Another great video Professor George! Here’s a tip for those that only have 120 volt outlets available; I have a 2000 watt in tank heating element in my 8 gallon boiler; that also sits on a 1800 watt hot plate. I have the 2000 watt in tank element plugged into my audible PID controller; which is plugged into a 120 volt outlet on a 20 amp circuit. The 1800 Watt hot plate is plugged into a different 120 volt outlet on another 20 amp circuit. So each is on its own 20 amp circuit. This gives me a total of 3800 watts total; of which I only use both elements to bring it up to 173 F. After that I’m running so I shut off the hotplate and only run the in tank element. So it only takes me way less than one hour to get up to temperature. Plus with a fairly tall 2” column; I can make a full run from fire up to shut down real quick like! Man, I love this sport so very much; and I’m so very thankful that I first found George on TH-cam about 2 years ago., and the rest as they say; is history! George; I hope you and Jackie have a most wonderful Thanksgiving. Take care and be safe my friend. Happy distilling, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a great night! Wow, too much tryptophan, now where’s the couch?
I wish I could have had you as my science teacher in high school. I would have aced energy as opposed to have flunked it!!! For the first time in my entire life I'm understanding this. Thank you very much!
One could use an element for any oven, cut and shape for whatever the application. Hammer the ends flat, drill, attach your power cord. Include a rheostat to control wattage. You have opened my mind with stills, my mann
I use two 120V 1500W heaters on different circuits. One is temperature controlled and the other is just wired through a 20A heavy duty switch. I soldered in brass bushings into the copper sidewall of the pot and then the heaters thread into that. I start out with both heaters on, powered off different 20A breakers and with 12 gauge extension cords. Once I get to about 180F, I switch off the startup heater and let the 1500W cycling heater boil the water. 1500W is more than enough to boil a 5 gallon water distiller. It saves a lot of money not having to wire up a temp controller for the startup heater.
AGAIN...a fantastic video and it helps us beginners. All VERY clear, easy to understand and helps to build confidence as this is all totally new to me.
Love this beginners series you are working on gives you every thing need to no watched all your other vids already it's nice to have a good recap on all the category's thanks George keep it up and happy distilling my friend also happy Thanksgiving to you and family
This is so valuable! I be been looking for such formulas and you have explained it absolutely perfectly! Don’t forget kw/240 = amps 2500 / 240 = 10.41 amps, you need the breaker and wire size to support the amp load!
Thank you so much George. You have raised the bar very high, in alcohol distilling information. I am building a home still out of a 3.6 gal. coffee urn and this information has been a lifesaver in wondering if my urn would be able to get up to a high enough temp. Listening to you is like. Listening to the friendly next door neighbor, who is also a high school science teacher. You rock.
I love all of your videos George. I've really learned alot so far and I have alot more to learn. Your videos have been instrumental in my journey. One thing I would suggest on heating is to remind people to check and calibrate their thermal couple. It may be something that everyone already knows but being brand new to the hobby I never thought twice about it. That is until I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong and burned up a 12 gallon brandy wash. My temp was off by 31 degrees. I installed a new ,better, thermal couple and found out how to calibrate it on my pid. Now, at this moment, I'm running 12 gallons of some exquisite muscandine brandy. Thanks again for all you do. Cheers
Good job on simplification on heating thermal mass, bet more hobbyist wish they understood algebra better. Very clear on how to raise the temperature of a gallon of a water based mashed, as always a great segment.
Great info. Much needed info for me. I want to assemble another boiler , and use the elements(rather than propane), this info will help emensly. Cheers
Great info but I think 75 degrees raised to 180 degrees is an increase of 105 degrees, not 95. Regardless, the concept is clear. Love the videos. I think I’m hooked.
