DIY still column for bayou 30qt

[Jayjay1976]

Hey friends,

I'm trying to adapt my bayou 30qt kettle to distill some water. I would add a column to the lid that came with it if I could locate a replacement to use while brewing. Seems that bayou classic doesn't sell lids so plan B is to find a universal lid or a mixing bowl that fits the 13-3/4" rim diameter. I'm pretty confident the wok lid linked below will work, just thought I would check here first in case some folks have tried the same thing.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003HEV05U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20"+pot+lid

Next, I plan to use a ss sink drain and 2" copper union to adapt the tower. My mouth is watering already thinking about all the delicious distilled water I'm going to make!

 

[AkTom]

I’d like to see it. The Amazon lid looks like it should work for a brew lid.

 

[Shine0n]

I've used bowls before with paste and binder clips, it's kinda a pita but very effective although mine was not a packed column so I didn't have the height restraint you'll have with a reflux column.

What's the height you're going for and what kind of reflux column you looking to buy/build?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Not planning on building a proper reflux, at least not right away. I mostly want a pot still for brandies, scotch and such. I ended up ordering a 30qt bayou and now I need to locate the correct sink drain and associated fittings to install in the lid.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Stilldragon has 2" weldless TC bulkheads for $50. Other sites have 1.5" weldless flanges for half that but I think I need the 2" diameter. The 2"would allow me to use a 2" copper TC ferrule from clawhammer as the base of my column, soldering ~18" of 2" copper to the ferrule, then topping with a traditional 135* elbow assembly, a config suitable for producing full-flavored rums, brandies, and single-malt scotch. Does this make sense?

 

[Shine0n]

It does, just remember that you need to strip run and then do a spirit run if you want good flavors.
Some might jump and say they can do single runs and get good stuff...possibly but not likely.

I run a thumper and thought it was good as it gets, I did a stripping run for a rum just to shut up the critics and to my wonderful surprise. I WAS WRONG!!!

Stripping run followed by a spirit run is the ticket, even better if you do 3 and have enough low wines for a proper run to maximize yield.

On average I retrieve 60-65% of my spirit runs as good drinking likker, no burn even at 120p, cleaner tastes and best of all...Bo headaches from it.

Don't take that the wrong way and think if you drink a 5th you won't hurt the next day because too much Alki is too much Alki and you'll feel like **** but without the massive headache to go with it.

2" is great for a potstill and I love mine and even use it on occasion when not running my 4"

 

[Jayjay1976]

It does, just remember that you need to strip run and then do a spirit run if you want good flavors.
Some might jump and say they can do single runs and get good stuff...possibly but not likely.

I run a thumper and thought it was good as it gets, I did a stripping run for a rum just to shut up the critics and to my wonderful surprise. I WAS WRONG!!!

Stripping run followed by a spirit run is the ticket, even better if you do 3 and have enough low wines for a proper run to maximize yield.

On average I retrieve 60-65% of my spirit runs as good drinking likker, no burn even at 120p, cleaner tastes and best of all...Bo headaches from it.

Don't take that the wrong way and think if you drink a 5th you won't hurt the next day because too much Alki is too much Alki and you'll feel like poopy but without the massive headache to go with it.

2" is great for a potstill and I love mine and even use it on occasion when not running my 4"

Thanks for the info!!! I have a couple further questions:

1. Since my pot is 30L, should I prepare 10g of wash, split between two stripping runs, then combine both for a spirit run?
2. Will adding a couple of copper scrubbies to the column create a little reflux action and improve the performance or flavor?
3. Would I be better off just building a copper reflux tower or boka from the get-go?

As neat as they sound, I don't want to build a good ole fashioned pot still if the results are going to be disappointing. I don't want to get discouraged and quit but I also don't want to strip out all the flavors and end up with neutral spirits.

 

[Shine0n]

Triple what your boiler will hold and strip it down to do a single spirit run.
If you have copper in the column you do not need to use scrubbies.
They serve no purpose in a potstill but the more copper in the vapor path the less likely you'll end up with sulfur smells in your spirit.
Potstills have been and are a great tool for flavorful spirits.
You can also take some 1/2" copper tubes and cut them into small pieces and use them in the column as long as you have a way to block them from falling into your boiler.
If you can source a 15.5 gal ss keg that would be your best bet as the 2" tc will fit perfectly on there.
Also you don't have to have a high tower for a potstill, 12" is plenty high enough.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Triple what your boiler will hold and strip it down to do a single spirit run.
If you have copper in the column you do not need to use scrubbies.
They serve no purpose in a potstill but the more copper in the vapor path the less likely you'll end up with sulfur smells in your spirit.
Potstills have been and are a great tool for flavorful spirits.
You can also take some 1/2" copper tubes and cut them into small pieces and use them in the column as long as you have a way to block them from falling into your boiler.
If you can source a 15.5 gal ss keg that would be your best bet as the 2" tc will fit perfectly on there.
Also you don't have to have a high tower for a potstill, 12" is plenty high enough.

