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2.5" (formerly known as 3") Bubble Column

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  • edited July 2014

    Then we need to add a drain, valve, refill port if required, element port, element and wiring for different countries, certification if selling as a unit, or do we want mama to wire it?

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

  • Modular right so if someone wants a keg and is more diy they could get one anyway. Would just mean the column would need adapters for multiple systems or diy one yourself.

  • I think, but may be wrong, that the single biggest appeal of the T500 is that its a complete kit and ready to plug in. No tools or building experience is needed.
    We located the factory that makes the little T500 urn boilers but they won't talk to us unless we order 500 units. An offer from us for a trial order of 100 pieces fell on deaf ears.
    Minimum order for 30L euro kegs is 492 units - one 20' container. Any less and the price goes up so your still paying for a full container even if its not stuffed full.

    These minimums are too excessive for us.

  • edited July 2014

    How about the stainless screw top olive oil containers? They are also available in 30 litres and have been used previously as boilers. Not sure what the bulk pricing on those would be. Just like a milk can but with a big screw in stainless lid with gasket.

    Just an example for illustration: Stainless Steel Olive Oil Containers

  • edited July 2014

    Dont know about overseas but after quick search the price in NZ for a fustis is about the same as t500 wholesale. Then you still have ports element etc to add. The wide fustis rather than tall sure do look pretty though.

  • edited July 2014

    Might be a long shot but what about a smaller milk can. I went to take a photo of the label of my 3 in one electric fermenter today and under the spirit essential sticker I found it was a still spirit unit. I also weighed my unit with then defrag and condenser full of water. It was 5.4kg, and is very stable. To have an all in one unit is attractive, but I also see the need for an adaptor that will take the baby dragon and put it on top of a T500 boiler. The reason I say this is having spoken to a lot of lads who have these units and look at your units and say "I wish they did a smaller unit". I think there is a large market in this area. Cant wait to see this unit.

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  • Could you take some pics and measurements of the lid mount and still attachment please?

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

  • Up at the swan 24hr enduro this week end. once I get home I'll take a few pics and run a tape over it. The lid that came with my unit had a 25mm hole in it, so I took a hole saw and cut it out to fit a 2"ss ferrule then welded it with a mig.If memory servs right the hole on the T500 is 48mm.

  • edited July 2014

    T500 is a 1.5" BSP nut connection. Have a look at the instructional video on the website. stillspirits.com/pages/stills

    I know it doesn't say it is 1.5" BSP, but on another UK forum there are discussions about soldering a 1.5" BSP flanged nut into a 2" column to fit onto this boiler.

    Pilot hole for cutting a 1.5" BSP Thread into metal is 45.4 mm / outer dia of the male thread is 1.882".

  • edited July 2014

    Thanks Myles. So it's two parts that are needed, an inch and a half female coupling to 2" triclamp and a inch and a half male nut with backing flange (hollow, we can dispense with the coarse screen). Is it safe to assume that it's BSP thread?

    Still Spirits Turbo 500 Still T500 Boiler @ eBay

    Says it's a 48mm hole so we can make any fitting we like to fit a 48mm hole.

    One of these in 2 x 1.5 r 2.5 x 1.5 as the nut and a custom 2" ferrule with a flange and male thread below the ferulle? No need to copy that one.

    image

    I think it's a great idea for all those people who want to convert their still from a HBS one to something classy on a budget. It immediately knocks the boiler price off if it will fit on their existing boiler.

    They sell for under $200 here too.

    Still Spirits Turbo T500 Boiler @ eBay

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

  • edited July 2014

    The existing boiler lid from the video just has a hole in it. They have a flanged fitting with a male screw thread and a gasket inside the lid. The thread just passes through the lid and the column screws onto it.

    I think all you need is a 2" ferrule with a female 1.5" BSP thread, and that will screw onto their existing fittings instead of their packed column. It looks like their coarse screen sits on a lip inside the column and falls onto the top of the male thread.

    I don't think you need to worry about it. You just need a female threaded ferrule with a thread long enough that their screw can go through the lid and screw into the ferrule far enough to make the vapour tight seal to the lid.

    The alternative might to ignore their fittings entirely. Provide a 2" ferrule with a male thread to fit through the hole, and an appropriate backing ring to go inside the lid. That way you can use your own gaskets to provide a seal to the lid. Might be easier than trying to work with their components.

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  • That is almost word for word what i said :)) :D

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

  • daddad
    edited July 2014

    punkin...good catch on the fusti lid?...the lid, gasket & clamp from milk cans, fits the fusti I have perfectly...a 26 gallon fusti becomes a 26 gallon boiler for the addition of the lid.

    Fusti has a rolled top lip...gasket hits it perfect! Ring clamp works perfect!

