StillDragon® Community Forum

Welcome!

Be part of our community & join our international next generation forum now!

In this Discussion

Cooling Water Hoses

Getting the new still set-up and want to route the hoses etc around so they are not all over the floor and in my way... Just using standard size 13mm garden hose and and an irrigation pack from Bunnings to sort that, thats all easy. But can anyone tell me how they have connected the blue/red hose from the condensor and Dephleg to a garden hose ?? or what you may have done other than that ?

I can see the blue/red hose will fit inside a std garden hose which I can then hose clamp, but what is the crush strength of the blue/red hoses ?? If I do insert into a garden hose and clamp will they be crushed too small to allow water flow ? and if I use a small metal pipe insert to stop a crush will the insert also block too much water flow ?

Comments

  • edited April 2014

    The end connections that come with the plumbing pack you ordered are 1/2" bsp. That's the same thread as the standard tap fittings.

    So it's hose end.QD fitting>1/2to 3/4 or 1" bush>standard hose nut and tail.

    You can buy the bush in plastic/brass/stainless or if you go to an irrigation shop you may well get a 1/2" to 1/2" nut and tail. Probably even get one in snap on.

    I use these....

    image

    It's a brass 1/2" socket with a 1/2" hosetail. The QD works the same as having a snap on fitting.

    1.jpg
    800 x 600 - 58K

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

  • Brilliant - Cheers Punkin, should have really thought about that when looking at them last night... maybe I did have too much Bourbon ? #-o

  • edited April 2014

    @punkin is spot on as usual, also the supplied hoses are very stiff and rigid they cannot be bent or squeezed like garden hose stuff so no issues with restricting flow etc.

    One big hint is to keep the red and blue hoses just to the length you need so they don't get in the way or all fall back onto the boiler or still unit.

    Having spare quick connect joiners helps when reconfiguring stuff.

    Place the valves in-line where you can actually adjust them without needing a ladder or reaching behind a hot still etc as that a pain in the arse.

    Suggest you consider a tap or shut of valve on each connection that you have for water inlets and outlets, cause when you need to disconnect the hoses water pisses out everywhere and it can also drain or siphon from your cooling tank. Its surprising just how much gets on my concrete floor even with the shut off taps, deflag unit tends to wet me every-time I stuff around with hoses.

    eg this is my cooling water connections, one big hose from the tank, split into 2 irrigation type plastic taps with the quick connects simply screwed in

    image

    I have the same sort of thing on the outlets with the same taps, except I run them separately back to the tank, makes it easy when setting up for stripping using only 1 pair, 1 condenser, or spirit runs using both pairs and both condensers.

    image

    Its all basic standard fittings that can just use off the shelf garden connections if you need, even those cheap splitters with the little taps will work as shut off valves. I don't recommend the hose tails that have built in shut off ends, they restrict flow far to much as the valve is inside the unit and they are crap

    Only run it once with the tap turned on and no hose connected, the bloody water went everywhere.

    Fadge

    2.jpg
    800 x 600 - 102K
    3.jpg
    800 x 600 - 56K
  • Thanks Fadge, I have put taps on both lines they are just not quite as fancy looking as yours... I am trying to keep everything out of the way of the heat etc, but I also need to keep it tidy as there is a LOT of stuff in my garage...and for some reason when the missus ventures in she complains and I couldn't bear the yelling if she happened to trip over. Will go to Bunnings again (nothing wrong with a daily visit I say...) and see what they have on hand in the way of the barbed hose tails punkin has above as I am sure they are pretty easy to get hold of and small enough for the space I have so as not to have to move things around again.

    Your flow meters look like they do a good job - where would a person look to get some of them ??? can't say I have ever seen them in NZ.

    Wiring of a new 20amp socket and the DIY controller will hopefully be done this weekend so I can do a cleaning and first run next week (ANZAC and Easter Hols, 10 days off WOOHOO !!)

    Will try and take some pics to post tonight of how it looks so far.

  • Let me know if you find those fittings hard to get and i'll chuck a couple in with your order mate. They're only a couple of bucks at my local bearing/engineering shop.

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

  • edited April 2014

    I use this set up.

    A 3/8 barb with a standard female hose bib thread pattern.

    I soften the hose end by placing in boiling water for 30 seconds or so. When the hose cools you don't even need a clamp

    image

    4.jpg
    800 x 600 - 55K

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • edited April 2014

    Another view.

    image

    5.jpg
    800 x 600 - 50K

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • edited April 2014

    Thanks guys, The help is much appreciated. Went for a drive after lunch and on the way found a shop that only sells hose and fittings - everything you could ever want, well everything I needed, and then some.

    punkin - instead of the fittings can you possibly put a couple of meters each of the blue and red hose ? I know I am going to have to shift things around. Just send me a paypal request and I will sort you out.

    some pic's so far...

    image

    image

    Control panel.jpg
    600 x 800 - 48K
    setup.jpg
    600 x 800 - 91K
  • edited April 2014

    @mig35 Looks bloody neat and tidy to me!, you have done a good job from the photos. Mine is spread out everywhere. Wife walks in then mumbles something and leaves!