I love your channel, it has helped me so much. I live in New Zealand and I have a euro still reflux still with 2 elements , a 1000w and a 1500w. I use both so to get to temperature quicker, then switch the 1500w off and control the heat with the water flow when using the reflux . what I struggle with is when using it as a pot still is that I cant keep the right temperature because i cant use the water as a controller. can you advice me on a possible solution for that or do i need to buy a pot still for my whiskies and brandies. thank you
George, thanks as always for the clear info. I've been looking at cobbling up my own pot vs. buying one of the 20L Chinese "football" stills (available locally, as it happens). The all-up price for that is CAD$270, and includes a flanged port on the boiler' s side like the one you tested. However, I have only 120 VAC readily available, and it occurs to me that the flip side of a larger heating element is to use a smaller pot. Less convenient, I know, but the available kW/h could then be matched to the size. There's a certain temptation to just go and buy the darn thing, but then of course there's ingredients, etc. on top, and I'm on a reitirement budget. So building a smaller unit, sized with efficient proportions, could get around the heating issue. I have an old 7L pressure cooker - still works fine - but I'm pretty sure it's aluminum, so not so good. I've been surprised by the lack of 2nd-hand stock pots around here - the few that are for sale are more money than new ones on Amazon (same brand and everything). Anyhow, we'll see what turns up as I keep hunting. Thanks for all of your very helpful "explainers."
Flying Beaver, getting 240v from you 120v source cold be very simple. Look up a couple of vids on Yt. Requires an additional leg (120v source). You probably already have 220v for some appliance in your home. Stove, furnace, well or maybe water heater. Just turn off the breakers or it could be a hair raising experience. Stay safe and health. I like you Canucks, :-) Michigan boy here.
Flying beaver: I am building a heating vessel out of a 60-cup (3.6 Gal.) coffee urn. (like the ones in a meeting hall). I got it off of E-bay. It is 120 VAC and it has a 1200W heating element in it. Plenty to do the job. The only thing that has to be done to it is. To wire it up straight and now buy a $35.00 PID off of amazon. Good Luck, Dennis
I’ve watched a few videos on heating elements. I still haven’t found any info on wattage of elements per size of still. For a 15 gallon pot still how many watts of heating element is ideal? Thinking about getting a brewhaus 15 gal pot/reflux. Just trying to figure out the needed wattage on heating elements. Any suggestions?
OK George. In part one, you showed the Mighty Mini. You sold me on it. What heating element are you using in your in? What control box are you using? So I can get mine ordered and get it in the Mail, thanks. By the way. I know you did 30 five years in a service. What Branch.
Hi great video. Like to diy a 30lb-40lb hot water tank. Want your opinion as what the setup should be, I'm gonna use it for a constant running for a 12ft-14ft above groundpool. Which is going to be wall plug to 120v and 15amp breaker. Is it possible and what element should be use. Thanks in advance...
Theres a way to get through the 145-160 degree phase without getting a ton of methanol or losing alcohol through the vapors that spew from the tip until hitting that temp too... In my experiment I put a small shutoff valve on my output and I keep it off until the pot hits 165-170 degrees then I open it up...Pressure isnt a problem plus the 2-3psi it produces for that short time also helps raise the boiling point of water....... I also wrap my output tube all the way to the cooling coil to keep it from condensing too early......... Works great so far for me..Try it out for yourself................. I only get a teaspoon of methanol from a 3 gallon setup using this method which is great when making hand sanitizer..........
Thank you Mr. George for your willingness to teach and explain down to the smallest detail. Is there a optimum wattage or time per gallon so as not to burn the product, but also not to go to sleep waiting for it to come out the other end?
Dear George, Any information or opinion on using/wiring a 208VAC/6KW LOW WATTAGE DENSITY element, approx. 11.5" element length, with my Australian style 8 gallon boiler, as opposed to the approx. (barely) 8" HIGH WATTAGE DENSITY element, in a boiler 13-3/4" diameter from opposite wall to face of the sanitary fitting! Mainly I want to reduce my risk of scorching the mash! Sincerely, Steve Newton.
I would not use a PID with an induction cook top. It is like using a control knob to control a volume control knob that controls volume of a radio. They start to work against each other.
Is that top # right? 3.88 or 8.33? Also, quick question on the 2nd page, before you flipped to the 3rd. The bottom 3500w will raise in a half an hour, and the one above at 5500w will take an hour? Should that be the opposite? Stronger element takes a shorter period of time? Sorry, just trying to understand all this math...
I wish I would have seen this video before I built my still. I made the mistake of using a 5500 watt element in my 15 gallon still. To hot to fast. The problem that I had was tails getting mixed in with the hearts. Problem solved when I changed to a 3500 watt element.
Thanks for teaching this old dog some new tricks George you sir have helped me take my process way past the next level. Subscribe to this channel and let George improve your game too.
