Fourlix

New Mexico is nothing like Arizona. We rarely break 100 in the summer. Anyway, I have a water chiller that should work nicely, or I may set up an evaporative water chiller.

I am figuring that it is better to have the steam lines short and the propane line long, as one 1.5 inch pipe is cheaper than two steam pipes. Here's a pic of my boiler, a Triad 1600 rejetted to 680MBTU propane. Stock Nat gas jetting was 1200MBTU input, 1,000MBTU output. I can rejet if I need to and bring it up to 800MBTU propane......How did I upload those photos...hmmmm

Thanks guys!

Heat loss based on travel is what we are talking about. I am on Propane, so energy is a huge issue for me, in terms of cost, efficiency and volume. The still that is farthest from the Boiler is a big heavy stripper still, that I am making out of a Jet Fuel tank that I think I will direct fire instead of steam jacket. I pick up my 800,000 BTU low pressure steam boiler on Tuesday, unless it snows. That will run everything else, which is closer than 40 feet. Pieces of the puzzle....

I am working on my layout. Everything that is plumbed is on one wall. Is 60 feet too far to efficiently run low pressure steam to a stripper still? Putting the boiler room in the middle looks like sh!+. We are talking about 4 stills and a mash tun. This last still may never see service, but we want it in the plan.

Building a copper condenser is SO much easier than building one out of stainless....Even a copper coil in a bucket of cold water will work....But stainless? Hokey smokes Batman,,,,and then there is the issue of heat conductivity, the copper is going to transfer the heat so much better than stainless. Hmmm. Forget about the coil....How about stainless tubing inside a copper cylinder with copper end plates?

I just found a bargain, a Triad 20 hp low pressure boiler, never been used.....The guy says it can be jetted for propane. This correlates to about 680,000 BTU, which is about as much as I can comfortably get, vaporization rate, from a 1,000 gallon propane tank in the winter. I think this would be a real problem solver for me. Direct injection on the Mash tun, steam jacket the stills. Probably only be able to run one at a time....maybe two.

Hey Lenny, I really want to see your distillery. I understand you direct fire your still. I took the downslope distilling class last year where Mitch told me about you. My son lives in Denver and I am sure I will be back up that way. I am extremely rural with no natural gas, only propane, and direct fire makes sense in terms of efficiency and a DIY approach. How many BTU's per gallon on your stills would be my first question. And, are you direct firing your mash tun as well? Thank you.

Is there an issue using the stripper still, for both a malt barley whiskey wash and a sugar cane rum wash? I am thinking it will include a lot of extra cleaning to share.

Nice. I am thinking that these extra fermenters might work anyway in a two process set up. For whiskey, One 500 gallon mash tun, three x 350 gallon fermenters, a 400 gallon stripper still and a 100 gallon spirit still And then, for rum, 4 x 350 gallon fermenters for cane juice, one 400 gallon stripper still and a 100 gallon spirit still. The other tanks can be used for blending, bottling, storing low wines... So in other words, one good mash tun is all I need. What I need is more stills.

I guess I really don't need a mash tun for cane juice rum....

Oh, and vital to this equation is what I plan on making, which is whiskey and rum. The rum will be made from Mexican Cane sugar juice, maybe some molasses. The whiskey will be primarily malted barley. It kind of makes sense to have two mash tuns and two process lines doesn't it? I wouldn't think that whiskey and rum would share equipment well...

Trying to figure out how many? How much? What I have so far is 8 x 350 gallon poly fermenters, a 100 gallon spirit still in the works, a 400 gallon stripper still in the works, two 300 gallon ss tanks, one 375 gallon ss Hot liquor tank, a 200 gallon mixing or bottling tank, 40 nice French oak barrels. And a small, 175K BTU propane boiler. and NO MASH TUN. But a nice 1,000 gallon tank I can cut in half and make two mash tuns, or a 500 gallon mash tun and another still. I expect to direct fire the 400 gallon still, and use the small boiler for the 100 gallon spirit still. I think I can jacket the Mash tun and use the boiler for that too. I know I have too many fermenters, I think I only need 4. Do I need two 500 gallon mash tuns or will one suffice? It's getting crowded, and I don't want to make/buy something I am not going to use.....

Southern Highlander,,,,THANK YOU for those great tips....

I found a TIG torch with a gas valve, 17, for $84. Not sure what that comes with, probably not much. That's a pretty easy entry fee....Santa might need to deliver a late Xmas present....

I am seeing on welding forums that for stainless, and I presume copper, a scratch start TIG set-up can be easily rigged on this old Bumblebee AC/DC....Since I already have gas bottles and flowmeters, all I need is a TIG torch with a gas valve.... Worth trying.

I have a great big old stick machine, a bumblebee ac/dc. I think it was made by Miller. Is it possible to add a high frequency and use it for TIG?

I have a TIG welder friend that can help me, but he lives 200 miles away. There are local welders...but they don't have any more experience with this than I do. I have hired "local welders" on occasion, with dismal results. "If you want something done right...." I think I will take a multi pronged approach to this, but TIG is going to have a part in it, along with MIG, friends, and as much recycled equipment as I can find. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work. Funky is okay with me. This isn't rocket science, which is too bad, 'cause I have a couple of rocket scientist friends....This is New Mexico after all.

Everlast I-TIG 200 has pulse....Any reason to go to the 200T?

That being said, there are pros and cons. Either way I am looking at a learning curve. MIG is a rocky path with lots of unknowns, TIG is tried and true, more money up front, and I have to question my own abilities. I would welcome a new skill, and new toys are always fun. I don't need the level of expertise I see on here, I only have to satisfy myself, grinder in hand....

Thanks for the recommendations, the Everlast welders look good, and it is really nice to know there is something out there that is affordable and doesn't suck. I was always really good with Oxy Acetylene, and have no experience with TIG. Many people have said that they are similar in technique. I have grown so comfortable with MIG over the years.....

Thank you Southern Highlander. This has been a positive discussion, even if it didn't start out that way.

Good stuff guys, I can see where MIG stainless welds, unless they are ground, could be a bacterial issue. I can see MIG brazing, with grinding, would be okay IF I find the right wire, with no zinc or lead. I am building this for my own use, but I do plan on going legit, so the product has to be good. I also found copper to copper MIG wire from England, SIFMIG 985. Copper is just so much easier to fabricate than Stainless, as long as I can get the MIG working acceptably. TIG is just not in my wheelhouse, nor in my budget.

Pretty stuff, but I have to figure out how to do this with my MIG. It is what I have, and what I am going to use. TIG or MIG doesn't change the alloy, and you TIG guys are using Silicon Bronze, just trying to keep it out of the vapor trail. I think I need to find a MIG wire with no zinc or lead.

Lincoln has a CuSi3 that has 0.1% Zinc and no lead.....There are some interesting U.K. alloys that are different as well. SIFMIG 968 and 985 look interesting.. There is more than one way to skin a cat!