Scrounge

I would love to hear opinion on this, especially from anyone running a copper condenser. I see old timey design stills running copper condensers but not so much in the modern column designs. I've read (somewhere?) some literature implying you want the copper to end where the vapor ends, but also read the opposite.? Curious if it REALLY matters? Scrounge

Thanks for the advice gentlemen. I bought a 1/2 gallon barrel and have been playing with it in the kitchen sink. Filled it with water for a few hours and all leaks stopped. After a week the rings fell off when I picked it up. Filled with water again and submerged it too, leaks stopped in a 1/2 day or so. So I'm getting the idea. This little barrel didn't cost 400$ though, don't wanna be screwing up that kind of investment. Sounds like getting them approx. quarterly is the way to go-if you can find them?

So, filled with water, your good for months? 6 months? Is they're chance of funk developing that could add off flavors? Or would the spirits effectively sterilize. I see sulfuring done in the wine industry, doesn't sound like a good idea for spirits.

With the current shortage on barrels, I'm wondering how far in advance of filling I can/should purchase barrels? Can you purchase your years supply of barrels that far in advance? Having not managed any barrels before, I'm not sure if its wise to try and keep them that long before filling with spirits. Can they simply be kept full of water until filling time? I'm waiting on my DSP now, and anticipate filling 2-3 barrels per month. It's hot and dry here in the summer. Barrels are occasionally coming up for sale, and I feel like I should grab some when I can. Thank you for any advice! Scrounge

Thanks for the suggestions you guys. Im back on track now!

Found the man. Illness has slowed him down apparently. Currently looking for a new consultant for permitting if anyone has a recommendation. Scrounge

Any one here using Jim McCoy for a consultant? Anyone here heard from him in the last month? Anyone here live near him, maybe wanna go see if he's ok? Don't wanna bad mouth the guy, but he cashed my check and dropped off the planet, wait maybe I do wanna bad mouth him? I don't know what to think. He's a pretty well known name in the industry, so I'm trying to give him the benefit of my doubt here, but dude hasn't replied to numerous texts, emails, voice mails. Kinda figured I shouldn't have wait weeks to get answers from my consultant? Any info on his present existence would help. Thanks. Scrounge

"You should be fine". Ha ha. I've heard that before!!

I agree with your thinking there Teton. If you are looking for investors, I'd be willing to have a look at your plan. I'm waiting on my federal permit right now, and wondering where in the hell I'm gonna get the barrels I'm gonna need. I've tried to toss the cooperage idea around to some wood worker contractor type friends who hate the grind they are in, but seems there's not a one willing to stick there neck out at the moment since they have work right now. I'd be willing to invest, just to secure my own barrel supply, is my thinking. I have no interest in running another business, but don't want my ideas with my distillery held up by barrel supply. Hollar. Scrounge

He'll if your tun design doesn't pan out, you still have a fermenter or low wines tank, or HLT, or a hot tub or a ?

Well , you asked for it. So here it is. If you can't look at the agitator and see for yourself how easy it is or isn't to replace, then my guess is your gonna have hard time. If you aren't mechanically enclined, able to weld, able to think through a design, and willing to sac up and give it a try, fix it and refix it and LEARN for yourself as you go until you figure it out?, then you might wanna save your duckets up for something turn key, that someone else did all that for you. No meaning any offense. But he'll if your motivated, then by all means save yourself some money, grab that tank and turn it into a mash tun. Do some homework, get a welder, geter done. Stick your neck out a little. Or give a guy that did your $. Looking at the photo, I wouldn't put much value in the motor, working or not, but surely that tank could become a mash tun.

+1 for the "Insurance Man"!!! Ok so it is my first "bond" experience, but there's no way it could have been any easier. I was worried about this part of things because of some credit issues I have too. But here's how it goes. He emails you a few forms to fill out, took 10min tops, return them, 2 days later, boom, there's your bond. Hell of a nice guy too! I'm just sayin. Scrounge. South Fork Spirits. Getting closer to a reality!!

I just put a 6' by 6" stainless floor drain in my slab. Paid 1600$ plus shipping with a 4" stainless P trap as well. From stainlessdrains.com also including super beefy forklift rated grates at that price. Not cheap, but super nice and clean forever

Dang Mendo! There's no turning back now!

