Great video George! I wish it would have come out last weekend, before I ordered my parts. This video made me realize that my plan was overkill. I was planning on using 2 4500w elements in my 15.5g keg still. I will still make my PID with this ability in case I go for a larger still later, but will only use one of the elements in the 15.5g still. Thanks for saving me from drilling a 2nd hole in my keg! Happy Distilling!
Awesome video George. Just found a 15.5 gallon Anheuser Busch keg on the side of the road and been looking to buy 1 but shipping cost and prices are out of my budget so I have been stoked. Lol! Keep it up Professor.
Wait size matters! I haven't watched the video yet but first and foremost what will your wiring and fuse box handle next how much wash are you trying to heat up . Thanks George love your vids ! Don't take the V8 in a VW tone with me Mr you know youed be impressed if I pulled up with a bug rumbling a 428 FE 😏
Hey George, Have you ever done a test using an insulating jacket on the boiler and see how it affects heat up time as well as energy input vs an uninsulated boiler?
I've learned so much from you george thank you. I use a 5500w element in my 13 gal with a pid and for me it works great. i can see things not working out with other controllers
I boil using 2 electric elements. 1 x 900 watt and the other at 2200 watt. Both stay powered up/running for the whole time during distilling. The timing I use are, 1 hour to get to 76 degrees and one half hour more to get the reflux happening. My product output is and always has been 95 percent in the 12 years I have been brewing. I have a 50 liter beer keg converted to my boiler. I ferment 3 x 30 liter plastic containers. each filled with 7 kg of sugar, and 21 liters of water ( which fills each container to approximately 25 liters ) and I empty 1 and a half approximately (37 liters) to my boiler and distill one day, and a second day runs the other 37 liters. And that is it. Cheers.
What I'm hoping is to use is a 1500 Watt element for a 4 gallon mash in an 8 gallon boiler. 120 volt 20 watt outlet and probably a PWM controller. Reason being that my house panel is pretty full and I have to keep wattage at a minimum so as not to trip the main breaker. I realize, from your informative video, I'll be waiting for the heatup. What I'm wondering is if 1500 watts will heat to the required temperature since 2000 was your minimum element listed.
Hello Mr. George from afar, I have been watching your channel now for a few Weeks. Thank you very very much for being such a didactic instructor. I am in Venezuela I am from Venezuela. I am about to start fabrication of a homemade 500 lts Stainless Still. (Aprox 135 gallons.) With reflux at the top of a 4 Inc diameter tower 130 cm long/tall (45 inch) I design for two heating elements of 5,500 watts each. Controlled by a PID. I do not have any experience designing a Still. I am a mechanical engineer. I was wondering if you can give me guidance to know if my choice of heating elements it's adequate? And how can I estimate times of heating. Caracas has a very stable tropical temperature... Cheers, thanks in advance...
50L keg, 40L charge, 2200W element, 1hr 45min Excessive perhaps, but it'll run happily with the voltage turned down to 90 or as required. I just set my alarm for 1hr 45 and I do other things in the shed, once it buzzes I know i'll definitely have likker flowing out Forgot another potential issue with too much power but I remembered these elements are low density and probably less likely to boil right on the element before the rest has heated up
@@puffstastypuffs5192 yea gotta work with what you've got, it's not really a 2hr wait when it's electric, you can hear the coolant pump running and you know what to expect
Just some thoughts from my friend Swim in the UK :- He says he uses a 3 litre (brim-full) - more realisticallty a 2 or 2.5 litres (half gallon) practical capacity 900watt commercial "air still" style water distiller. As a rough guess, going by your whiteboard chart that equates to half a gallon at 900watts, so is well on the hot//fast/overpowered side. That roughly works out as nearly 6000 watts at 3 gallons equivalent size !!! This is why I'm keen to get him to try a series diode to tame it down. This is fine for flat-out stripping runs he says, but (under my safety guidance) he's going to try a heavy-duty 30 amp 800V-rated diode in series with the element (actually, switched into the mains lead) via a High-900W/Low-450W switch to reduce the element to an effective 450 watts approx, to see if he gets a more gentle boil after the full-power warmup. Having said that, he reports no problems and good clean spirit from sugar wash after 2 full-power runs, removing/discarding 50ml at the start of each run and cutting out the tails when they get stinky, cloudy or just watery. After a 3rd pass the result is extremely high quality. The main problem he reports is the small capacity of the distiller, though he normally only makes under 3 litre of wash at a time in a plastic gallon water carboy so it suits his batch size perfectly. He's currently using it for making hand sanitiser using your molecular sieve method and he doesn't drink, so only needs small batches for hand sanitising. The device he uses seems equivalent in size to the compact Still Spirits Air Still though that one seems to use a much lower power element. Hopefully the diode will tame it down but like I say, he nevertheless reports good results from 2 well-cut runs and excellent results from 3 passes even at full power. For reducing the power again down to a quarter, I'm going to lend him my powertool 230V-to-110V 3KVA-rated construction-site power tool transformer for an experiment, so with the diode that should give him a quarter-power 200-220watts approx. I don't think this will be needed but I'll report back on the results after he's tried it.
