Ground Control to Major Lloyd!!!!!

vooharmy

This sort of work tickles my fancy! I agree with lloyd that this is the future of home distilling! great work OD your workmanship is very neat.

Drunkas

Olddog the PID controllers you are using look like better quality and bigger then the one I have. Do you have a link to a web site where you got em mate ??

olddog

PIDs come in different sizes, the small ones 16din are too small for my big fingers so I use the 1/4din size which are around 4"square. Auber sell them in the states but they are $58 + $20 postage to OZ. the Chinese ones are cheaper and work just the same, I have tried both and can't find any difference.

OD

Drunkas

Ah grate news mate thanks

Cambo

While we'er at it here's my stab at automation. It will control and switch all 5 elements, agitator, dephlegmator automation via outlet water temp, and it will allow me to mash/ferment/distill anything i want to in the boiler. The PID's are to control dephlegmator, jacket temp, and display on the larger PID, column/boiler temp depending on what process i am doing. My plan is to use this setup as a research and development unit at my full scale distillery in the near future.

Clearly it is missing a few parts, they are slated to arrive at the end of the week and it should be done hopefully this weekend.

Smaug

Save a spot for some SGK/LED lighting.

Cambo

LED lighting, never thought of that, i'll already have 12 transformer too!

cunnyfunt

LED lighting :))

Law_Of_Ohms

and a subwoofer!

Cambo

Maybe a thick stack of tree shaped air fresheners hanging from one of the switches too! :D

Smaug

I'm serious.

CothermanDistilling

cool!

dad

I can hear the boiler thump-a-thump thumping...and from a recent thread we could have a valid scientific reason for agitating the boiler.

Options for boilers?

punkin

Yes, that's interesting isn't? The idea that the bottom of the wash isn't heating i mean.

punkin

Temperature Layering in Boilers with Side Mounted Elements @ AD

here

cunnyfunt

LMAO ****checks out ebay for LED strip lighting***

Smaug

Kits and completed units may be on the way.

cunnyfunt

**** stops looking on eBay for led strip lighting****

Lloyd

Well, well... getting a decent warehouse now and contracted a plumber and electrician to add a few touches. Need water, power and a drain installed in the Stillin area. Getting 3 wall plugs installed on a heavy duty 60 amp circuit. If using 3 x 4500 watt elements it might be marginal at 240 volt (a bit greater than 56 amps). Thinking perhaps one 3000W element that is used only during boil up, a 3000W that stays on and a 4500W tied to the controller. Sound right?

My boiler is only 70L but dangit it could be possible to run a 6 incher someday.

DeBluesDoctor

I'll make a quick comment on the LED lights. They are designed and manufactured to military aviation cockpit lighting standards. Much more than meets the eye at first glance.

cunnyfunt

@punkin said: Temperature Layering in Boilers with Side Mounted Elements @ AD

Even with a space under the elements, the convection of the hot liquid rising from the element would pull the colder liquid upwards and recirculate? Or vice versa hot rises pushing cold down. That's how I understood it to work. Maybe old mates problem at AD has more to do with the shape of his boiler? Don't know but it's worth an experiment on my own SD boiler :)
Edit- he's using a poly boiler?? Maybe this is messing with his convection with thermal loss from his boiler. Any physicist about lol?

punkin

@Eucyblues joined up the other day, maybe he'll chime in and answer your questions. Seems it'd be an easy enough experiment to run with an STC and a boiler full of water. Sounds kosher to me.

While he's at it, he may post up some pics of his great looking Dash?

cunnyfunt

That would be great if he does. Maybe we need a SD 2" TC boiler agitator Major @Lloyd?

CothermanDistilling

@cunnyfunt - I was thinking about this when reading the article, a 2" sanitary fitting to a gearmotor face mount, with a slight offset, maybe 5 degrees, and once mounted, you attach the stirring arm(egg beater? propeller?) from the inside of the boiler... I have a nice gearmotor I was going to use as a mash stirrer... yeah, just what I need, another project...

cunnyfunt

A lot of the fun in distilling is the tinkering @CothermanDistilling :) deep down we love the burden of our projects.

CothermanDistilling

I just want to finish a few projects is all! or at least not start a new one 'til an old one is finished!

punkin

I bought one at Aldi on special a few months ago. It's a $40 paint stirrer. Bought it and put it in the shed just cause it was cheap, it would be perfect for what you guys are talking about, the reason i bought it was for stirring down the track on thick mashes so i could distill on the grain. Obviously needs a custom shaft, but that is a minor issue.

Looking at my boiler the other day and the top ports are vertical, i'd have to fit a 45 bend or some other way to fit it on..

1200 watt, two speed (100-400 and 150-700rpm no load).

DeBluesDoctor

Attach a partial copper shroud with an open back on the element. Drill a hole midway up the shroud. Water will flow from the back to the front of the element. Solder a copper siphon tube to the drilled hole and run the siphon to bottom of boiler. Temperature lock problem will go away. No stir or agitation needed. Cheers.......

olddog

No much progress ATM as I am waiting for parts to complete, all of the wiring is done, I have just left cables to be connected to the missing parts when they arrive. I just need the temp gauges for the dephlegmator and boiler, a switch, and a warning lamp for the main power.

Lloyd

Haven't even received it yet but already elated.

If it works only half as good as it looks it will be twice as good as expected.

I could have done the same thing without Olddog but it would have taken quite a few years. :))