@Wise Guys Outdoors I always remember WAV which stands for watts = amps * volts and remember that most homes have 15 amp breakers, but some have 20 amp so you need to check which one you have 15 amp or 20 amp. Once you know the breakers you will be running on take amps * volts to determine your maximum watts. W = 15 amps * 110 volts = 1650 watts as an example if you have a 15 amp circuit breaker and it's running on 110 volts (aka 110-120v). Hope this helps.
Im planning on doing a 20 gallon still and the calculations lead me to 5,121watts . So I'm thinking of getting the 5500 watt element. Won't that be pulling a hell of a lot of electricity for the hour to raise the temperature and the balance of the 24 hours or so distilling?
Should not take you 24 hours to make a run. Something is not right if it does. A 5500 watt element only draws about 23 amps at 100%. This is only for the heat up phase which should only be around 45 minutes to an hour. Your run should be somewhere in the range of 6 hours or so depending on your still design.
Hey George it's been a hot minute since I've bugged ya I was wondering if you have ever heard anything about using steel drums for a still and steel pipe for a column I've heard it will give a bad iron taste I figured I'd ask the man himself instead of wasteing time building a steel still for nothing also will a heater element fit in a 1inch npt coupling that brew Haus offers thanks boss
Happy T-day. I know your math well, but the conversation might be interesting to take it a next step into latent heat of vaporization. Many don’t know or understand the water take roughly 8X the energy to boil verse ethanol. I don’t think sizing elements should be tied to heating up water, but rather thinking more about reflux ratio and boil off rate. The idea of 3:1 reflux ratio for example to boil off 20-25% of the fermentation. Or say 1.5 gals of 5. Or something like that ratio. It might be too deep, but it’s also all tied into why thumpers work. More it tied to the extreme difference in energy needed to boil water verse ethanol. Alcohol comes over much faster than the water in the thumper. Just thinking out loud to complete the thought.
Took a few times to understand this, but say you have a 1/4 barrel keg. With 5 gallon, with 105 temp difference. Divide by 410. Then x 1000, you get 1280 watt element. Hope I saved someone some work.
@Peter CAtto I am sure George has been referring to US gallons so all you have to do is put (3.785412 * L) everywhere he has referenced gallons and you will be doing just great. Literally just replace gallons with (3.785412 * L) since they are the same thing. Just to clarify, if George had "5 Gallons" you should have "5 * (3.785412 * L)" and remove the word gallons. hope this helps
Hey guys. I drilled and tapped my keg for an element. Just with water I have a drip. I wrapped Teflon tape heavy around it. Anyone know what I can do to stop the leak? Thanks
Why so complicated? T=(0.0011*m*(t2-t1))/P or for still design P=(0.0011*m*(t2-t1))/T. T-hours that need for heating mass of water (m, kg), from temperature t1 to t2 (C), with P-power on a heating element (kW).
I put your formulas in the shared spreadsheet that i had already created under the tab titled "Metric." docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z8cfIGQov-6GA_ywFaQUMfwGBUe6pp2gZuOseXxINI4/edit?usp=sharing Hope this helps everyone :)
I couldn’t follow everything cuz I kina stupid. But I did Learn that the 3500 ultra low to medium density Heater element with NPT threads is the best fit if I’m using 240 volts on an 8 gallon pot.
1 BTU can raise the temperature of 1 gallon of water 1 degree in one hour. I know that because I’m in the natural gas industry. Electricity and math are so far out of my element that I have to trust you George!
JoyTube 1" FPT Water Tank Connector Bulkhead Fittings Stainless Steel Look this up on amazon they work for adding heating element. I tried his links and none of them took me to the right place
you also need thermal energy,to make alcohol. remember,zero energy is zero KELVIN,not C or F. thats about -270,or so. without thermal energy you wont get anything.
None of this matters , what matters is what temp. does ethanol turn to gas vapor at sea level, what would be the standard liquid temp. of the mash to distill it properly. ?????????? Anyone with a thermometer can get it to that temperature and keep it there. And whats your rush ? anyone distilling is doing it for fun not a job , time doesn't matter.
George is a national treasure and we should petition to make him landmark status!
1000% behind this!
