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My Crystal Dragon Setup

Hey Guys,
Well I wanted to wait until I had completed my setup before posting pics but it has taken me about 12mths to get to this stage but I'm very happy with the end result.

I firstly want to say a big thank you to @punkin for all of his help. I also want to give a big thank you to everyone who was involved in creating the distilling manual and the Gin manual, WOW! So extremely detailed and helpful I use it every time I run this bad boy. It is extremely generous that you guys would create and share this level of knowledge and take the time to create the content. THANK YOU!

You might notice above all my fermenters is the wash log sheet from your StillDragon manual.

So I would say I am still a beginner and have only maybe done 10 runs but im loving it so far.
I am soooooo very glad I chose at the last minute to buy the Crystal Dragon style setup over a portal type, It is fascinating to just sit there and watch the operation bubbling away. I am also very surprised how easy everything runs (touch wood). I added the DIY controller box to one of my elements and I simply set it to 80% and let it do it thing (striping runs).

So my set up from left to right,
1000L IBC with a submersible pump that runs the water cooling in a cycling style to ratin the water as I am on tank water I can't waste any.

The shelving has a mix of all my tools, measuring devises, glass storage jars, Gin botanicals, aerators, dominoes etc.

image

Starting at the bottom of the Still, I have welded a 2" ferrule to the middle center section then clamped a 1/2" reducer to it, chucked on a ball valve with a 10cm 1/2" pipe extension to help drain the boiler (see pic). The boiler sits on a cheap set of shelves I bought for $20 from a local reject shop, drilled holes in it and flipped it on its side. That then sits on top a home made trolly with wheels in case I want to wheel it around to a fermenter, however I don't really do this because I cant be bothered to undo all the plumbing.

Inside the boiler 2 x 2400W heating elements that plug into a 15A socket so that I have the option to upgrade the elements in the future without having to redo the sockets. One element runs off the SD DIY Controller which I LOVE! I then have a 4" viewing port / filing port on top, a dial temp gauge, and a 2" ferrule with I clamp the tall 4" reducer to.

image

So obviously a 4" Crystal Dragon setup. It works perfectly. Above the plates is a small packing section that is full of Copper mesh, then the RC above that. At the top I have put two 90 degree bends with the one on the left having a 1/2" ferrule (from SD site) I have connected a 1/2" ball valve then a 1/2" reducer ferrule to a 1/2" reducer threaded, then put in a brass threaded nipple to a plastic hose. Not the cheapest way to do it, but it makes cleaning a breeze! All I have to do is turn on the tap and open the valve to flush the entire plated section and out my drain at the bottom. This same bend has a temp gauge which I find very helpful to gauge vapor temp. It then goes to the PC and finishes with the parrot. My current set up with the parrot means I actually start the run with an angled pipe extension placed after the ball valve, I then shut the valve and very quickly change the pipe for the parrot after the fores have gone. Its annoying me to do it this way so I have just ordered a SD parrot so everything can stay in place (anyone after a used parrot :) )?

I then have my desk to the right of the still to place all the jars when running. I put cheese cloth over then with a rubber band for airing. My desk has draws that hold all my paper work and manuals.

To the right of the desk top shelf, a TV for the footy as entertainment while running the old girl. Another IBC next to it for a future project. Below that are my 6 x 60L fermenters that are mainly filled with TPW as I'm trying to get a large stock of neutral at the moment. They all have taps at the bottom which I put my buckets under to transfer to the boiler. each has its own heat belt plugged into one powerboard. I label each cord with the fermenter number so I know I'm pulling the correct cord out when the ferment has finished.

image

So hope I didn't bore you guys but wanted to show my setup and hope this can help some people who are trying to figure out how to design their shed.

My thoughts for the future is to buy the Gin head from SD as I want to mainly produce Whiskey and Gin.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped my get to this point over the last 12mths, You know who you are :)

Cheers Ryno

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Comments

  • Looks terrific Ryno, you have out some great work into organising it all. I wish i was that tidy.

    I know exactly what you mean about watching the CD's run, i love watching mine.

    Hope you don't mind but i placed the pictures in your post. Next time after the pic comes up as uploaded, just hover over the thumbnail and then click insert image. It will put it in your post.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Fantastic setup and just perfect working environment, congratulation, you really did well!

    I hope you don't mind me correcting dimensions and file sizes on uploaded pictures to reduce page loading times (especially important for those of us who are on a slow Internet connection), and the casual correcting of spelling errors to enhance readability when I pass by new postings.

    Can't wait to see more from you, maybe some videos as well?

    Your Place to be >>> www.StillDragon.org <<< Home of the StillDragon® Community Forum

  • Very nice, Ryno. Thanks for sharing. What a great space you have!

  • WOW what a grate set up mate. I wish I could get all my gear in the one space like that.

  • @Drunkas said: WOW what a grate set up mate. I wish I could get all my gear in the one space like that.

    You and me both, brother. My stuff is scattered all over the place and I spend half my time looking for stuff.
    When I grow up I want to be as organized as this guy.

  • mate love the look of your setup! I think i'm remembering you correctly, based down in tassie?

  • Certainly one of the nicest work spaces I have seen. It is literally a professional environment.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • Very nice indeed @Ryno

  • Welcome @Sadi very nice to see you here, i missed you sneaking in. Please start a thread and tell us what you've been up to there for the last couple of years.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited May 2014

    Thanks Guys I appreciate the feedback. To all that make the effort to post on any distilling forums, Thankyou, your knowledge and experience is much appreciated and you have helped me greatly.

  • @ryno great setup, and heaps of space ++

    now I'm motivated to redo my entire setup over the next month or so, then I may post a pic or two, now its just a big shit fight of bits and pieces everywhere, as I've just walked out of my setup and read your post.

    fadge

  • Awesome setup Ryno! Very helpful. Please keep posting

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