I'll stick with a ~12" tower and start out with zero packing. I have a bunch of fermenters so stripping down multiple batches then combining for a spirit run is no problem. I have lots of ale yeast on hand but bread yeast would be cheaper, just want to end up with something flavorful to sip on. A good friend of mine is gluten intolerant and can't try my beers. To be able to produce some sippin' whisky that won't make him sick is the main reason I want to try my hand at distilling.

Edit: sharing my art with him is the only reason i want to learn how to distill. He's a close friend, just allergic to glutens. What a curse.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Dernord makes some beautiful stainless tri clamp fittings that end up being cheaper than 2" wrot copper fittings. Does anyone have a simple tri clamp plan I can follow?

 

[Shine0n]

If you don't mind asking, what all do you know about makingnlikker?
Making a wash is easy
Running a still is easy but can get dangerous very quickly
Making cuts will be the challenge for the first few but don't discouraged by a not so good run/cuts and give up.

I've been home distilling now for over 20 years and even I still mess up sometimes.

if you have any q's don't hesitate to ask, I work weird hours and have little kids so I can't always get right to answering but I'll look frequently and see what's up.

Do you have any recipes yet?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Update: I ordered a 2" stainless tri-clamp pot still head from Moonshine Stills on Amazon.

For a lid I have a large disk of stainless/aluminum/stainless tri-ply about 1/8" thick that overhangs the pot slightly but fits perfectly with a dozen medium binder clamps. I picked up a roll of the thick and wide light blue PTFE tape to seal it to the pot with.

To adapt the 2" still head to the lid, I ordered a 4" x 2" stainless tri-clamp reducer from Dernord and a 4" PTFE gasket. I plan to drill a hole in the lid to accommodate the 4" opening and bolt it to the lid with 6 stainless bolts. My challenge now is, do I bolt the reducer down on top of the lid leaving a very thin band of aluminum exposed where the hole is drilled through the tri-ply, or should I insert the reducer up from the bottom of the lid and deal with sealing against the beveled tr-clamp flange? Is the small area of aluminum going to be a problem wrt corrosion? Or, can I rely on a layer of aluminum oxide forming to protect the aluminum from the vapors?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Upon further reading, the paranoia about aluminum in the vapor path seems overblown and without merit. I'll drill a 4" hole and use SS bolts to cinch the 4" flange down to the lid, compressing the PTFE gasket to create a tight seal.

 

[Shine0n]

I've read many articles about aluminum and I'll plead for you not to expose it to vapor or any acidic liquids.

WAY back in the day I had an aluminum thumper that I used for 2 runs, it was pitted, lost volume of thickness and the likker was off tasting after just 2 runs.

I don't know where you looked but it's out there and is with out a doubt very dangerous.

If it were not, it would be used commercially because of cost alone vs ss and copper.

Please do more research and find a better solution for your pot top, a large inverted ss bowl will do just fine in your application.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I've read many articles about aluminum and I'll plead for you not to expose it to vapor or any acidic liquids.

WAY back in the day I had an aluminum thumper that I used for 2 runs, it was pitted, lost volume of thickness and the likker was off tasting after just 2 runs.

I don't know where you looked but it's out there and is with out a doubt very dangerous.

If it were not, it would be used commercially because of cost alone vs ss and copper.

Please do more research and find a better solution for your pot top, a large inverted ss bowl will do just fine in your application.

As a physician I can assure you that aluminum poses no particular health risks. One of earth's most common elements, its in the air you breathe all day long. My concern was about corrosive degradation of the structural lid.

 

[Shine0n]

I won't argue with you but I believe you're wrong and really need to do more research.
I've done mine and I know what it does to a spirit and will do to your body when ingested.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Here is how it ended up, I can't wait to purify some rainwater with it!

 

[Shine0n]

What kind of gasket did you put under the column?
I made a gasket out of a copper sheet cut to the OD and I'D of the flange and wrapped Teflon tape around it.