Another great video Professor George! Here’s a tip for those that only have 120 volt outlets available; I have a 2000 watt in tank heating element in my 8 gallon boiler; that also sits on a 1800 watt hot plate. I have the 2000 watt in tank element plugged into my audible PID controller; which is plugged into a 120 volt outlet on a 20 amp circuit. The 1800 Watt hot plate is plugged into a different 120 volt outlet on another 20 amp circuit. So each is on its own 20 amp circuit. This gives me a total of 3800 watts total; of which I only use both elements to bring it up to 173 F. After that I’m running so I shut off the hotplate and only run the in tank element. So it only takes me way less than one hour to get up to temperature. Plus with a fairly tall 2” column; I can make a full run from fire up to shut down real quick like! Man, I love this sport so very much; and I’m so very thankful that I first found George on TH-cam about 2 years ago., and the rest as they say; is history! George; I hope you and Jackie have a most wonderful Thanksgiving. Take care and be safe my friend.
Happy distilling, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a great night! Wow, too much tryptophan, now where’s the couch?
I wish I could have had you as my science teacher in high school. I would have aced energy as opposed to have flunked it!!!
For the first time in my entire life I'm understanding this. Thank you very much!
Wow, thank you!
Well said. Context is everything.
Thank you George , I’m 4 years into the hobby, I always kept it simple. I enjoy your videos. Lots and lots to learn.
One could use an element for any oven, cut and shape for whatever the application.
Hammer the ends flat, drill, attach your power cord. Include a rheostat to control wattage.
You have opened my mind with stills, my mann
I use two 120V 1500W heaters on different circuits. One is temperature controlled and the other is just wired through a 20A heavy duty switch. I soldered in brass bushings into the copper sidewall of the pot and then the heaters thread into that. I start out with both heaters on, powered off different 20A breakers and with 12 gauge extension cords. Once I get to about 180F, I switch off the startup heater and let the 1500W cycling heater boil the water. 1500W is more than enough to boil a 5 gallon water distiller. It saves a lot of money not having to wire up a temp controller for the startup heater.
AGAIN...a fantastic video and it helps us beginners. All VERY clear, easy to understand and helps to build confidence as this is all totally new to me.
Such a great series George!
Love this beginners series you are working on gives you every thing need to no watched all your other vids already it's nice to have a good recap on all the category's thanks George keep it up and happy distilling my friend also happy Thanksgiving to you and family
Great video George! Always so informative. Thanks for what you do!
This is so valuable! I be been looking for such formulas and you have explained it absolutely perfectly! Don’t forget kw/240 = amps 2500 / 240 = 10.41 amps, you need the breaker and wire size to support the amp load!
Once again I am in awe watching your classroom excellence.... now, I’ve got to try this
Thank you so much for the series! you are absolutely awesome to watch. very intelligent.
Thank you so much George. You have raised the bar very high, in alcohol distilling information. I am building a home still out of a 3.6 gal. coffee urn and this information has been a lifesaver in wondering if my urn would be able to get up to a high enough temp. Listening to you is like. Listening to the friendly next door neighbor, who is also a high school science teacher. You rock.
I love all of your videos George. I've really learned alot so far and I have alot more to learn. Your videos have been instrumental in my journey. One thing I would suggest on heating is to remind people to check and calibrate their thermal couple. It may be something that everyone already knows but being brand new to the hobby I never thought twice about it. That is until I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong and burned up a 12 gallon brandy wash. My temp was off by 31 degrees. I installed a new ,better, thermal couple and found out how to calibrate it on my pid. Now, at this moment, I'm running 12 gallons of some exquisite muscandine brandy. Thanks again for all you do. Cheers
Great video George, this helps!
Thanks George, my memory isn't was it use to be. Your explanation on this subject is outstanding. Bravo MILKM@N(oYo)
Good job on simplification on heating thermal mass, bet more hobbyist wish they understood algebra better. Very clear on how to raise the temperature of a gallon of a water based mashed, as always a great segment.
Great info. Much needed info for me. I want to assemble another boiler , and use the elements(rather than propane), this info will help emensly.
Cheers
If only all math teachers shared your exuberance.
George I am really enjoying this new series
Thanks George I joined December 2020 every evening I watch about 5 to 7 videos. Your channel is very informative. Thanks!
Happy turkey day, George! Love your channel!
Great video thanks!!
Outstanding George
This was super helpful!
Thanks this answered alot of questions i had.
The ability to control the heat is to me one of the most important parts of distillation.
Love the useful information. When you get to aging and flavoring are you going to touch on how to figure the amount of water to proof down?
Great info but I think 75 degrees raised to 180 degrees is an increase of 105 degrees, not 95. Regardless, the concept is clear. Love the videos. I think I’m hooked.
Very useful information! Thank you
Cant wait o get started.