Hi George, great video as always. A simpler way to explain this would be to explain how much time it would take to heat 1 gallon of liquid to a specified temp, then the user could just multiple that figure by the total gallons they are putting into their still. Keep up the good work.
Hello I have a question I have a pool and we are going to be having yet ANOTHER freeze, last year we my pool froze and thankfully my system was fine but I want to know if I can hook up a heating element in my skimmer as I am thinking to do that and wrap my pool pump, is this something I can do until I can afford to upgrade to a heat pump. Thank you
I built a 5 gallon copper still, bottom diameter ended up being 9.5 inches got a commercial grade cook top with 5 inch coil. It would only heat my still to 160° f. So doing a run to clean the still did not work because before sacrifical run I was going to steam clean with just water. Only hitting 160 the water won't steam. So what is my best option for 120v outlet heating element. I ran unit for 3 hours and stayed steady at 160°
Once you go over 2400W though you are up for a re-wire in most cases. A GPO (General Purpose Outlet) is 10 amp max in 240V countries and so is the wiring itself.
In north America most of our 240v receptacles are wired to provide at least 30 amps, but they're mostly used for dedicated equipment such as dryers and ranges.
@@pickford7812 Electric ovens are often on a dedicated 20 amp circuit here in Australia, but you don't get access to it via a receptacle, although there is an accessible switch.
The reason you would install a v-8 engine in VW is because you can. it doesn't matter if it's practical or not, it's a funny car, not an alcohol still boiler and the comparison is not relevant. The amount of watts V's volume is a no brainer. The real question is what is the difference between a high watt density and a low what density heating element and will a high watt density heating element cause scorching of the mash and in turn giving your finished product a burnt taste and how to prevent this? For example, using a 240 volt 5500 high watt density heating element in a 15-gallon still boiler. I bet I don't get an answer to this.
WOW! So much emotion in this. Not sure where this comes from or why you are so upset. If you don't like my analogies okay but please at least be nice about it. High density VS low density is the difference in cubic inches of surface area of an element and not the heating capacity of the element itself. A high density 3000 watt element is equal to a low density 3000 watt element. See, you did get an answer. Scorching is not a result of density of an element, the wattage at 100% is. George
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Thanks George, really appreciate what you do for us. Happy Distilling!!
Thank you so much for making the complex information you share simplified in such a way anyone can understand. It helps so much!
Thank god for this guy. Always hooking me up with the goods. Clear, consise, Informative ❤️👍
Always learn something new with your videos thanks. Even though I use a flame.
Thank You for the info. Your’e a great mentor.
Great video George! I wish it would have come out last weekend, before I ordered my parts. This video made me realize that my plan was overkill. I was planning on using 2 4500w elements in my 15.5g keg still. I will still make my PID with this ability in case I go for a larger still later, but will only use one of the elements in the 15.5g still. Thanks for saving me from drilling a 2nd hole in my keg! Happy Distilling!
Once again... I thank you for the guidance and advice.
Always enjoy the pragmatic approach to these issues and explanations
Thank you George! much appreciated!!
Always good information thank you George
Awesome video George. Just found a 15.5 gallon Anheuser Busch keg on the side of the road and been looking to buy 1 but shipping cost and prices are out of my budget so I have been stoked. Lol! Keep it up Professor.
Your the man! Your videos have totally help me get going
Just what I was looking for! Thanks
Your videos helped me put a 3kw in my Chinese still (the one you did the review on ) and build my PID works like a dream 👍
That's awesome!
Thanks. Only added info to past video. Everyone needs to look at your past videos to catch up I go back and re-watch as the need arises.
Thank you, George!!!
brilliant video
I wrote in about this topic a few weeks ago. Thanks for making a video about it!
Oh wow. I'm way overshooting it!
Wait size matters! I haven't watched the video yet but first and foremost what will your wiring and fuse box handle next how much wash are you trying to heat up . Thanks George love your vids ! Don't take the V8 in a VW tone with me Mr you know youed be impressed if I pulled up with a bug rumbling a 428 FE 😏
Hey George, Have you ever done a test using an insulating jacket on the boiler and see how it affects heat up time as well as energy input vs an uninsulated boiler?
thanks George
I've learned so much from you george thank you.
