Alternatives to Steam Heat

[Vokurka]

Are there any good alternatives to steam heat?

I'm looking at a site that doesn't have any natural gas service. How efficient is propane if it's used to fire a boiler? Are there electric boilers that would do the trick and what size still would I be limited to (ideally I would be using a 100-250 gallon still)?

I know Vendome has that little 30 gallon electric and I believe that they built an electric still for Corsair Artisan in Kentucky, but are there other options out there?

Will the heat up time be severely affected if steam is not used?

[will]

Vendome has an electrically fired oil-transport boiler that makes sense. Oil can be heated higher in temperature than water at atmospheric pressure, so for installations where pressure boilers, open flame, etc. are issues, that may be an option.

Electric steam boilers work just fine too.

Good luck,

Will

[portlanddistillery]

Are there any good alternatives to steam heat?

I'm looking at a site that doesn't have any natural gas service. How efficient is propane if it's used to fire a boiler? Are there electric boilers that would do the trick and what size still would I be limited to (ideally I would be using a 100-250 gallon still)?

I know Vendome has that little 30 gallon electric and I believe that they built an electric still for Corsair Artisan in Kentucky, but are there other options out there?

Will the heat up time be severely affected if steam is not used?

We used an electric steam boiler to fire a 350 gallon kettle/still. I've since closed up the DSP and moved production to a neighboring distillery. My boiler (and kettle/still) is for sale if you're interested. My number is 503-803-3989.

[Ironworks Distillery]

Here at Ironworks in Nova Scotia, we chose to go with a still from Muller (http://www.brennereianlagen.de/)that is fired with wood. When we first heard of this equipment we were quite skeptical but further research plus a visit to a nearby winery which had one up and running convinced us. The fire box is high efficiency and heats a 200+ liter water jacket. The pot that we had them make for us is quite small - 210 liters so the whole unit takes approximately 4 hours for the first run of the day. Thereafter the subsequent runs of the day take only about an hour and a half. Once the fire is going well, it only requires feeding every half hour or so, a couple of good sized logs do the trick. We use it to do our stripping runs for vodka as well as make our rum and various fruit eaux-de-vie. Regulating the heat is not as difficult as you'd think. Much like cooking on a wood stove you quickly learn how to make the fire spread appropriately and there are various dampers to help with the air flow. We live in an area that is rich in firewood as many people use it to heat their homes in winter and woodlots are bountiful so access to good quality fuel is easy. The cost is less than propane or electrical. Another factor for us was the fact that we have our distillery in an old blacksmith shop so the theatricality of adding a wood burning element into the shop / tasting room environment is a plus for the visitors' experience. I suppose the downside might be the wrangling of the wood itself - it's messy and a definite workout. This system isn't for everyone but we absolutely love it and recommend it highly.(Even the fire marshall approved!).

[porter]

Just some info on using propane versus natural gas.

Propane is much more effecient, but usually at a higher cost.

■100,000 BTU/hr furnace will use about 97 cubic feet of natural gas (100,000 ÷ 1,030 = 97.1) in one hour

■100,000 BTU/hr furnace will use about 40 cubic feet of propane (100,000 ÷ 2516 = 39.7) in one hour

Electric is not quite as easy to figure, but it would be a good idea for you to get the cost/KWh from them, along with the your various gas cost.

Some areas of the country will cost you much more for propane versus electric. Also, if you're in an area which looses power frequently I wouldn't go with electric. Use propane and put a generator backup on the distillery, you won't have to go down in the middle of a run.

[bluestar]

We used an electric steam boiler to fire a 350 gallon kettle/still. I've since closed up the DSP and moved production to a neighboring distillery. My boiler (and kettle/still) is for sale if you're interested. My number is 503-803-3989.

I may be interested, what kind of still?

[Brian]

I use propane....three boilers each at a progressively higher cut out pressure.

Could use oil....there are boilers out there that can modulate the amount of steam generated to correspond to your heating load....so lots of heat early in the day and dropping off as you come to the heart of a run.

If you are going to use electric, you probably will need a 3 phase service in your building to be practical. Harvest Spirits is the only place I know that has electric fired stills.

Wood seems to be an interesting possibility but you might not want to get the wife up early to start firing up in the AM...assuming you don't use pellets.

These guys make a waste fuel fired boiler: http://www.hamech.pl/automated_wastewood_combustion_set_AZSD,e,26.html which is being imported into the USA.....considering using this boiler to burn WET spent grains.

Direct firing implies a mash with few solids or good agitation to avoid burned on mash.

Best,

Brian