Having Kw personified, was a nice touch! It paid off .... sure did. :-) Thank you for taking the time to give us all a much needed education.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I bet this man's product is better than anything you can buy in a store, I love this guy !
Great video!
Thanks!
Thank you George.
I love your channel, it has helped me so much. I live in New Zealand and I have a euro still reflux still with 2 elements , a 1000w and a 1500w. I use both so to get to temperature quicker, then switch the 1500w off and control the heat with the water flow when using the reflux . what I struggle with is when using it as a pot still is that I cant keep the right temperature because i cant use the water as a controller. can you advice me on a possible solution for that or do i need to buy a pot still for my whiskies and brandies. thank you
I appreciate your video thank you sir
George, thanks as always for the clear info. I've been looking at cobbling up my own pot vs. buying one of the 20L Chinese "football" stills (available locally, as it happens). The all-up price for that is CAD$270, and includes a flanged port on the boiler' s side like the one you tested. However, I have only 120 VAC readily available, and it occurs to me that the flip side of a larger heating element is to use a smaller pot. Less convenient, I know, but the available kW/h could then be matched to the size.
There's a certain temptation to just go and buy the darn thing, but then of course there's ingredients, etc. on top, and I'm on a reitirement budget. So building a smaller unit, sized with efficient proportions, could get around the heating issue. I have an old 7L pressure cooker - still works fine - but I'm pretty sure it's aluminum, so not so good. I've been surprised by the lack of 2nd-hand stock pots around here - the few that are for sale are more money than new ones on Amazon (same brand and everything). Anyhow, we'll see what turns up as I keep hunting. Thanks for all of your very helpful "explainers."
Flying Beaver, getting 240v from you 120v source cold be very simple. Look up a couple of vids on Yt.
Requires an additional leg (120v source).
You probably already have 220v for some appliance in your home.
Stove, furnace, well or maybe water heater.
Just turn off the breakers or it could be a hair raising experience.
Stay safe and health. I like you Canucks, :-) Michigan boy here.
Flying beaver: I am building a heating vessel out of a 60-cup (3.6 Gal.) coffee urn. (like the ones in a meeting hall). I got it off of E-bay. It is 120 VAC and it has a 1200W heating element in it. Plenty to do the job. The only thing that has to be done to it is. To wire it up straight and now buy a $35.00 PID off of amazon. Good Luck, Dennis
Super, thanks
George is the next super hero!
I’ve watched a few videos on heating elements. I still haven’t found any info on wattage of elements per size of still. For a 15 gallon pot still how many watts of heating element is ideal? Thinking about getting a brewhaus 15 gal pot/reflux. Just trying to figure out the needed wattage on heating elements. Any suggestions?
OK George. In part one, you showed the Mighty Mini. You sold me on it. What heating element are you using in your in? What control box are you using? So I can get mine ordered and get it in the Mail, thanks. By the way. I know you did 30 five years in a service. What Branch.
Hi great video. Like to diy a 30lb-40lb hot water tank. Want your opinion as what the setup should be, I'm gonna use it for a constant running for a 12ft-14ft above groundpool. Which is going to be wall plug to 120v and 15amp breaker.
Is it possible and what element should be use.
Thanks in advance...
Any info on the ratio of column diameter and condenser size to power output in the boiler?
Nice
I like looking at all the stuff you have in the background, like the ghost. what's the Kw for? I guess I should've waited a bit. lol
I used this to represent one kilowatt. I spoke of how 2000 of these guys are running around heating up a still. Oh! the wonders of visuals.
George
Theres a way to get through the 145-160 degree phase without getting a ton of methanol or losing alcohol through the vapors that spew from the tip until hitting that temp too...
In my experiment I put a small shutoff valve on my output and I keep it off until the pot hits 165-170 degrees then I open it up...Pressure isnt a problem plus the 2-3psi it produces for that short time also helps raise the boiling point of water.......
I also wrap my output tube all the way to the cooling coil to keep it from condensing too early.........
Works great so far for me..Try it out for yourself.................
I only get a teaspoon of methanol from a 3 gallon setup using this method which is great when making hand sanitizer..........
Thank you Mr. George for your willingness to teach and explain down to the smallest detail. Is there a optimum wattage or time per gallon so as not to burn the product, but also not to go to sleep waiting for it to come out the other end?
What PID Do you use? Or would you recommend something different?
I'm answering George's questions while I watch the video like I'm a toddler answering Dora.
