Windy City

Part of my living is building large hydronic heating systems (boilers). my Bain Marie is 110 gallons working. I didn’t want to go back with oil for a few reasons, one of them was the slow response time. I installed 4- 6kw stainless elements. I then made the jacket the same way I would build a steam boiler. I installed a low water cutoff, a auto feed, a high pressure cutoff, a emergency blow off, site glass, pressure gauges, low pressure relief valve, vacuum relief valve and a steam auto vent. When I am distilling (on the grain) I have my mixer set at 30. With the heat being transferred like this it actually never builds up any pressure until the mash is up to 210f but at that point I am pretty much done with the run. The pressure at this point is only about 2 psi

I purchased a used Bain Marie from a distillery in Tennessee. They had problems with their controller and burned the oil causing a crust of burnt oil on the inner jacket and not allowing proper heat exchange. I filled and circulated hot water PBW, then Dawn dishwashing soap and finally citric acid. After about a week of this regiment (and a five gallon bucket of PBW) the inner jacket was squeaky clean

Are you planning on running this off of a low pressure steam boiler or are you wanting to turn the Bain Marie into a self contained steam boiler/still I converted my Bain Marie into self contained steam and it works great

This sounds very interesting. What is the mash protocol for whey and what type of enzymes are you using to break it down? Also what kind of yeast would you use?

This is a interesting article that came out some time back. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/11/the-new-science-of-old-whiskey/309522/?single_page=true

That column originally had perf plates but now is just Siporax and the only “plate” is the one at the bottom that holds everything up in the column. Again that plate has 3/8” holes punched through the majority of the plate and is just there to hold the Siporax from falling out I ran yesterday pushing 34 to 35 amps and was getting 2 gallons an hour at 95.4%. I am restrained by my height. If I had another two feet I would be able to increase my output and ABV to a true azeo.

That is the stuff 😁 Except I purchased it by the bucket.

At the base of the column there is a "plate" with 3/8" holes consuming the majority of the plate. It then has a fairly tight roll of stainless mesh for the first 2". The remainder of the column is filled with Siporax that was packed just by vibrating/shaking column while filling. All plates with exception to the one at the base have been removed.

What did you ever decide to do??

Another option (and much more affordable) would be to run a packed column. I have a 60" 4" column packed with 15mm Siporax. I can pull 2 gals an hour @ 95.4% abv. from 40% abv low wines I have two 5500 elements in a 26 gal boiler and am only using approx 32 amps. My height is constrained by my ceiling but you would be able to increase abv and take off speed with another couple of feet from what I have. I have talked to Odin and others that are getting up to 4 gals an hour of azeo (from 40%) using large format (10mm diameter x 15mm long) SPP. I went with the Siporax as it was a good alternative to the very costly SPP Hope this helps

Check out Berlin glass https://www.berlinpackaging.com/750-ml-clear-glass-contessa-liquor-bottle/ Bruni also lists them

Check these guys out. I purchased a unit from them and they were very helpful. Give them a call, I am sure they could help you out http://www.pelletmasters.com/products/index.html#hammermill

Check these guys out. I purchased a unit from them and they were very helpful. Give them a call, I am sure they could help you out http://www.pelletmasters.com/products/index.html#hammermill Hope it helps

This has been sold. Thanks

PM me and we can set it up

100 GAL STAINLESS STEEL SINGLE WALL KETTLE 8” tri-clamp connection for column, 2- tank sight glasses, 1- tank level sight glass w/sample valve, 1-PRV, 2-thermometers 1- 2” drain valve & 90 & many extra ports. 1/2 H.P. MIXER (purchased from Affordable Distillery) 2-mixing blades and 1- WEG CFW 500 variable frequency drive 22 KW CONTROL PANEL HEATING SYSTEM (built by Affordable Distillery) 240 volt single phase , 4- elements and mounts, 1- temperature probe and mount Located just west of Chicago. $5000.00

I have always used PBW with great success. Two tablespoons per gal so 19 cups per 150 gal. keep the tun heated , mixer on and leave overnight. I also alternate with citric acid. More Beer has a good price on 50 pound buckets of PBW I just purchased a 100 gal (working) bain marie that had a very heavy layer of scorched oil inside the jacket. It took a little while with the PBW but now looks brand new.

So whatever happened with this ? Did the PBW work?

Is there a VFD controlling your mixer and if so can't you just change direction. Or if it a three phase motor just switch any two leads

I have always had great success with this product removing organic materials that were baked on, dried on or however it was built up. the trick is time and heat. Just let it do the work. Running your mixer may help it speed along. This is just my experience with the product. You could call Five Star and get their professional advise https://www.fivestarchemicals.com

I would recommend using PBW 6 ounces per gal heated to 140f and leave overnight. No scrubbing and no hassle. I have used this many times and it works fantastic

This is a neat video showing how to change the gin basket in a carter head during the run. Your basically just going to full reflux, open the head, switch out the basket, close the head and then turn down reflux for normal running. easy peasy

They were very good to deal with. The construction I would rate as good (great for the price). I had to buy about $5.00 worth of bolts and nuts that were lost in shipping, not even worth calling the seller. We are in Chicago and he did invite us up, so if you are in driving distance I would highly recommend giving it a test drive.

Check these guys out. Just purchased one but have not set it up yet. http://www.pelletmasters.com/HammerMill/index.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwh7zWBRCiARIsAId9b4qgnjX01u0xoMXsJ1XW6SBnbuHcEuc-KB7eLfE0Rbc-diQ2pbLBUzsaAtCgEALw_wcB