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Melgar
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Registered: 23-2-2010
Location: Connecticut
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Here's my old reflux still. It used a hot water heater element to boil the wash, and could be run on 120v for a 1000W steady simmer, or 240v for
4000W of heat to get it boiling quick. The black column is an insulated copper 1.5 inch pipe packed with stainless steel pot scrubbers to create a
lot of surface area for liquid to condense on. Like a Vigareaux column only way more. Cold water is being run through a copper coil at the top where
the alcohol condenses and then is run back into the column. After the still has been running a while I'd start collecting from the condensate,
slowly, and this is the 90% stuff.
Oh, the bucket at the bottom is a stainless steel milker bucket, which worked amazingly well. These are hard to find though, and I've also had
success with polypropylene buckets. They can withstand temperatures about 10 degrees C higher than the standard hdpe ones. The only tricky part is
figuring out how to support the column.
Also, I've found one package of distiller's yeast can easily do two five gallon buckets, which lets you stretch it quite a lot. If distiller's yeast
is too expensive or unavailable, champaigne yeast can easily do 15%, and is the most alcohol tolerant of the commercial strains. You need nutrients
though, which the distiller's yeast typically comes with.
[Edited on 2/16/11 by Melgar]
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Regolith
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Registered: 4-2-2011
Location: Mining the moon.
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Nice, see, this is the kinda work I knew someone here had. Question, does the tails seem to take longer to arrive and there is less of it ? I don't
reflux my still that hardcore. Those who I know that do say it fixes even more unwanted compounds in the wash and does the above.
OH regarding milker buckets I found an easy source to be feed stores that stock chicken feed etc. They are pricey though, I've seen used ones at the
same places if your so inclined. Seeing your design now I may do the same. I'd forgotten there stainless steel and usually have a smallish mouth thats
easy to convert.
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