Thoughts or feedback on this stil...

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bubbles2

Bubbles2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
656
Reaction score
143
Location
Lower Alabama
For $65 it would be hard to beat if it works at all! Even cobbling something together out of used Craigslist materials, you could easily have double that into it. That said, the quality has to be suspect. If you do decide to pull the trigger, I’d love to hear the results.
 
501irishred said:
For $65 it would be hard to beat if it works at all! Even cobbling something together out of used Craigslist materials, you could easily have double that into it. That said, the quality has to be suspect. If you do decide to pull the trigger, I’d love to hear the results.
Click to expand...
Well it is 65.00 ebay good rating, with recourse. but with a Thumper it is 102. I thought the same about piecing it together 20 bucks for 10' 1/2" copper, ferrels, connections, Used Pressure cooker, new gasket, on and on. Easy 60. before I even begin to spend time putting together.
 
I am no expert - basically know nothing about distillation - but doesn't a thumper create a potential problem if that component gets blocked? You then transform what is an open system into closed one with an enormous amount of pressure and a significant amount of flammable alcohol. I would think - but as I say I know nothing - - that the last thing you want with heat, metal and alcohol is pressure... What is the function of this "thumper"? Is it to "double distill" your wine or beer?
 
bernardsmith said:
I am no expert - basically know nothing about distillation - but doesn't a thumper create a potential problem if that component gets blocked? You then transform what is an open system into closed one with an enormous amount of pressure and a significant amount of flammable alcohol. I would think - but as I say I know nothing - - that the last thing you want with heat, metal and alcohol is pressure... What is the function of this "thumper"? Is it to "double distill" your wine or beer?
Click to expand...
Wanting to stay on TOPIC... I will answer this in hopes we do not go down scenario hwy about flash point and so on.
No for one, the first run would not light if I were to touch a lighter to it, the second run prob not as well. Albeit the the heads would, if separated and allowed to fume without circulation. EDIT> The first run would be flammable as would the second. So electric element is a good idea as mentioned.
That being stated, I would heat with a HERMS an electric burner outside or in the shed or garage. Plenty of air. Now the Still heats to a temp where the desired liquid will turn to condensation and travel up a tube and again to the Thumper, very slight chance of a clog from that.
Now in the Thumper where you might want to add Juniper berries (for example) that again is the tube is on the top and what escapes there into the worm where it is chilled and converts back to liquid.
EDIT> (The Thumpers In feed tube goes to the bottom of the Thumper where the distillate is then introduced and should travel through an ABV flavored or adding berries. THIS is where the system closed,. This system and the booze there with in heated, or staying hot enough not to collapse the distillate back to liquid form as you want it to then travel out the top hole into the Worm "coil")
However-Chances of a berry climbing into the tube would be quite an anomaly. Unless the Distillate cooled so much as to stay in the Thumper, and fill. You would not see any drips or flow out of the worm and should be understanding of a problem, IF it were to explode or vent with open flame that would be dangerous.

Where the final step is. EDIT (to the Chilled Worm)

Then a drip into a vessel that has adequate air flow.

So the Thumper that GreyWolf shared (from another thread about a Thumper) he heats up to bring to temp, could indeed be kept (at temp) via burner and HERMS or as he does it (from what I gather) is pre heat and let the primary (for brewer thinking) or Stil Pot do the work of a top of the heat chart temp to carry over. You prob read the other thread and replied here. New to all of this hence the questions
 
Last edited:
As I said, I know nothing about distillation but I am curious. I would imagine that a vacuum forms inside the kettle at the end of distillation when you turn off the heat and the temperature drops. With no thumper between the drip tube and the kettle, that vacuum will pull in air through all the tubing but with a thumper in place as the vacuum sucks in air it will also be sucking in any liquid from the thumper. Is there some mechanism to prevent that suck back without sealing the kettle? Or is that not a problem?
 
bernardsmith said:
As I said, I know nothing about distillation but I am curious. I would imagine that a vacuum forms inside the kettle at the end of distillation when you turn off the heat and the temperature drops. With no thumper between the drip tube and the kettle, that vacuum will pull in air through all the tubing but with a thumper in place as the vacuum sucks in air it will also be sucking in any liquid from the thumper. Is there some mechanism to prevent that suck back without sealing the kettle? Or is that not a problem?
Click to expand...
You are right. Indeed after further study today the Thumper is a bit antiquated but also still needed pending on what One is after. I want to retract my last statement or
EDIT, which I will with parenthesis above in the statement
 
No problem... I just imagine moonshiners during prohibition having all kinds of problems with thumpers.. and that a better approach (might take considerably longer, of course) would be to double distill your distillate or use a reflux column to repeatedly/continuously distill the wash by stripping more of the water and flavors from the distillate as the alcohol rises higher and higher in the column...
 
Yes that is why I asked about that model (link above) thoughts and comments about it. 65-85 bucks I can have a unit to distill. I have many uses for it. A pot Stil is desired.

