Beer columns are very common among lovers of strong drink. If you decide to make such a design yourself, then you need to familiarize yourself with the technology of work and find out what features the device should have.
Preparatory work
The best beer column must have a certain height. You can choose this parameter yourself, but ideally it should be 50 diameters. According to experts, this is not so important, the owner of the equipment himself must decide how strong the product will have, and also decide how good the separation will be. However, there is a certain objective criterion that determines the smallest height of the manufactured column. You must exclude the possibility of splashing. Based on this, mash columns are not made below 30 centimeters. Otherwise, the work will be inappropriate.
Work technology
In the manufacture of the described design, it must be equipped with a controlled dephlegmator. The design features of this element canvary depending on your preferences. The element can be created on the basis of a shirt or dimroth. The main condition is the fact that the dephlegmator must have the ability to extinguish the power that is planned to be supplied. This element can be installed not in one quantity, but in the quantity of 2 or 3. In this case, the element will be primary or secondary. Such a structure allows for more stable operation of the column. You must understand that such additions are possible only on high structures.
Work methodology
Mash columns must be able to adjust the cooling of the reflux condenser, this component must be sufficiently thin. To do this, stock up on a tap that will allow you to use the liquid as accurately as possible. Experts recommend using a needle variety, but the use of a ball valve should be abandoned, since it is completely unsuitable. If we consider the available household solutions, then the best option for carrying out these work on installing the adjustment will be a radiator faucet, which is used when installing the heating system.
You can prepare a drawing of the brew column yourself. The column must be provided with a place to install a thermometer, which is mounted in front of the condenser inlet. This statement is true for structures that will work according to the steam extraction scheme. If a liquid sampling dephlegmator is used on the film column, then the placeThe location of the thermometer will be determined by the specific system design. The beer columns are equipped with a condenser cooler, which will be responsible for condensing and cooling the supplied steam. If the design will have liquid extraction, then a refrigerator will be required, which will lower the temperature of the finished product.
Master's recommendations
It is important to take into account in the manufacture that the liquid supply to the dephlegmator or to each of them, as well as to the refrigerator, must be carried out separately. The pipes that will be used to exit the refrigerator and dephlegmator must be used exclusively on the basis of silicone. This statement is true for hot water products. If we are talking about cold water, then you can use pipes based on polyvinyl chloride. The copper mash column should be manufactured taking into account the above technical requirements, which are suitable for different design solutions. However, you can not limit yourself and come up with your own modification. In this case, the main condition is what you will eventually be able to get into your drinks, which will have different qualities and organoleptic characteristics. However, in the end it will not be possible to obtain pure alcohol. The final product will not smell like moonshine, but it will not be pharmaceutical alcohol either. But for making vodka, this design is quite suitable, the master will be able to start making the basis for high-quality distillates.
Production Descriptionjacketed columns
A continuous mash column can be made on the basis of a jacket reflux condenser. To carry out the work, you will need copper tubes, the length of which should be 500, 2000, 1000 and 300 millimeters. Each of them should have dimensions of 28 x 1, 22 x 1, 1 x 1, 8 x 1 millimeters, respectively. Among other things, you will need a two-pipe adapter in the amount of 2 pieces, another adapter should have slightly different parameters equal to 22 x 15 millimeters, 3 of these elements will be needed. The master must prepare a single-pipe corner, the dimensions of which are 22 millimeters. Work cannot be done without a tee, the dimensions of which are 15 x 15 x 15 millimeters. Be sure to take care of the presence of an adapter for a 1/2 inch external thread. You will need a 3/4 female adapter. The element will be required to attach to the cube, however other sizes may be available on a case-by-case basis. If you make a continuous beer column using the elements described above, you will end up with a product with a maximum degree of 92.
Features of manufacturing an air-cooled apparatus
A piece of copper pipe will be used to make a coil. A coil of aluminum based wire will be used without insulation. You can use a computer cooler, superglue and a 500-watt boiler during the work. Power may be less impressive.
First you should take a coppertube, bending it to connect to the body of the device. That part of this workpiece, which will go down, must be included in the spiral. Aluminum wire should be wound on top of the tube, while leaving some distance between the turns. In order to reduce thermal resistance, the turns must be as tight as possible. This will increase the heat exchange area and the efficiency of the coil.
When a mash column is made by hand, the next step is to use any cone-shaped object, the diameter of which should be compared with the dimensions of the selected fan. On this item you need to wind a coil for moonshine. In this example, we will consider a regular beer bottle, the capacity of which is 0.5 liters. The coil must be bent in such a way that it evenly overlaps the fan section. The element must be tried on to the selected case and make sure that everything is in order. This completes the work with the coil for now.
