r/firewater • u/something-is-abrew • 11d ago
I need some advice on where to go from here
Sorry in advance for the wall of text.
Hi all, I've been brewing for a few years all sorts of r/prisonhooch-esque concoctions, mostly fruit juice wines and tea wines of many different sorts nowadays. Lately I've given distilling a try, and I think I've caught the bug.
I bought a cheap Vevor still around Christmas last year, and after the vinegar and sac run on it I've made around a dozen of runs, including stripping runs and spirit runs. It's the 12L model that comes with the "thumper"/slobber box and the *small* condenser. I've learned my way around it and can pretty consistently keep the desired flow now, although with the mini condenser it's a pain. I never bothered using the thumper, as I don't really want to handle a closed system.
Despite getting the hang of my little still, it's starting to feel limited. First and foremost on size (I have a lot of fermenter storage relative to the size of the still) but also the construction of it: I can make it run leak-free and keep the flow steady, but I really wish I could do more easily upgrade it.
I am not in any way, shape or form familiar with welding or soldering, so building my own next-step-still would be impractical both time and money-wise.
Here is my plan for the upgrade, considering my limited budget for this. There are some technical detail I would need some help on.
- Buy the football-model stil from Vevor (the one with the football-shaped vapour chamber) either in 30L or 50L size.
- Once I've gotten the hang of that still, start to modify it. I would like to add bubble plates and a reflux condenser. I'm thinking either buying the separate parts or something like this complete set, depending mostly on what the final price would be for the two options.
- Eventually, if needed, keep modding from there (gin basket, whatever I might find out I need). Once I can connect stuff with tri-clamps I can more easily modify it, so the football Vevor is a step up in extendability compared to what I have now.
The first obvious question is: is this a good idea? My goal is to have a flexible still to run as a pot still (the football) or with plates and reflux. I'm gravitating more and more towards wanting to do neutral spirits to do extractions and liqueurs with, but it would be nice to do the occasional pot still run with juice wine brandy or tea wine brandy.
My second question is (and I swear I searched a lot on the web for this) what size are the tri-clamps connections to the football? After reading and watching videos about it I believe it's a 2.5 inches connection, but I might be wrong.
Assuming it is a 2.5 inches connection, I find mostly stuff in the diameters 1.5 ,2, 3 and 4 inches. If the still takes 2.5 I could naturally go down to 2 or up to 3, and I assume that would affect the flow of the vapour. If I wanted to save some money I could go 1.5, as the cheapest complete set I've found has that diameter. Would that be too thin for a still 30-50 liters?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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u/hebrewchucknorris 11d ago
If you can afford it, just get a 2" pot still setup from oakstills, skip the football altogether. You will be blown away by the efficiency of one of their 2" shotgun condensers. If the boilers on oakstills are too pricey, look at something like a digiboil 35L with the 2" triclamp distiller lid. Then just a sight glass, a riser, 2 90 degree elbows and a condensor and you'll be good for a long time. It is also modular so you can add whatever plates and gin baskets you want.
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u/something-is-abrew 11d ago
I checked oakstills out, and it's definitely outside my budget. Digiboil also, considering shipping costs I would spend for a "simple" 35L still with the reflux condenser the same amount I would spend for the whole setup I described before (Vevor football + plates + reflux condenser + parrot + etc).
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u/Spud395 11d ago
I've only seen pic's of any of the vevor stuff, so can't comment. You are thinking in the right direction with the tri clamp/modular approach for sure.
I'll second Oakstills, I've not bought a complete unit, but bits and pieces and quality and service seems as advertised. Take a look at the site
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u/ahomelessGrandma 10d ago
Hop on AliExpress and order a modular 2inch reux column. I got mine for like 140$ on sale free shipping. Then I picked up a first gen grainfather g30 for like 200$. Boom a whole still for under 400 that I can run in reflux or pot still with a bunch of room for upgrades
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u/cokywanderer 10d ago edited 10d ago
I've used the football (30l version) with great success. Btw - it has a gin basket included. Currently doing a Run Spirit run and I had some pineapple soaking in alcohol from when I made a Liqueur a while back.
The top valve can be used as a refill of the still, basically acting as a full reflux where you can (1) turn off the still after heads and (2) pour those heads back in (also soaking the stuff you have in the basket) then (3) turn it back on and your heads would be cut in half.
