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SD Thermowell Fittings in short TC Pipe Sections - Idea Only

I've been doing a order with @punkin recently and asked about the new therm o fittings, that have been mentioned on some threads here, and are on the way soon from whats been said. I did want a temp unit in the vapor path, perhaps in the 2" x 90 degree bend or somewhere, but without getting a extra T plus end cap, plus ..plus etc and then I started to think about what may be a good idea.....

Would the TW fittings in straight TC short pipes be useful?

Was thinking Short TC pipes perhaps as short as 2" / 50mm long in the 2" 4" 6" 8" dia modules. So a short section Triclamp extension with a TW fitting, could be clamped anywhere in the system, under Tee's, between bends, pipes, condensers, above or in vapor path, before the PC etc It would mean purchasing an extra clamp and gasket as well as the pipe, however with these I'd guess they may be less cost than purchasing just another Tee or bends just to add a TW port into existing setups?

This excludes just getting the fittings and welding them on our existing stuff ourselves naturally!

Any thoughts?

Fadge

Comments

  • We kicked that around Fadge, the couple of problems we saw were that most people would want to use them at the top of their column in a reflux style set up. That'd mean t would have to be sheilded from the reflux otherwise you'd get swinging inaccurate temps. If used in a dash above the reducer then it would change the height of the collection point unless a coresponding piece was added on the other side.

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

  • How about tig welding a 1/2" npt stainless collar to the 4"x2" reducer that goes just above the deflagmator, would not change column height and at least would give you a temp reading near the highest piont.

  • edited August 2013

    We have that reducer available with a thermowell port.

    You could also do the same thing with a torpedo half and a rims cap. I believe that NPT and BSP are interchangeable at 1/2"

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

  • Put it in the 180 bend :)

  • edited August 2013

    You need one of these. 2" 180 thermowell with clean in place 3/4 pull and thermowell ala stilldragon . Hope the picture turns out ok. Tried to take it in Natural Light.

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  • I looked all over in the North America web site and did not see the 4"x2" reducer with a 1/2" fitting. Nice to know it is available.

  • It is not available as such. You can use a 2" TC x 1/2" FPT (or the like) clamped to a torpedo top however. Fnulnu got lucky and Lloyd built that prototype to gauge interest within the community.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • @Smaug, your container should arrive soon with 4 copies of the 180 bend pictured above. After the prototype 5 copies were made and kept one for me! :)

  • I need to look at that fitting a little bit closer. Does it have serial number on it?? ;) If this fitting wasn't in my possession I would be looking for endcap with thermowell, or 2"TCx1/2FPT like Smaug suggested. With Smaug's fitting you could screw in a thermometer, when you were done you could screw in a valve for flushing, or you could just get two of them (TCxFPT) and just unclamp and reclamp the needed attachment.

  • edited August 2013

    This is a bsp fitting, but as i said i believe they are compatible in 1/2" and down. I'm sure smaug could get some in his next express shipment, they are the caps for Rims.

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

  • I used some swagelok weld-on 304L 1/4" compression fittings and a 1/4" thermowell with a teflon ferrule, then slid a low-cost, easy to replace, bead type thermistor in it (BCS uses thermistor)... I have them in kegs, tc fittings, etc..

    part number is Swagelok 304L-400-1-4W ( I got on ebay for cheap, 14 for $35) have to drill out to 1/4"

    thermowell was brewers hardware

    ferrule was grainger 1VCZ6

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  • @Smaug I'll take one of the four Lloyd is sending you. Send me an invoice :-)

  • Excellent! Does that fit our low cost elcheapo digital thermometer probe?
    $4 for a digital thermometer with 4mm probe?

    I paid many, many times that before I got into StillDragon. The elcheapo thermo cost me over $20 plus $12 shipping - back in the day, and now we vend it through SD for 4 bucks.

    <> <>

    The $4 digital thermometer is hard to keep in stock. It sells like hotcakes (we should sell hotcakes instead of digital thermometers?)

    *** StillDragon, purveyors of digital thermometers and hotcakes.

  • It fits, but loosely unless you hold it in with something, I am using 1/4" stainless tube thermowells. (~6.25mm OD, 4.95mm ID)

    if I put my bead type probe in, then the 4mm stainless probe, and push in with a jewelers screwdriver, I can get both probes in and they stay put.

    FYI - how accurate should I expect these to be at 78C? They seem to be off by 5-6 degrees, maybe it is something I am doing...

  • I have 4 or 5 of them that I use all the time, haven't noticed them to be off at all.
    Just wish they had an on/off button but that somehow adds 5 times to the cost.

    Mostly I don't much care about the temperature reading because during a run it's the change in temperature that alerts me.
    0.1° change can be the difference between hearts and tails.

    Love the idea of a compression fitting to hold/house the probe @CothermanDistilling.

  • @Smaug Thanks !!! As usual excellent service. Just ordered an adapter Swagelok SS-8-RA-6, 1/2" X 3/8" and a thermometer with 1/2" npt bottom connection and 4" stem that should go together with the 3/4" TC by 3/8" f npt fitting on the top of the 180, just had to have a mechanical thrermometer...:-)

  • You were entitled to the Thermo so I sent it. Please offer up some feedback as you compare our thermo against what you have sourced please.

    Thank you for your business cheers Smaug

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • @Smaug Dang I am one happy camper !!:-). Thanks for th super fast shipping. Soon as I make a run I will update but like Lloyd said it is not so much the temp I am after, is the small changes, from whatever it is, that give s me a clue as to something is changing...

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