Hi Dave. I'm building a distillery in Sonora as we speak. Holler if you'd like to get together for a beer, I make it down to the valley a couple times a month. Scrounge

I'm also a CA start up. I've gotten the run around on this issue. I called the Dept of Public Health to check on that, because I'm building a new building for my distillery, and there's different plumbing codes for wholesale food facilities. They told me right on the phone that they didn't deal with alcoholic beverage company's, and referred me to the CA ABC, who then told me that they don't give a rip about my plumbing. Now my county has instructed me to register as a wholesale food facility, and had someone from Dept of Public Health call me and tell me I needed to register(same as u said, 500$) I explained that I know of atleast 2 distilleries in CA that are not registered and asked what's up with the run around, they said that people just don't know there supposed to do it. So I don't know, I've been told 2 different things by the DPH ??? Not looking forward to being " inspected" by them, but probably not the end of the world either, thinking of just going with what there department told me originally, that I didn't need to!? Scrounge

I'm about to "file" for my dsp, and am in a similar situation where I have a small still, and another larger one being built. I called the TTB to ask how this was or should play out, there reply was to go ahead and "file"-apply or however u would like to word it, with the serial # on my small still, if I would like, and I can add the larger one as soon as I get a serial # for it. They did mention that I can't run my larger still, even if my dsp is approved, until it is added, which they quoted as taking approx 30 days right now. Hope that clears up my comment for you. How u do this? Well I haven't done it yet, but I'm told u can go online and add equipment to your dsp. Just throwing out the tid bit of info, as how to handle this was on my mind when I read the OP. scrounge

Similar situation here. Just called the TTB. They said " sure no problem, go ahead and file with the still u have, its about 30 days to add a piece of major equipment". They did also remind me that I shouldn't use that new piece of equipment until it goes through. Scrounge

Yeah post a price if u can, and let us know when available! Ill need something of that nature here in a minute. Scrounge

+1 Give Aaron the above "insurance man" a call. I just spoke with him yesterday, and he seems very nice,straight forward, and I believe will be taking care of my bonding and insurance needs. Scrounge

I've gone with a standard septic. Ill be separating solids, although I'm not sure how yet. Post still, solids removed waste into an above ground tank for cooling and ph adjustment then down the floor drain it goes. Also a simple valve will divert it to grey water to the orchard, if I feel like putting it there. My county is cool with the idea as long as its engineered. There is a brandy/cider maker near me and he's on a standard septic, he's says he's only had to pump it once, after he put "some real nasty stuff" down it. He's pretty big too, multiple 5000g fermenters. Must be a big septic!! I'd be interested to know more about the reactors your looking at. I looked at a few on line before my engineer figured I didn't need one. I got a lot of different advice on the topic, very conflicting advise for sure, and the county is ok with a standard septic so I figured I'd go with that and see how it handles it. Ill be running a 100g still with a couple 300g fermenters, so we engineered it to handle 500-600g per day in the leach field. Scrounge

So whats the deal Grehorst? Roger just gave a supplier review in his comments, and then u quoted him? Make up your mind. Is there supplier reviews or isn't there? WTF. Scrounge

What's with the censorship of info? I'm one of the people getting taken for a ride by this vendor, and was hoping to find some support in this community. There are lots of vendors who are on this forum pushing there wares, but reviews are suddenly not allowed? No one was bashing anybody, actually quite politely(considering the circumstances) stating the facts of a vendor who is scamming customers. I've got a 1/2 years income out to a vendor who is blowing smoke up my ass and is way past the contracted ship date, and your gonna try to say I can't talk about it on this forum? I bet you would sure feal different if it was your $, and your set back in business!!! There has been plenty of vendor debating and customer reviews here before, what's with this? Im totally disappointed in the forum. There is multiple people stepping forward with the same experience, a vendor literally taking people's $, and shipping no product, and here's where the administrator decides there's no product reviews anymore? Total F'n BS. Hey Guy, you buddies with StillCraft or something? What gives?

Yeah steel, if it is above ground. Most USA is natural gas unless rural then propane. Natural gas is low pressure and therefore bigger pipe because u work with volume at low pressure to get desired btu, where propane is high pressure comparatively, so smaller pipe and more regulators Scrounge

When I have approached my county officials for various projects, I find it very helpfull to have a "roughly" accurate description of what I want to do ready for them. Present it and ask them to give their feed back. I've had real good luck with a, hear I am, hears what I want to do, how should I comply, type attitude. Getting the relationship and communications off on a good foot has always been an advantage when something comes up that they are unsure of or I might want to challenge. I like to give them a "your the man" type feeling for that first impression. I've found a "rough" description, best to start with, as language with these guys can change the way they view or catogorize your project. For instance on my distillery, saying I'm using products grown on my land saved me a $4500 fee for filing a conditional use permit, per my zoning. Now I can put that fee off until I'm public with an aged whiskey(atleast a couple years), that obviously wasn't grown in my orchard. Try and let them uncover the obstacles in front of you, so you can figure out best way of navigating them for you, with out closing off options you may have. Can be delicate, but in the end you need to comply with their wishes, so good luck. Just thoughts from my experiences Scrounge