I use a 5500w element in my 13 gal with a pid and for me it works great. i can see things not working out with other controllers
George, "could you put a V8 into a VW?"
YES! Wheelies down the dragstrip!
(I need to talk to you about a still, and
a controller.)
steve
I had a Chevy Vega with a V8.
I boil using 2 electric elements. 1 x 900 watt and the other at 2200 watt. Both stay powered up/running for the whole time during distilling. The timing I use are, 1 hour to get to 76 degrees and one half hour more to get the reflux happening. My product output is and always has been 95 percent in the 12 years I have been brewing. I have a 50 liter beer keg converted to my boiler. I ferment 3 x 30 liter plastic containers. each filled with 7 kg of sugar, and 21 liters of water ( which fills each container to approximately 25 liters ) and I empty 1 and a half approximately (37 liters) to my boiler and distill one day, and a second day runs the other 37 liters. And that is it. Cheers.
What I'm hoping is to use is a 1500 Watt element for a 4 gallon mash in an 8 gallon boiler. 120 volt 20 watt outlet and probably a PWM controller. Reason being that my house panel is pretty full and I have to keep wattage at a minimum so as not to trip the main breaker. I realize, from your informative video, I'll be waiting for the heatup. What I'm wondering is if 1500 watts will heat to the required temperature since 2000 was your minimum element listed.
I use a turkey fryer! The only downside is having to baby it, but I can't see my self switching to electric. One less thing to clean/maintain.
Great video, how to you control the heat once it gets to the temperature required?
Hello Mr. George from afar,
I have been watching your channel now for a few Weeks.
Thank you very very much for being such a didactic instructor.
I am in Venezuela I am from Venezuela.
I am about to start fabrication of a homemade 500 lts Stainless Still. (Aprox 135 gallons.) With reflux at the top of a 4 Inc diameter tower 130 cm long/tall (45 inch)
I design for two heating elements of 5,500 watts each.
Controlled by a PID.
I do not have any experience designing a Still. I am a mechanical engineer.
I was wondering if you can give me guidance to know if my choice of heating elements it's adequate?
And how can I estimate times of heating. Caracas has a very stable tropical temperature...
Cheers, thanks in advance...
Hey great job but how much ice do I need for a 5 gallon run
I have a commercial 120v induction cooker.
It rakes about 4 hours to heat up 12 gallons
50L keg, 40L charge, 2200W element, 1hr 45min
Excessive perhaps, but it'll run happily with the voltage turned down to 90 or as required. I just set my alarm for 1hr 45 and I do other things in the shed, once it buzzes I know i'll definitely have likker flowing out
Forgot another potential issue with too much power but I remembered these elements are low density and probably less likely to boil right on the element before the rest has heated up
Exactly how my set up n time I take,suits me fine
@@puffstastypuffs5192 yea gotta work with what you've got, it's not really a 2hr wait when it's electric, you can hear the coolant pump running and you know what to expect
Just some thoughts from my friend Swim in the UK :-
He says he uses a 3 litre (brim-full) - more realisticallty a 2 or 2.5 litres (half gallon) practical capacity 900watt commercial "air still" style water distiller.
As a rough guess, going by your whiteboard chart that equates to half a gallon at 900watts, so is well on the hot//fast/overpowered side. That roughly works out as nearly 6000 watts at 3 gallons equivalent size !!! This is why I'm keen to get him to try a series diode to tame it down.
This is fine for flat-out stripping runs he says, but (under my safety guidance) he's going to try a heavy-duty 30 amp 800V-rated diode in series with the element (actually, switched into the mains lead) via a High-900W/Low-450W switch to reduce the element to an effective 450 watts approx, to see if he gets a more gentle boil after the full-power warmup.
Having said that, he reports no problems and good clean spirit from sugar wash after 2 full-power runs, removing/discarding 50ml at the start of each run and cutting out the tails when they get stinky, cloudy or just watery. After a 3rd pass the result is extremely high quality.
The main problem he reports is the small capacity of the distiller, though he normally only makes under 3 litre of wash at a time in a plastic gallon water carboy so it suits his batch size perfectly. He's currently using it for making hand sanitiser using your molecular sieve method and he doesn't drink, so only needs small batches for hand sanitising.
The device he uses seems equivalent in size to the compact Still Spirits Air Still though that one seems to use a much lower power element.