    Now the problem is my fusti was not cheap....$150 plus shipping ($100)

    Same lid fits smaller minox fusti's...

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    DAD... not yours.. ah, hell... I don't know...

  • Does anyone here own one of these boilers and an accurate vernier or something to measure the diameter of the hole?

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

  • Yes, I own 100ltr minox fusti...I'll measure it tonight. Still at work...

    DAD... not yours.. ah, hell... I don't know...

  • daddad
    edited July 2014

    still lid measures 8.5" outside to outside...

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    Fusti opening measures 8.375...

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    The gaskets match perfectly and the lid seals...

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    The clamp works also. There were no mods made, it just worked.

    I bought the Fusti as a fermenter, had the lid...

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    DAD... not yours.. ah, hell... I don't know...

  • Sorry dad i meant the hole in the lid of the stillsprits boiler. The ebay link i found said 48mm but i want to be positive.

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

  • Hi measured a mates lid this arvo, hole is 48mm. My memory is not to bad.

  • Thanks @jasse I'll try to get that simple adapter produced toot sweet (that's French ya know, for tout de suite, meaning fast).
    Couldn't be very difficult since folks much less clever than SD have done it =))
    Really just needed the hole size in the lid since I've never touched a single T500 product, yet.

    Still trying to wrangle a single T500 boiler sample from the factory but so far zilch (that's German for SOL?).

    Letting Mama procure her T500 boiler (coffee urn) from eBay solves some headaches and the adapter could be useful for Mama's stockpot if she is smart enough to make it work for her.
    At least the eBay or HBS, home brew store, T500 boiler would be compatible with her country's electrical, hopefully.

    I offered to buy 100 pieces as a test order but that - like asking to buy a single sample - has not provoked a single reply from the factory so far. What snobs, right?
    May need to ply my formidable Spanglish on their asses!

    Vender la caldera a mí o yo le golpearon con un palo
    (Sell the boiler to me or I will beat you with a stick).

  • T500 crowd must list it as 48 themselves somewhere. Local brew store said 48 when I asked as well. Considering how common they are in nz I imagine it will be a popular adapter with us kiwis.

  • My mind should be on the big 12+ size stills but my heart is trying to get the average Joe to buy a SD setup for his small apartment.

    Thought this morning that a couple of 2" filter disks and a 100mm TC pipe section before the product condenser would make Mama a really nice gin or absinthe basket.

    As for the adapter...
    I've ordered a sample, which might mean 2 more need to be made to get it right so I doubt it happens before I return from USA in September.
    Fittings don't go right usually the first one, I have to keep after it to make it happen.

  • edited July 2014

    Glass and gaskets jibe. Progress.

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  • I think that will be very popular. I still think it needs a spinning propeller under each cap as a reflux diverter. (Just kidding) ;)

  • Working hard @Myles to keep it as low cost as possible.
    Its a labor of love and a pet project of mine because it would be the low end entry point of owning a bubble column.
    Still a long way from being able to run it but the pieces are finally starting to come together.

  • Looks fantastic. I cant wait to see it in action[on top of my little boiler lol].

  • Looking tops mate, i'm excited by this one. I get enquiries from people wanting to use a dash or CD on those boilers all the time.

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

  • That is a beautiful piece of equipment, the design is so clean and polished. I'd buy one just to keep on my desk.

  • any thought about what the performance of one ProCap in a 4" CD would be vs One in the 2.5"? and what the heck, vs traditional 4" bubble cap CD...

    I guess what I am asking is: "What would be a good way to determine or document 'performance' of a system other than watts applied in total reflux before flooding?"

  • @CothermanDistilling I would think that a single ProCap on a 4" plate would out-perform a single cap on a 2.5" plate because of the increased active plate area.
    But Mama's Still is more optimized toward low cost and small size instead of performance and the 2.5" sight tower parts are way cheaper than 4". The only cost extravagance is the use of the more expensive ProCaps but the goal is to make Mama a fine little still.

    In the picture above, the sight tower ends are still 2.5" and I'm waiting for the prototype 2.5" with 2" ferrule ends to arrive. With a little creative custom machining, 2 complete sets of reducers, gaskets and clamps are eliminated and that helps to reduce the height and the costs. Instead of the typical 100mm tall glass I'm having them cut at 82mm tall. 82mm is the size that's shown in the picture and my careful measurements suggest that's the appropriate height (OK, full truth, I ordered a bunch of glass cut to 80mm and they arrived 82mm).

    I'm itching to get my milk can boiler out, wipe the dust off and give this little still a go. I'm confident that about 1500 watts will be top end for this still and hearts collection speed about 1 to 1.5 liters per hour but only a few test runs will prove that or not.
    That would give Mama more than half a gallon of finished booze an hour. The old broad doesn't need more than that!

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