    The flow meters are handy but really a waste of the effort involved to hook them up. It does show water flowing in total and another gauge for just the deflag. Trouble is full reflux is 2lt/min or so, then l wind back to what looks like between 1/2 or perhaps 1lt/min but my gauges don't go low enough to really read accurately a mere trickle of water. Digital low volume ones would be better.

    Keep the pics coming as we all pick up something along the way. (Once you attach a file, wait and click insert on the thumbnail and it will load correctly)

    cheers

    fadge

  • edited April 2014

    Sorry mate, had you mixed up with Clickeral and thought you didn't have your still yet. Just use the storefront to purchase the tube, it helps to keep my paperwork in order for the taxman that way.

    Buy one metre of each and i'll send a couple, he'll never know. ;)

    Still looks great there BTW, a top installation. Buggered if i know what's happening with your pics though, i can't get them to turn back the right way.

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

  • Cheers guys, Not sure what happened with the photos - they were the correct way on the computer when I loaded them... will try again when I have it wired up.

    @punkin - I have sorted the hose through the store.

  • @MIG35 said: Cheers guys, Not sure what happened with the photos - they were the correct way on the computer when I loaded them... will try again when I have it wired up.

    Don't worry, I always pass by and fix such problems. It happens quite often, your camera has stored orientation in EXIF meta-data, which is why it's shown correctly when you view it on your computer but not here in our forum, which does not look at picture meta-data.

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

  • @punkin said: Sorry mate, had you mixed up with Clickeral and thought you didn't have your still yet. Just use the storefront to purchase the tube, it helps to keep my paperwork in order for the taxman that way.

    Buy one metre of each and i'll send a couple, he'll never know. ;)

    Still looks great there BTW, a top installation. Buggered if i know what's happening with your pics though, i can't get them to turn back the right way.

    Lol clearly I'm special :p

  • You're all special :))

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

  • @MIG35 your setup looks fantastic. 6 plate Dash will produce some great product.
    Envious of how neat you put everything together.

  • edited August 2014

    Ok, so i know i can be daft with lots of things.

    My wife even calls me "special" sometimes...

    And this time i've even had a good look through the manuals and posts here...........but im farked if i can work out which way i need to plumb my still now i have a dephleg.

    Punkin was kind enough to fix me up with the necessary quick clip stuff and some nice red/blue hose. The problem is that he perhaps wrongly assumed he was dealing with someone who is savvy enough to work it out for himself.

    Any chance someone could please draw me a basic diagram showing how best to set this up?

    I'm currently running a pond pump out of a 200litre wheelie bin with garden hose fittings as my cooling set up

    This pic is minus the big baby, haven't had a chance to update it yet.

    Any help is much appreciated

    Elvis

    image

    elvis_still.jpg
    600 x 800 - 58K
  • edited August 2014

    There is two choices mate. Either counterflow where the water is running in the top of the condensor and out the bottom or the other way :))

    Some people split the water off from the output of the shotgun and then into the reflux condesnsor, others take some off the inlet and split it into fresh supply.

    Figure 36 on page 35 of the Dash manual shows the counterflow and explains how to plumb it.

    StillDragon - The Dash Operation Manual (PDF)

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

  • edited August 2014

    image

    Remember the push connect needle valves are directional. On the side is the indicator to show the direction that the water needs to flow.

    image

    elvis1.png
    266 x 164 - 2K
    elvis_cooling.jpg
    600 x 800 - 63K
  • I recommend the valve on the discharge side rather than the supply side.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • To be honest a lot depends on your pump. For starters can your pump cope with a pressurised system, or do you need to fit a bypass line in the reservoir to cope with when you have a reduced flow in the condensers.

    If you can manage to run with a pressurised supply system then have each condenser independent with its own flow control.

    However, this configuration will destroy some pumps.

  • Thanks for the advice folks.

    Lloyd, thankyou for the artwork. Just what i needed. Should i go with a thermometer somewhere in there?

    I think your right Myles, im not sure if my little pump will cope with it.

    Any recommendations for pumps?

    Sorry for all the questions, its just that i would rather get this right from the start. :)

  • At the moment I use a submerged water butt pump. Its an irrigation pump that can power garden hoze, sprinklers etc so can pressurise the supply lines to 1 barr.

Sign In or Register to comment.