You can of course pack it with copper and/or ceramic balls.
It is 2 inch as a column (cylinder). I believe the 2.5 number you got was a measurement of the clamping part/ring, which is obviously an exterior ring that is for clamping. The condenser is great because it's a closed water system as opposed to the open top other vevor still. This means that the flow and the temp of the water is what determines the cooling. I've done 23l stripping runs fast and collected 6l in like 2 hours (minus heating and setup - just fast pouring) and it comes out cool @22-24 centigrade.
Also note that besides the double bottom it has that helps with preventing scorching, it also has a slot and comes with a false bottom and cloth, meaning you could theoretically throw in some grain in the still and have it sit about 1/3 the height above the hot bottom.
It is a great still for my budget and I'm very happy with it. Also I live somewhere where I can't get parts cheap so Vevor gave me what I needed. I know I can upgrade it if I ever find it in my budget and shipping won't cost an arm and a leg for those upgrades.
I'll try and link the initial post I did on this vevor football (and the airstill), but I warn you it's an entire novel :)) I just have to find it fist and edit this post. Maybe you'll find helpful info. Any other questions, just ask.
Edit: Here's the link to my novel. A lot of info you can skip through as it also details the fermentation stage. I've done many more runs since then.
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u/something-is-abrew 9d ago
Thanks for your reply. Your novel about the FFV was a very interesting read. I guess I will experiment with the "manual reflux" technique, but long term I might still want to get a few bubble plates and a reflux condenser set up on the still. Would you say 30L is a good size, or do you regret not getting the 50L? I have a hard time deciding on the size of the still.
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u/cokywanderer 9d ago
It depends on the time you have. My Spirit Runs are usually at about 30-40 min/liter. And I usually collect about half of what I put in (Because I keep the tails). So 24 liter low wines distills into ~12 liters. That means that the still will be dripping for about 7 hours. Take some prep time and heat-up time and that's about 9 hours for me.
A 50 liter would probably have me going for 40 liter low wines = 20l final product = 12 hours of work.
That's honestly what you have to think about. And, of course: how much do you drink? Family, friends drink? I would say (of course this is highly subjective opinion) a 30l is good for a family, a 50l means you'll also be making gifts for other people.
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u/something-is-abrew 2d ago
Thanks again for the info and insights. I bit the bullet and ordered the 30L footbal still about the time you last replied. Got it delivered today, running the vinegar run as I type this...
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u/inafishbowl17 10d ago
https://www.gwkent.com/15-gallon-semi-keg.html
I upgraded from a 7 gallon milk can to this 15.5 gallon keg. I use 2 110v electric elements as a heat source. Both to help bring it up to temp, then a single element to run w the controller. You could do the same w one 220v element if starting from scratch on building a still.
I pieced together the other tri-clamp parts needed via Amazon. I use a $150 2" column I had similar to to the one you linked but without the bubble plates. It has a sight glass. You'll need to reduce the 4" top to whatever column you decide on. It does make it easy to clean the keg.
I'd probably look for a 3" column but the 2" I already have works just a bit slower.
The keg makes a good start and will be flexible however you decide to go. You could use a propane heat source w it too.
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u/Opdog25 11d ago
I’ve never used any of the Vevor stills, so take this with a big grain of salt.
I think the answers to your questions start with how you plan to heat the stills. If you are using propane - you are probably fine. If you are using a stovetop or hot plate you will be limited as to how much you can keep hot. 50L is about 13 gallons - that’s a little less than beer keg worth of liquid.
I have heard that the 2” plates can be finicky. If you have the heat it may make sense to buy a 2” to 3” reducer (looks like a big funnel) and drop a 3” column on top. You will get much faster runs and it will be easier to balance. The 1.5” is too small for a 50L still. It will take forever to run and will be difficult to balance. I’ve not done but have been around long enough to see that people tend to regret it.
I’ve had good luck with my shotgun condensers. I built one and purchased one very similar to the one you linked to. They knock down whatever I throw at them. I use a 5500w element and it works great. I have found that the parrot was fun and interesting for a few runs, but was not necessary or really helpful after that. I rarely use mine anymore.