Now it's time to move on to the lid of the machine. To do this, you can use a conventional polyethylene-based lid. The brass sleeve should be heated to half an inch, and then it can be fused into the polyethylene cap. The structure must cool, you can cool it in water. After the coupling is taken out, it should be cleaned of adhering polyethylene, the resulting burrs should be carefully cut off. A fluoroplastic tape must be wound around the coupling, without which the manufacture of a moonshine still is indispensable. Thus, you will be able to get something like a gasket. When is the beer madedo-it-yourself column, at the next stage you need to install the coupling in the hole made in advance in the lid. The PTFE should be between the sleeve and the cover. From the inside, tighten the nut without applying excessive force.
Recommended by a professional
At the next stage, you can do the heating element of the entire apparatus. To do this, you can use a conventional boiler. Having retreated some distance from the end of the wire, so that it is enough to reach the device, you need to cut off a part, you will have to screw everything back after. The ends of the cord from the boiler must be threaded in such a way that when the lid is closed, the element is inside the body. After stripping the wires, they need to be connected back. It is important to take care of quality insulation.
The boiler should not touch the bottom, it is desirable that it be completely covered with liquid during operation. In the same hole through which the boiler cord passes, you need to insert the long end of the coil for the apparatus. The remaining gaps between the tube and the cord must be filled with pieces of cotton wool, making it tight enough. It is important to achieve the best seal.
The resulting construction of cotton should be filled with superglue, which is made on a cyanoacrylic basis. This will allow you to get the most tight connection using composite materials. After the glue has hardened, you will be able to get a tight, strong connection. It remains to do something like a casing for a fan, so that the air washes the fins of the heat exchanger,represented by the serpentine.
Tetra-pak packaging can be used to complete the casing. If you will be making a moonshine still, then you can use the technology presented in the article. From the package you need to cut a rectangle, the width of which will correspond to the dimensions of the fan. These elements will be used to glue the fan on 3 sides. On the fourth side, you need to bring the end of the coil to carry out the withdrawal of moonshine. In the remaining side wall, you need to make a hole for this part of the tube and glue it with the superglue used earlier. The walls can be glued together with adhesive tape. When a moonshine is made, maximum safety must be ensured, it should be covered with a transparent protective screen.
On this we can assume that the beer column is ready. You can use a computer power supply as a power source for the fan. To turn it on without using the motherboard, you need to close the black wire with the green one. Specialists use more compact sources of 12 volts, which you can find on your own.
Deviation from above requirements
If you will be doing a mash column with your own hands, the drawings of which you must complete in advance, then it is important to think about deviations from the mentioned requirements. The main one is an uncontrolled dephlegmator. If we are talking about the "Baby" column, then uncontrollability is sacrificed for compactness. To do this, the condenser and dephlegmatorlocated in a single container with running water. If you decide to use this scheme, then you will not be able to regulate the process by means of a reflux condenser, therefore, separation cannot be achieved. If you do the mash column with your own hands, you can borrow the drawings of this design from the article. It should also be remembered that the dephlegmator has a low utilization capacity. You may run into the problem of a small column height. Some craftsmen cannot refuse to place the structure on a gas stove under the hood. In this case, separation will be quite difficult to achieve, which is especially true for tall columns.
Additional work recommendations
The “Rectifay” beer column has proven itself among lovers of strong drink. However, if you decide to manufacture such a design yourself, then it is best to use stainless steel-based parts. Futorki must be welded to the pipe, while they have an internal thread on both sides, to which the necks of the kegs are fixed. Using fluoroplastic, it is possible to machine a sleeve-sleeve, which will be supplied with a gasket for the clamp. All this will form a single whole. The “Baby” column must necessarily be supplied with insulating material, which is first cut along the length, then put on the pipe, on which it is glued. Put a dephlegmator stick on the top cover and fasten everything with a clamp clamp. The liquid will be fed into the tube through which the phlegm returns. It should be put on a piece of siliconehose, which will prevent splashing up to the level of the upper plate.
Conclusion
If you can't decide what you will make - a beer column or a good moonshine, then you can make the first of them. It is easier to manufacture, and will also allow you to immediately start preparing a strong drink. As an alternative solution, you can try to purchase this unit. Home craftsmen today sell them in completely different trim levels and at different prices. From the available assortment you will choose something for yourself.
