still I made need a hoist to take some of the weight
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CCVM Build

Postby JeremyF » Wed May 19, 2021 4:13 pm

]I'm considering the condenser build as the sexy bit of the still, probably because it's a shotgun design and probably because all the other bits are just tubes with ferrules attached (and no bubble plates, yet).

As I was designing it occurred to me that I wanted the best of as many worlds as I could, so the still is modular to allow me to convert into a pot still, actual dimensions will be provided when this is finished but I'm creating a 3" reflux column which will be about 1.2m long and a 2" condenser arm which will be in two parts a 600mm plain pipe and a 450mm shotgun condenser (5 x1/2" pipes).

The 600 pipe will become the pot still column when in pot still configuration.

This will allow the outlet to be approximately the same height in both configurations.

I've made a start on the condenser whilst waiting for the other components to arrive, applied sufficient solder just to hold things together, I wanted to check that the end plates would slide all the way through the pipe (and they did :music-deathmetal: ).

progress is slow but feel like it's coming together nicely.
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Re: CCVM thoughts

Postby where to start » Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:39 am

@JeremyF

How did the build turn out?
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Re: CCVM thoughts

Postby JeremyF » Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:40 pm

Build turned out OK, but I think for what I needed, too big for my boiler, works well in potstill mode for stripping runs for neutrals but would expect a lot of character to be removed due to the tall riser and a partial reflux. Have not yet tried a reflux run but did get hold of some 2" copper that I might just fasion int a reflux setup...
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