It lasted 2 years

 

[Jayjay1976]

What kind of gasket did you put under the column?
I made a gasket out of a copper sheet cut to the OD and I'D of the flange and wrapped Teflon tape around it.

It lasted 2 years

A 4" teflon gasket is on the way. Amazon sent the wrong size twice, hopefully third time's a charm.

 

[Shine0n]

The Teflon ones I have are hard as bricks and don't compress very well unless with a tri-clamp.
Give a couple wraps with some Teflon tape if you can't get a good seal as is.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I might switch to silicone seals.

 

[hootowl]

I would never use aluminum, especially mixed with other metals of different coefficient's of expansion. Aluminum expands quickly when it gets hot. Might make for leaking as temps rise. Also I don't like those grey mashed potatoes you get when you make them in an aluminum pot.

 

[Shine0n]

Yea. aluminum is a big no no!

 

[Jayjay1976]

I would never use aluminum, especially mixed with other metals of different coefficient's of expansion. Aluminum expands quickly when it gets hot. Might make for leaking as temps rise. Also I don't like those grey mashed potatoes you get when you make them in an aluminum pot.

The lid in question is 1/16" of aluminum between two layers of 1/32" stainless steel that has been roll-bonded under extremely high pressure and temperature resulting in a single solid piece of tri-ply which is specifically made for manufacturing high-end cookware. Temperature fluctuations are zero problem, and the high-purity metals are specifically intended for food contact. The exposed aluminum area is a ring, 1/16" wide x the circumference of the 4" hole drilled through the lid. Once I complete the cleaning run there will be a nice layer of aluminum oxide to passivate the surface and isolate the underlying aluminum from any further contact with the vapors. A lot of people distill in stainless stock pots that have handles attached by aluminum rivets which expose more surface area than what I have in my setup.

 

[hootowl]

That's fine to use as far as I know. No exposed aluminum.

 

[C-Rider]

Hey friends,

I'm trying to adapt my bayou 30qt kettle to distill some water. I would add a column to the lid that came with it if I could locate a replacement to use while brewing. Seems that bayou classic doesn't sell lids so plan B is to find a universal lid or a mixing bowl that fits the 13-3/4" rim diameter. I'm pretty confident the wok lid linked below will work, just thought I would check here first in case some folks have tried the same thing.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003HEV05U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20"+pot+lid

Next, I plan to use a ss sink drain and 2" copper union to adapt the tower. My mouth is watering already thinking about all the delicious distilled water I'm going to make!

My fear would be that for 11$ you are getting Chinese SS and I doubt it's life. I try to stay away from ANYTHING made in China, but then I'm a political nut. LOL

 

[Jayjay1976]

My fear would be that for 11$ you are getting Chinese SS and I doubt it's life. I try to stay away from ANYTHING made in China, but then I'm a political nut. LOL

Then put down your phone/tablet/computer and run away to the comfort of a good old fashioned, made in usa abacus..

I ended up using a nice, solid, high-quality piece of heavy duty impact bonded ss/alu/ss tri-ply made in China. Works really well with my setup, thanks.

 

[C-Rider]

Then put down your phone/tablet/computer and run away to the comfort of a good old fashioned, made in usa abacus..

I ended up using a nice, solid, high-quality piece of heavy duty impact bonded ss/alu/ss tri-ply made in China. Works really well with my setup, thanks.

I've purchased in the past SS from China that rusted in a few months of use. I try to buy as little as I can from China. If I have no choice the I buy it. But w/clothes I check labels and buy from USA or other nations if can. How about Aleave? Did you know it's made in China? I wouldn't put it in my body. But nuff politics on this beer board. LOL I got your point.

 

[brewman !]

OP: how did this work out ?
Are you doing double runs to make flavored spirits ?
Do you wish we had a reflux column ?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Its been working really well, just made a bunch of hand sanitizer for friends and family this past weekend. Brewed up 20 gallons of sugar shine, ran it through in batches, then combined and ran it again and ended up with ~3 gallons of 75%+ ethyl alcohol.

I really recommend running twice, it still retained plenty of flavor and quite aromatic. Moderate the coolant flow to maximize proof. I was running my coolant pump full throttle and that pulls over a lot more water.

I couldn't find commercial aloe gel it is all sold out because so many people are making their own sanitizer, so I bought fresh aloe leaves at the Latin grocery store and pressed them myself.