I had asked in another thread as mentioned about the Thumper and after investigation a tower is great with copper mesh in it to help purify it. It all comes down to efficiency. The tower and condenser gives a higher finish with more volume. The link above would be less efficient, but I am not making a lot. So if I were to make a run with the one above, first run would come out 120p lets say. Using another with a tower with a 2" that it climbed with copper wool in it would kick out lets say 150p so when cutting it down to 80p I would theoretically have more/ or stretch it due to cutting/blending with h20 to get it to 80p. I am getting closer to just getting that one.
A Gallon would last 9 months or more, pending if I am making sauces.
 
Again, I must emphasize that my knowledge of distilling and spirits is nil. But does anyone really drink something that is stronger than 40% ABV (80 proof). Don't you have to dilute down to 80 proof. What is the problem if a still barely produces 100 proof alcohol (50% ABV)? and more: what is the problem if a still does not strip every last drop of flavor from the beer or wine that is the substrate IF - IF as a brewer or wine maker you can make an excellent wine or brew a great beer? Presumably a flavorless "vodka" is at one extreme of the distiller's craft but a great whisky or brandy is at the other extreme (I assume a gin is flavored vodka)..
 
bernardsmith said:
Again, I must emphasize that my knowledge of distilling and spirits is nil. But does anyone really drink something that is stronger than 40% ABV (80 proof). Don't you have to dilute down to 80 proof. What is the problem if a still barely produces 100 proof alcohol (50% ABV)? and more: what is the problem if a still does not strip every last drop of flavor from the beer or wine that is the substrate IF - IF as a brewer or wine maker you can make an excellent wine or brew a great beer? Presumably a flavorless "vodka" is at one extreme of the distiller's craft but a great whisky or brandy is at the other extreme (I assume a gin is flavored vodka)..
Click to expand...
I agree, I make some good beer and wine. I also want to be able to make Port and liqour or however a low proof thicker wine is called. I use Whisky when I make BBQ and Wing Sauce. I have a huge garden with many, many herbs. As well as to make my own distilled water. Many uses, especially when you have an oxygenated beer or a stale couple gallons of some good beer.
 
You can certainly get started with a system like this. My first was the pot that came with my turkey fryer. It will make passable liqour altho you WILL outgrow it if you stay with this hobby. The lines are a little small. You will learn about construction and that will lead to a trip to the plumbing supply store. Start looking for an unloved keg.
 
They have some bad reviews due to internal silicon parts and some versions of the still (multiple places make the exact same designs) not being sanitary welded, meaning crap can leach quite easily into your distillate.

For the most it should be fine for now, I would advise though throwing out all silicon gaskets and seals that can come in contact with alcohol and make your own.
 
TGFV said:
They have some bad reviews due to internal silicon parts and some versions of the still (multiple places make the exact same designs) not being sanitary welded, meaning crap can leach quite easily into your distillate.

For the most it should be fine for now, I would advise though throwing out all silicon gaskets and seals that can come in contact with alcohol and make your own.
Click to expand...

Which stills have had the "bad reviews"? Sorry, but your post is unclear considering that this thread refers to several models..
 
TGFV said:
They have some bad reviews due to internal silicon parts and some versions of the still (multiple places make the exact same designs) not being sanitary welded, meaning crap can leach quite easily into your distillate.

For the most it should be fine for now, I would advise though throwing out all silicon gaskets and seals that can come in contact with alcohol and make your own.
Click to expand...
Would you please explain the issue with silicone gaskets, including references? Silicone elastomers are commonly used in many brewing (and other food prep) applications, and I would like to have a better understanding of why they are problematic for distilling. What do you consider a better material for seals and gaskets, and why?

Also, shouldn't proper precleaning of the equipment leach anything out of welds (or elsewhere) so that they won't be there to leach into distillate? I don't think microbial growth should be an issue, as the parts are either exposed to steam, or alcohol concentrated enough to be a disinfectant.

Brew on :mug:
 
Last edited:
bernardsmith said:
Which stills have had the "bad reviews"? Sorry, but your post is unclear considering that this thread refers to several models..
Click to expand...

From the looks of it, unless I am missing links, there is only one model the OP has posted, the typical Chinese bulk still (thousands of sellers and resellers sell essentially the same still or near identical variations of the still).

The typical reviews are that it works fine as long as you make sure there are no holes in the welding, the metal isn't bent, you replace the silicone, and you only plan on doing small batches.

Just check out homedistiller, another person posted the site above. They have hundreds of threads concerning these stills.
 
doug293cz said:
Would you please explain the issue with silicone gaskets, including references? Silicone elastomers are commonly used in many brewing (and other food prep) applications, and I would like to have a better understanding of why they are problematic for distilling. What do you consider a better material for seals and gaskets, and why?

Also, shouldn't proper precleaning of the equipment leach anything out of welds (or elsewhere) so that they won't be there to leach into distillate? I don't think microbial growth should be an issue, as the parts are either exposed to steam, or alcohol concentrated enough to be a disinfectant.

Brew on :mug:
Click to expand...

Like above, much better descriptions of the problems with silicone are on the homedistiller site, and forum rules don't allow us to post thread links to outside forums (unless that's changed).