Water!
Sugar!
Yeast!
Yay!
I just got started and to start with I just want to use a counter top hot plate can you tell me what would be the best one to get?
Dear George,
Any information or opinion on using/wiring a 208VAC/6KW LOW WATTAGE DENSITY element, approx. 11.5" element length, with my Australian style 8 gallon boiler, as opposed to the approx. (barely) 8" HIGH WATTAGE DENSITY element, in a boiler 13-3/4" diameter from opposite wall to face of the sanitary fitting! Mainly I want to reduce my risk of scorching the mash!
Sincerely,
Steve Newton.
George will a pid controller run a induction cook top, to heat a pressure cooker boiler? Or do you need to run a pure element with a pid controller
I would not use a PID with an induction cook top. It is like using a control knob to control a volume control knob that controls volume of a radio. They start to work against each other.
Hey I love your video's but can my condenser b to cold
Happy Thanksgiving
Is that top # right? 3.88 or 8.33? Also, quick question on the 2nd page, before you flipped to the 3rd. The bottom 3500w will raise in a half an hour, and the one above at 5500w will take an hour? Should that be the opposite? Stronger element takes a shorter period of time? Sorry, just trying to understand all this math...
I wish I would have seen this video before I built my still. I made the mistake of using a 5500 watt element in my 15 gallon still. To hot to fast. The problem that I had was tails getting mixed in with the hearts. Problem solved when I changed to a 3500 watt element.
So you didn’t cover a nuWave cook too. How large of a still would the cooktop stop working.?
Thanks for teaching this old dog some new tricks George you sir have helped me take my process way past the next level. Subscribe to this channel and let George improve your game too.
I know efficiency favors 240v, but I need to use 120v so, with a 5 gal mash in an 8 gallon still, a 120v 2,000 w element should work for me?
@Wise Guys Outdoors I always remember WAV which stands for watts = amps * volts and remember that most homes have 15 amp breakers, but some have 20 amp so you need to check which one you have 15 amp or 20 amp. Once you know the breakers you will be running on take amps * volts to determine your maximum watts. W = 15 amps * 110 volts = 1650 watts as an example if you have a 15 amp circuit breaker and it's running on 110 volts (aka 110-120v). Hope this helps.
Im planning on doing a 20 gallon still and the calculations lead me to 5,121watts . So I'm thinking of getting the 5500 watt element. Won't that be pulling a hell of a lot of electricity for the hour to raise the temperature and the balance of the 24 hours or so distilling?
Should not take you 24 hours to make a run. Something is not right if it does. A 5500 watt element only draws about 23 amps at 100%. This is only for the heat up phase which should only be around 45 minutes to an hour.
Your run should be somewhere in the range of 6 hours or so depending on your still design.
whats te difference between crushed corn to cracked corn for sour mash
What is the best temperature to add the yeast and maintain during fermentation please.
No hotter than 90° when adding the yeast and 70°- 78° during fermentation...
Hey George it's been a hot minute since I've bugged ya I was wondering if you have ever heard anything about using steel drums for a still and steel pipe for a column I've heard it will give a bad iron taste I figured I'd ask the man himself instead of wasteing time building a steel still for nothing also will a heater element fit in a 1inch npt coupling that brew Haus offers thanks boss
I would be cautious about using steel unless it was stainless.
Elements are all 1 inch Straight thread so they fit easily into a 1 Inch NPT
Thanks George your the man
Correction: Single phase legs are sepperated by 120 Degrees out of phase sepperation not 180 degrees.
Peace George, love you brother.
Happy T-day. I know your math well, but the conversation might be interesting to take it a next step into latent heat of vaporization. Many don’t know or understand the water take roughly 8X the energy to boil verse ethanol.
I don’t think sizing elements should be tied to heating up water, but rather thinking more about reflux ratio and boil off rate. The idea of 3:1 reflux ratio for example to boil off 20-25% of the fermentation. Or say 1.5 gals of 5. Or something like that ratio.
It might be too deep, but it’s also all tied into why thumpers work. More it tied to the extreme difference in energy needed to boil water verse ethanol. Alcohol comes over much faster than the water in the thumper.
Just thinking out loud to complete the thought.
I agree, this is way too deep for a beginner's guide video.
Took a few times to understand this, but say you have a 1/4 barrel keg. With 5 gallon, with 105 temp difference. Divide by 410. Then x 1000, you get 1280 watt element. Hope I saved someone some work.
