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In-line Ginbasket Gadget...

Picture the classic boka with 2 angled plates and a takeoff...

Place the two plates in a 4-8" high spool of TC tubing (4"/6"/8"/12" diamter) with the takeoff being a 3/4" TC... maybe throw in a sight glass so you can view the liquid level...

now there is no offset weight!

Basket Option 1 - near the top are some tabs to keep a basket from falling in if placed above. Then the user can just put a section of tube on top and drop a basket in.

Basket option 2 - build a cross bar instead of tabs, use a perf plate on top of it, and no basket, user takes the entire GB-InLine (tm) off to dump and clean (put a couple handles on the sides!)

quick change? (I am against changing mid run, but offer this) If used just on a pot still, the only thing top of it would be a reducer, so that could be removed to change the basket. (any dephleg should be below the basket)

Comments

  • edited February 2016

    Where are the pretty pictures? :)
    If you search for strainer instead of 'Ginbasket' you'll find heaps of products out there.
    A sanitary, Y strainer is kind of inline and you can still pull the basket out without too much mucking around.
    A sanitary, inline strainer sounds more like what your talking about but I'm not sure what you mean with the plates.
    A right angle, sanitary strainer is more like a standard ginbasket. They also have T type too.
    Just be sure to get one with the right flow direction though. If you don't, the basket will be more like a tube so it won't work without modification.
    You could even get a duplex strainer for easy changeovers. Just be sure to add 'sanitary' to your search criteria.

  • pictures are in my head ;-) Do they make those sanitary strainers in 8"? ;-)

    My idea was to place the basket straight above the column physically(for stability and reduction of tees and elbows), but logically, liquid flowing back cannot enter the boiler... ( @kapea will explain why that is desired) :-p

    my design allows a 'basketless' Gin Basket design also, which for 5"-12" could save a lot of hassle..

  • edited February 2016

    Like this?

    image

    inline_ginbasket.jpg
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  • yep, and if you just use a perf plate, you can size your basket to what you want...

    (I think you need the volume of the basket to be ~10% of your boiler or batch size... I cannot fit all the botanicals in a GB4 to do 20L in a single fill, and that is 5%)

  • just a dumb question: what about channeling in those larger diameters?

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  • edited February 2016

    The idea is to vaporise. Heat conduction should take care of it.

  • @Sunshine said: just a dumb question: what about channeling in those larger diameters?

    not a dumb question... it does not seem to happen, but I am about to use my CD4 ad a GB to hold more botanicals, I will take a pic or video...

  • I built a boka in copper, but it would be cool if someone fabricated an 8" one in stainless!

  • edited February 2016

    I was trying to get SD to do me a boka insert a few years back with some sample valves I have.

    image

    @CothermanDistilling said: Do they make those sanitary strainers in 8"? ;-)

    Most definitely. I’ve worked with quite a few that had 6” lines so the vessels themselves would have been well over that.
    You can choose from wedge wire to perf plate to mesh too.
    They’re usually installed feeding homogenisers or downstream of mixing operations.
    They should already have drains installed as well, to facilitate cleaning out a basket (they’re obviously meant to be flooded in normal operation) but any competent fabricator could do a branch pull to put one in.

    @CothermanDistilling said: @kapea will explain why that is desired…

    I’d like that. The most obvious benefit I can see is not having to clean resins out of your boiler after every batch.
    Everything that moves forward of the basket is volatile so some of the explanations I’ve read don’t make much scientific sense.

    @CothermanDistilling said: my design allows a 'basketless' Gin Basket design also, which for 5"-12" could save a lot of hassle..

    You can get modified BSM fittings here that have strainer plates built in. I use one as a packing retainer.
    I haven’t seen them in Tri but it would be easy for SD to do with their plate seals.
    I’d get rid of the valve though. Either the weir will be empty and you’ll have vapour escaping or it’ll be full and you’ll have liquid overflowing back to the boiler.
    Ditch the valve and replace with a ‘P’ trap. Everything will drain and you still get a vapour seal.
    Unfortunately your gin will come off very hot is which isn’t ideal when your trying to retain all those tasty volatiles, that’s aside from the safety issues.
    That’s the main reason why I don’t use any LM anymore.

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  • I don't think he wants to drink the thumper juice :))

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  • I don't know :) Like I said some of the explanations I read have left me scratching my head.

  • @jacksonbrown - holy crap... yes, that same thing that is just a normal boka below the dephlegmator and it becomes a botanical anti-refluxor' (tm) ;-) when used above the dephlegmator...

  • My procedure with the current GB4 is that I wait until the liquid level is almost touching the basket, then open the valve to drain. As soon as it starts blowing vapor, I close the valve. Depending on what I'm distilling, I either return the liquid to the boiler or set the (hot) liquid aside.

    I think this could be operated the same way although opening/closing a valve at the very top of the column would be a bit of a pain.

  • edited February 2016

    Surely it would be a lot safer (for a reliable product) to do the gin run separate from the spirit run? This allows the gin run to be quicker so you are less likely to exhaust the botanicals. I use a separate column for my gin runs. I am also able to switch in a new gin basket if needed.

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  • oh, yes, always do the spirit run first, you must, must, must have 100% drinkable spirit going into the boiler, since any cuts would take out what you spent time and money putting in...

  • edited February 2016

    I don't make gin, I use my carterhead to make a Cointreau typed spirit. Consider tripple distilling. We strip everything, use 8plates and a packed section for the neutral, then 4 plates with the carterhead. My logic for this is that on the final run no foreshots or heads cut is required and the final spirit is worth the effort. There are a range of uses for the infused liquid from the carterhead thumper drain.

  • Yum

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

  • Which is going to be better for the gin basket...........

    Use a basket packed with botanicals

    or; .....

    Use a bag packed with botanicals in place of the basket

  • a bag will only work good if it stops vapor from bypassing it.. if the same botanicals have the same vapor passing through them, the addition of a bag will not make a difference... but hanging a bag in the boiler or in the vapor path and allowing vapor to bypass the bag will greatly reduce the botanical strength int eh distillate...

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