Silicone is fine for food prep, cooking and homebrewing 100%. But for distilling it becomes an issue since you are talking about 80% alcohol for extended periods of time (depending on type of run and size 2+ hours easily).

And for the welds, and sauder, it's the potential for lead and other toxic elements being used that becomes an issue.
 
TGFV said:
Like above, much better descriptions of the problems with silicone are on the homedistiller site, and forum rules don't allow us to post thread links to outside forums (unless that's changed).

Silicone is fine for food prep, cooking and homebrewing 100%. But for distilling it becomes an issue since you are talking about 80% alcohol for extended periods of time (depending on type of run and size 2+ hours easily).

And for the welds, and sauder, it's the potential for lead and other toxic elements being used that becomes an issue.
Click to expand...
I read the rules for homedistiller.org, and found nothing about linking to homedistiller from other sites. Only a prohibition on linking to a specific list of sites from homedistiller.

I'm not aware of any welding rod/wire that contains lead, but I am not an expert on welding materials. Lead containing solders have been outlawed for plumbing use in the USA (and I'm sure many other countries) for years, so not an issue if using plumbing solder from home improvement stores or plumbing suppliers. That doesn't mean I'd trust anything soldered from a supplier in a country with lax regulation and compliance oversight.

Brew on :mug:
 
Thanks for then insight and thoughts, but the above is Junk. I have moved on to another product via reading about 10 hours off and on. I also joined a distilling forum where they are abreast as most are with beer here. Might even 'nix' the whole deal all together, although mastering a Van Winkle Recipe could make it worth the squeeze. 300 a 750ml bottle..LOL
Stainless does not need so much attention as Copper, as in purge and clean before use and Copper can be circumvented using stainless via Copper mesh. 7 gallon is about the smallest you want to mess with considering the labor involved and yield when done.
It is a very interesting process and is much more dangerous than brewing.
Cheers
 
Apologies if you think that this is hijacking your post but I can never really understand the volumes that wine makers (and presumably moonshiners) talk about as making good sense. It's a lot like gardeners planting vegetables as if they are farmers. Why does it make good sense to make wine in five or six gallon batches rather than in one or three gallon volumes? Do you really plan on drinking 25-30 bottles of one wine? Sure if you were making wine for a wedding or some other large party... Perhaps. But do you really want to be drinking the same wine day after day after day? And so the idea of making a batch of spirits with seven gallons of wash.. what's that make about a gallon, a gallon and a half of whisky or brandy or vodka? Certainly , it's quicker to make anything one and done.. but to me the value of making craft wines and beers and meads is that I can make a small and different batch almost every week and when that batch has been aged and enjoyed and is gone.. THAT is part of the beauty of the process. Its scarcity. The next batch may not be as good. It may be far better. It will be different and unique and when it's gone it's gone. Da Vinci never painted a thousand Mona Lisas. Michalangelo never sculpted a hundred Davids.. but that's what we are always trying to do... and I cannot figure out why...
 
bernardsmith said:
Apologies if you think that this is hijacking your post but I can never really understand the volumes that wine makers (and presumably moonshiners) talk about as making good sense. It's a lot like gardeners planting vegetables as if they are farmers. Why does it make good sense to make wine in five or six gallon batches rather than in one or three gallon volumes? Do you really plan on drinking 25-30 bottles of one wine? Sure if you were making wine for a wedding or some other large party... Perhaps. But do you really want to be drinking the same wine day after day after day? And so the idea of making a batch of spirits with seven gallons of wash.. what's that make about a gallon, a gallon and a half of whisky or brandy or vodka? Certainly , it's quicker to make anything one and done.. but to me the value of making craft wines and beers and meads is that I can make a small and different batch almost every week and when that batch has been aged and enjoyed and is gone.. THAT is part of the beauty of the process. Its scarcity. The next batch may not be as good. It may be far better. It will be different and unique and when it's gone it's gone. Da Vinci never painted a thousand Mona Lisas. Michalangelo never sculpted a hundred Davids.. but that's what we are always trying to do... and I cannot figure out why...
Click to expand...

No problem it seems the norm around here to "go off the reservation" You are not alone I assure you. Hence my scarcity around here anymore...LOL
So I am glad you looked up what a 7 gal still will give you. However you cannot fill a 7 gal still all the way up to the top albeit a 7 gal still......
So we use 5 gal maybe 5.5 to push it. To Yield almost a Gallon, two Handles.... or 4- 750's....
Some share, some bottle and leave it for a year, some can drink a handle in a month. Some care not to be always brewing and cleaning.
I cannot teach you anything, only remind you what you have forgotten. When one of those examples come to fruition in your lifestyle then you may have the answer you desire.

My wine is made and the GF gives it away as she does my sauces, and sodas and whatever I mess around with. Beers I make, that are bottled are given to my rancher and my Dr and the likes...So you can see how a Gallon could go quick if you make Rembrandt's in a bottle. Can't just give em two shots.
 

Similar threads

Bubbles2
Thumper question
Replies
12
Views
14K
Shine0n
Shine0n

Latest posts

Back
Top