Configuring for Stripping: Pot Still with Crystal Dragon in Place

Grip

I know that this has been touched on elsewhere but I just can't find it so I'll pass this on with a new topic. This time rather than de-rig my 8" glass column to do the stripping runs, as a pot still, I just blanked off the column at the top, as per the two photos. Thought I'd let you know - it works fine; very little goes up the column and what does just drips back down again - so a pot still with a tiny bit of reflux contributed by the column!

That's just cut my work load down by at least an hour that I would have spent dismantling and rebuilding the column each time I need a pot still.

Apologies for the quality of the pics. (taken on my phone)

captainshooch

Good thinking @Grip wish I could do the same but my fill port on the 26 gallon boiler is only 1.5" It might still work and save me some time as well.

punkin

Great stuff. Good to know the theory really does work, and no need for valves.

Lloyd

Nice!

And without the valve there is much less chance of blowing something up.

cunnyfunt

You could make two half plates to sit up inside the bottom of your CD column before you fill the boiler.

brewsmith

Cool idea. Out of curiosity size is the boiler and the fill port adapted to a column? Just wondering if the strip takes any longer with what looks to be a much smaller diameter size.

cunnyfunt

It won't stop all the vapour but it would stop most.

Grip

Yes @cunnyfunt that would work. The weight of the metal would certainly all but stop anything going up the column.

@brewsmith - the smaller diameter did seem to slow things up a bit, but then with a stripping run there's a lot less supervision, so you can easily be getting on with other things.

Myles

Have you tried leaving the column in its usual configuration and just running it with no coolant to the dephlegmator? Provided your product condenser can cope, I would imagine that the plates would get hot and stay dry.

I don't know how much it would affect the vapour volume or speed, reaching the product condenser, but it might be worth a comparison. The total combined cross sectional area of the vapour paths on a single plate, may not be that different from the vapour path you just used connected to the fill port.

Moonshine

Can someone please explain in details how that idea with the two plates is supposed to work? Wasn't it about leaving the Crystal Dragon column in place and using the pot still config without the need of having to fiddle around on the CD column?

cunnyfunt

Just a quick cheap way to stop vapour going into the CD whilst stripping with the pot.

2 part plates as a you would need to come up from inside the boiler to sit it on the lip at the bottom of the CD. You couldn't do this with a full round plate

Moonshine

I see what you mean now, @cunnyfunt, but isn't it as dangerous as using a valve? I mean what are the odds that you forget to remove those plates on the next column run? Will they hold the pressure?

cunnyfunt

I dont think so. it's only sitting there held in place by its own weight.?

Myles

If you really want to stop vapour going up the column, you could as an option fit a dephlegmator between the boiler and the column. More sales for SD. :))

Moonshine

@Myles said: If you really want to stop vapour going up the column, you could as an option fit a dephlegmator between the boiler and the column. More sales for SD. :))

And by far the safest way! :-bd

SAFETY FIRST - I am concerned about solutions blocking the vapor path!

grim

Always room for another boiler.

punkin

The original post has said there is no need for any further solutions. That vapour is not going up the column anyway.

Thought I'd let you know - it works fine; very little goes up the column and what does just drips back down again - so a pot still with a tiny bit of reflux contributed by the column!

cunnyfunt

Thanks for the clarification

CothermanDistilling

I think I will plagiarize that setup... and add a 3-way valve(non-blocking) at the top to have parrot connected to both, I have a 1.5" valve, I will try that before getting a 2" or 3"...

Grip

@Myles, maybe your suggestion is the simplest of all. ie. change nothing, just close the tap to the dephleg, I like that! I'll try that next.

Lloyd

Tell us how it works for you @Grip. Very interested.

Myles

@Grip I did something similar on an earlier VM column. I used to reduce the coolant flow and take the heads off via the air vent in the reflux condenser into their own product condenser. At the time I was trying to avoid passing heads through my product vapour path.

The only issue might be the temperature of the column, as it may be a bit hotter than when it is in normal use. Will be interested to hear how it works for you.

applepie

I don't have a flute and not the expert on it but if you are stripping and have an 8 inch flute and a 1.5-2 in fill port for pot still wouldn't it be faster to run the 8 flute without reflux? Are you worried about puking? With a tall column like that you might get some reflux but I think it would be minimum. Reflux 5-10 minutes and pull fores off and let it rip. I am not trying to be a smart ass and might look like a stupid ass. BTW you have one fine looking rig.

captainshooch

@Grip do you plan on pulling them stinky tails thru that gorgeous rig? Or are you going to stop collecting soon as they start to show up? If you are going to pull tails, I would run the column without the deph. and as soon as the tails start I would switch over to the pot column to keep the smelly stuff away from your main rig.