Hopefully the diode will tame it down but like I say, he nevertheless reports good results from 2 well-cut runs and excellent results from 3 passes even at full power.
For reducing the power again down to a quarter, I'm going to lend him my powertool 230V-to-110V 3KVA-rated construction-site power tool transformer for an experiment, so with the diode that should give him a quarter-power 200-220watts approx. I don't think this will be needed but I'll report back on the results after he's tried it.
george i love you man but a v8 in a volkswagon sounds like a damn hoot!!!
I once saw a V8 on a motorcycle. It’s name is Boneshaker 😂
Hi George, great video as always. A simpler way to explain this would be to explain how much time it would take to heat 1 gallon of liquid to a specified temp, then the user could just multiple that figure by the total gallons they are putting into their still. Keep up the good work.
WOW First!
Hello
I have a question I have a pool and we are going to be having yet ANOTHER freeze, last year we my pool froze and thankfully my system was fine but I want to know if I can hook up a heating element in my skimmer as I am thinking to do that and wrap my pool pump, is this something I can do until I can afford to upgrade to a heat pump.
Thank you
Just curious if one of those PID's in the background is the one I got in the mail today? 😎
I built a 5 gallon copper still, bottom diameter ended up being 9.5 inches got a commercial grade cook top with 5 inch coil. It would only heat my still to 160° f. So doing a run to clean the still did not work because before sacrifical run I was going to steam clean with just water. Only hitting 160 the water won't steam. So what is my best option for 120v outlet heating element. I ran unit for 3 hours and stayed steady at 160°
Once you go over 2400W though you are up for a re-wire in most cases. A GPO (General Purpose Outlet) is 10 amp max in 240V countries and so is the wiring itself.
In north America most of our 240v receptacles are wired to provide at least 30 amps, but they're mostly used for dedicated equipment such as dryers and ranges.
@@pickford7812 Electric ovens are often on a dedicated 20 amp circuit here in Australia, but you don't get access to it via a receptacle, although there is an accessible switch.
I plug into my range plug 240 45 amps
What about two 2000w elements for 15.5 beer keg still would that work for faster heat up time then turn one off to maintain the golden temp
Exactly
Something that I am debating myself.
Great video. But what's wrong with just putting the pot on the stove? I haven't heard why that's a bad thing yet.
Good point. Not everyone wants to use the stove and some set-ups do not fit on the stove. This is an option for those.
Hello, what is the clamp what u use on this kettle ? where can i buy >
Would a 1500W be able to heat a 13 gallon?
Hey George, where do you get the white covers on the left elements?
Check out George's video called "Covering wires on your Element"
@@Rob-kz3lk thanks! I'll check it out
I get burnt off flavor at around 110 proof. What am I doing wrong . New to using heating elements .
My guess is that your heating rate is faster than your boiling rate.
Would a 3500 watt be to much over kill for a 5 gallon still George thanks
5:55
I don't think it would be too much. Just as long as you have a way of controlling the power once you get up to temperature and you're fine
Always great info from The Master 🥃
Thanks George
#HAPPYDISTILLING
Answer to the V8.....Why wouldn't ya? LOL
I thought about that too. LOL
It's hard to read the green/blue on the flip.chart.
Well now I know I made the right choice. I hear there are 2 types of elements, supposedly one is better than the other?
You mean high density vs low density? George talks about that in another video. The gist was the low density element (fold back) was better.
4" reflux still by Mile Hi, 16 gallon they recommend 11000 watts ????
maybe they have shares in an element manufacturing company :)
@@gordslater darn quick heat up!!
To answer you question of why put a V8 into a VW. Because V8, thats why
It's elementary, my dear Watson
th-cam.com/video/lag22Hl2RQw/w-d-xo.html
The reason you would install a v-8 engine in VW is because you can. it doesn't matter if it's practical or not, it's a funny car, not an alcohol still boiler and the comparison is not relevant. The amount of watts V's volume is a no brainer. The real question is what is the difference between a high watt density and a low what density heating element and will a high watt density heating element cause scorching of the mash and in turn giving your finished product a burnt taste and how to prevent this? For example, using a 240 volt 5500 high watt density heating element in a 15-gallon still boiler. I bet I don't get an answer to this.
WOW! So much emotion in this. Not sure where this comes from or why you are so upset. If you don't like my analogies okay but please at least be nice about it.
High density VS low density is the difference in cubic inches of surface area of an element and not the heating capacity of the element itself. A high density 3000 watt element is equal to a low density 3000 watt element.
See, you did get an answer. Scorching is not a result of density of an element, the wattage at 100% is.
George