Does this math with the heating elements also work for the portable hot plates? 2500 watt hot plate for a 10 gal stil?
That would be more of indirect heating as opposed to direct so it doesn't follow the same math
So do you think a 1500 watt hot plate would work in a 10 gallon pot?
George what's the difference between the calculation in litres then gallons could you help me please
@Peter CAtto I am sure George has been referring to US gallons so all you have to do is put (3.785412 * L) everywhere he has referenced gallons and you will be doing just great. Literally just replace gallons with (3.785412 * L) since they are the same thing. Just to clarify, if George had "5 Gallons" you should have "5 * (3.785412 * L)" and remove the word gallons. hope this helps
@@cryptoponics thank you very much sir
@@cryptoponics thank you very much... did help me I lot
How well would a single 120V 2000W element work in a 15.5 gallon keg?
Very well. Heat up time would be about an hour but after that it would be smooth sailing
Hey guys. I drilled and tapped my keg for an element. Just with water I have a drip. I wrapped Teflon tape heavy around it. Anyone know what I can do to stop the leak? Thanks
Why so complicated?
T=(0.0011*m*(t2-t1))/P or for still design P=(0.0011*m*(t2-t1))/T.
T-hours that need for heating mass of water (m, kg), from temperature t1 to t2 (C), with P-power on a heating element (kW).
I put your formulas in the shared spreadsheet that i had already created under the tab titled "Metric." docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z8cfIGQov-6GA_ywFaQUMfwGBUe6pp2gZuOseXxINI4/edit?usp=sharing Hope this helps everyone :)
Now THAT seems too complicated, to me.
Now, what's the electricty cost to run the 2500watt still for 8hours(or one hour)....🙂
Thanks & cheers
What does your power company charge you for 1 KWhr?
Multiply that by the number of KW hrs you use. That's your answer.
National average is $0.134/kWh
2,500/1000 x 0.134 x 8
8 hours would be about $2.68
George I'm going to nickname Mr White !
George so if I run two 4500 wat element I have 9000wats is that right ?
Yes, you now have 9000 watts of energy available so be careful that you can provide the required current or you risk tripping a breaker (or worse).
Barley and Hops Brewing Thanks now I have to do is watch your video on how to control dual elements with my PID controller.
I couldn’t follow everything cuz I kina stupid. But I did Learn that the 3500 ultra low to medium density Heater element with NPT threads is the best fit if I’m using 240 volts on an 8 gallon pot.
1 BTU can raise the temperature of 1 gallon of water 1 degree in one hour. I know that because I’m in the natural gas industry. Electricity and math are so far out of my element that I have to trust you George!
to make this easier I watched it at 3:30 am.lol
for the first time i can see how a kilowatt looks like: a white spiritlike figure in the background on the right from the speaking living being. :)
JoyTube 1" FPT Water Tank Connector Bulkhead Fittings Stainless Steel
Look this up on amazon they work for adding heating element. I tried his links and none of them took me to the right place
George were you a science teacher before you retired??
No. Just a average Soldier
Aren't you raising the temperature 105 degrees?
Watt = unit of power
kWh (kiloWatt hour) = unit of energy
1 kWh = 3600000 Joules
Ok by my math....
I have a 5 gallons and I went with a 2000w 120v element on a 20 amp breaker.
Please check my math
This is also combined with a 120/240 volt 10000 watt SCR
I see george does not ground the element
1 pound of water, 1°C, the amount of heat to raise 1 pound of water, 1°C
grounding the element is it nessasary anyone no ?
Sorry I see the correction
you also need thermal energy,to make alcohol. remember,zero energy is zero KELVIN,not C or F. thats about -270,or so. without thermal energy you wont get anything.
this is heavy
George 180 - 75 = 105 NOT 95
We get it, one nuclear plant could produce enough whiskey for the universe.
You're killing me when you keep saying 95....its 105 going from 75 to 180.....lol
I know, it keeps distracting me and he has done it consistently in at least 3 of his videos he made. Great content though.
None of this matters , what matters is what temp. does ethanol turn to gas vapor at sea level, what would be the standard liquid temp. of the mash to distill it properly. ?????????? Anyone with a thermometer can get it to that temperature and keep it there. And whats your rush ? anyone distilling is doing it for fun not a job , time doesn't matter.
George I'm going to nickname Mr White !