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Building 8" wide column simple pot still based on 100gal/380L kettle with 4" wide shotgun condenser

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  • Check with the supplier whether the boiler is engineered with an agitator in mind. The torque they create often means an upgrade to wall thickness to stop the fittings tearing out. That's one of the major reasons that a tank with an agitator costs double that of one without.

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  • @punkin said: Check with the supplier whether the boiler is engineered with an agitator in mind. The torque they create often means an upgrade to wall thickness to stop the fittings tearing out. That's one of the major reasons that a tank with an agitator costs double that of one without.

    That is going to be a standard SD kettle 100 gallons / 380L.

  • edited November 2019

    Can't do it mate. Ask Larry but i'm fairly positive that's one of the sizes that goes up a wall thickness.

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  • Larry confirmed, that kettle has a wall thickness is 2 mm. And that for a mounted agitator it needs to be 3 mm wall thickness.

    And another confirmation from another thread.

  • I am afraid, that 3mm wall kettle will move me to another price range for the still base. (1) We are not ready to it and (2) copper stills can be considered at that price range. So, it seems I have to stay with some type of hot water re-circulation pump, taking wash from the bottom (using one of heating element 2" TC port) and pumping it on top (using agitator 2" TC port) . I guess, pump should be cheaper than agitator, especially, that in my case, port is not strong enough to support agitator.

  • edited November 2019

    That's how Simon at Hurdle Creek Stills ordered his 380l. With a gas skirt and a tangential port for pump to stir.

    image

    Look up his site and email him about pump info if you are interested.

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  • @punkin said: That's how Simon at Hurdle Creek Stills ordered his 380l. With a gas skirt and a tangential port for pump to stir.

    I am afraid, I do not see a difference to standard 100gal/380L still :( :( . It seems, all standard connections are there.

    Look up his site and email him about pump info if you are interested.

    I will try to do it. Thanks

  • You can't see the tangential pipe sticking out and the gas skirt? Sorry but can't help more.

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  • @punkin said: You can't see the tangential pipe sticking out and the gas skirt? Sorry but can't help more.

    I am sorry, I probably expected some significant modifications and missed a pipe on the right of the kettle watching side - that is what you named as "tangential pipe sticking out". I found a picture of the kettle, that Larry sent me a while ago. But, I have a question of why having this side pipe is better that just re-use one of the low 2" TC port for heating element (if this port is not used)? I am not against welding, but I would expect more reasons. In the same time, it is always a chance that Simon at Hurdle Creek Stills was planning to use all port for heating elements, and he did not not extra ports on lower part of the still. Thanks.

    image

    380L-boiler-with-modification.jpg
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  • There are no element ports, it has a gas skirt. The tangential port is only inch pipe and leads in on an angle that promotes a whirlpool on the inside as the liquid is pumped back in from the pump. If you wanted to draw from a 2" port i don't see why you would disable an element port when you can just use the drain?

    So as the Thai's say, it's same, same but different. The only thing in common with a standard boiler is the hatch, drain and column port.

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  • @punkin said: There are no element ports, it has a gas skirt. The tangential port is only inch pipe and leads in on an angle that promotes a whirlpool on the inside as the liquid is pumped back in from the pump. If you wanted to draw from a 2" port i don't see why you would disable an element port when you can just use the drain?

    Using build-in drain is probably a great idea. I just wanted to differentiate, re-circulation cycle from drain. What I usually do, is attach CIP, and once, distillation is fully completed, open the drain and push water into CIP. So, I clean up and low a temp of the drained stream at the same time.

    Do you have any suggestions regarding a pump? For apple wash, grain wash and molasses wash, I guess, it is better to have a pipe that at least 3/4" or better 1" wide. Thanks

  • How close, vertical shotgun can stay to still/boiler? 100 gallons /380L boiler has a diameter of 42", so simply speaking, I can pull a horizontal 2" pipe, 21" long, to connect boiler to condenser. And they will be close to each other. Too close? Give extra feet between them? Two feet extra? Thanks.

  • 42" diameter ?????

  • @richard said: 42" diameter ?????

    100 gallons / 380L boiler is about 47" from bottom to 8" TC ferrule (connection to column) and about 42" in diameter.

    image

    380-liter-pot-belly-boiler.jpg
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  • Sorry I was reading the shotgun diameter as 42"

  • Any proc or cons of having this Stainless Steel High Temp Transfer Pump - Wort Hog as wash re-circulation pump? Connecting it from bottom drain, so it will naturally self fill-in and drain to the tom, to one of 2" TC (with proper accessories)? Stainless steel head, 7 GPM (for 100 gallons kettle), up to 230F operation temperature. 1/2" in and out connections.

    Stainless Steel High Temp Transfer Pump - Wort Hog @ The Home Brewery

    image

    Thanks

  • edited January 2020

    i've used a similar one for moving a lot of liquid (hot & cold) for several years. I often run it constantly for 2 weeks straight in a recirculating system

    65w MKII High Temperature Magnetic Drive Pump with 3/4" BSP @ Keg King AU

    image

    high_temp_magnetic_drive_pump_65w.jpg
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  • I use that MKII pump (with the stainless steel head) for my 1000L rum ferment recirculation, it works great..

  • I use the SS head too

  • Same here. SS for the win.

  • I wonder how many units SD would have to order to get the MKII with SS head with TC instead of threads...

  • @CothermanDistilling said: I wonder how many units SD would have to order to get the MKII with SS head with TC instead of threads...

    Prolly just one... it comes with free thread adaptors... lol ;))

  • threads are where things hide that infect your fermentation..... threads == bad on the pre-distillation side

  • Sanitary fitting and thread don't belong in the same sentence.

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  • edited January 2020

    That's why you always see Triclamp-to-Threaded adapters in counseling for multiple personality issues. Those guys never know what's goin on.

  • I've got some here that are becoming inbred and throwing throwbacks. Half of them have npt thread and won't mate with the proper bsp ones.

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  • I wish all threads in brewing/distilling equipment would die.

  • There is a solution for that. There's a few options actually.

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  • Threads could be one of the problems I’ve been having. Lol.

  • BSP makes the least sense of any threads

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