Designs of homemade direct-flow refrigerators for a moonshine still. Rules for making a coil: tube diameter, material, location. Examples of moonshine stills with different refrigerators

Making moonshine has become a real tradition for some nations. This drink can be attributed to the cultural values of specific ethnic groups. In addition, it affected the political situation in the country. At the same time, it must be said that the refrigerator for moonshine still, which plays a leading role in the manufacturing process, has undergone many changes and modifications throughout its history, which affected the final quality of the product.

Purpose

This device is necessary in order to cool the mash vapors, which turn into a liquid state. That's exactly how they get it finished product. Taking this into account, the refrigerator should be designed in such a way as to increase the performance of the entire device without compromising the quality of the liquid. It is worth noting that there are a lot of designs for such products, and when choosing them you should focus on personal preferences and the availability of available materials.

Design features

It makes no sense to describe all the options for manufacturing such components of a moonshine still. The fact is that there are so many of them that sometimes it is very difficult to decide on a specific model. Therefore, when creating a refrigerator for a moonshine still with your own hands, you should pay attention to the most common designs, which are not only effective, but also easy to manufacture. The easiest way is to use a regular coil, which is placed in a special container with a supply cold water. These are the products that are used by professionals in this field, and they have proven themselves not only in our country, but also abroad.

Advantages of this design

First of all, it is worth mentioning that when creating a refrigerator for a moonshine still, people try to get the most efficient device that will last for many years. This is exactly what this product will provide.

This cooling system is the most effective and makes it possible to increase the yield of the finished product.
This design can be used in both horizontal and vertical positions. This allows you to make changes to technological process right at the time of cooking, using both vertical gravity flow of liquid and supply under pressure in a horizontal position.
The small dimensions of such coolers make the device compact and convenient for both storage and transportation.

Manufacturing materials

It is believed that it is best to make a refrigerator for This material has the best thermal conductivity and practically does not affect the quality finished products. Some experts claim that copper coolers can change the taste of the final product due to the oxidation process. However, it is this material that will make it possible to obtain environmentally friendly moonshine, since it does not enter into chemical reactions and behaves well in this environment.

You can also make a refrigerator for a moonshine still from stainless steel. However, then the product may have a specific taste and heat transfer will be significantly reduced.

Blueprints

Typical drawings of a moonshine still are usually designed for a certain volume of product. This is important to take into account when choosing a specific model. You should not take sketches of different nodes from other projects and combine them. Each specific device is a fully balanced device that has optimal parameters and is ready for use.

When creating blueprints for a moonshine still, you need to pay special attention to the refrigerator. It is important to correctly calculate the diameter and length of the coil in order not only to avoid unnecessary release of valuable vapors, but also to prevent mash from getting into the finished product. In such cases, experts recommend using standard calculations, according to which the length of the coil pipe should be about two meters and its diameter six millimeters.

Necessary materials

First of all, you will need a copper pipe 2 meters long. Its diameter should not exceed 6 mm, and the wall thickness should not exceed 1 mm. Some craftsmen advise purchasing a product made from a special metal that is designed to work with food products. If you are making a glass refrigerator for a moonshine still, then the necessary material can be bought in a special store.
You will also need a piece of stainless pipe 200 mm long and 17 mm in diameter. The refrigerator body will be made from it.
Two threaded connections that will be mounted on the copper coil. The device itself needs to be connected to them.
Two threaded connections for mounting on a stainless steel body. Water will be supplied through them.
Two stainless steel metal circles that are needed to create lids for the refrigerator. Therefore, their diameter must be at least 75 mm.

Tool

When deciding how to make a moonshine still with your own hands, you need to understand that the work may require a special tool and skills in handling it. It is usually not customary to take parts to specialists, since such work can raise a lot of questions. For production you will need the following:

welding machine;
drill press or drill;
drill with a diameter of eight millimeters;
a device for bending pipes or a template of the required diameter.

Creating a coil

First of all, you need to twist the copper pipe into a coil. Many instructions telling how to make a refrigerator for a moonshine still recommend using special devices for these purposes that make the work much easier. You need to create a spiral of such a diameter that it fits into the pipe for the cover, and there is space between the product and the walls.

Regardless of whether a direct-flow refrigerator is being made for a moonshine still or a device of another design, you need to create such a number of turns so that the spiral fits into the housing. Considering that in our case its length is 200 mm, the number of turns should be such that the finished coil does not exceed 180 mm.

Cooler manufacturing

When making a refrigerator for a moonshine still from stainless steel, it is very important to choose the right electrodes for the welding machine. The fact is that it is necessary to insert the coil into the housing, which is supposed to be fixed with copper.

It is important to make two holes in the body itself on different sides. This is necessary to ensure that water is supplied and drained evenly. They are welded to them, onto which hoses with coolant are subsequently put on.
When the coil is inserted into the housing, it is fixed using end caps. Holes are pre-drilled in them along the diameter of the spiral pipe. It is best if they are not located in the center, but slightly shifted to the side.
The covers are welded around the perimeter to the body, and the coil itself is soldered using a welding machine or soldering iron. The result should be a sealed structure with a copper coil inside.
On final stage Threaded connections are attached to the copper pipe, one of which will be connected to the moonshine still, and through the second the finished product will come out.
Before using a brew cooler, it should be tested in advance using hot water. At the same time, you should not create a lot of pressure, since this will not be required for work.

It is best to use steamers and refrigerators for moonshine stills in pairs. This improves the quality of the finished product, and when using additional ingredients, you can give the finished product your own special taste or aroma.
You should not make a coil from materials that have already been used. Usually copper pipes They are used to work with harmful chemical elements, and a specific residue may remain on them. It is believed that new water pipes, which have recently been sold in almost all hardware stores, are perfect.
When making a cooler, you should immediately think about the model of the dryer. This product allows you to clean the product, and in many alcohol production it is simply irreplaceable.
Some craftsmen prefer to make a metal cooler body with threaded covers that have special seals for hermetically sealing the coil pipe. This approach allows you to get a product that is beautiful and complex in its design, which, however, does not justify the costs invested in it. Vertical flow-through refrigerators do not have a top cover at all, but they cope with their task one hundred percent, not inferior to more modernized units.
In some countries, making moonshine is considered a violation of the law and can result in both fines and imprisonment. Therefore, before starting work, it is worth clarifying this point and assessing the risk.
Typically, a refrigerator with a coil is considered the most important part of a moonshine still. At the same time, it can also be the most expensive unit in terms of manufacturing cost. It is the most difficult to find on the open market. In some families, such devices are passed down from parents to children and have already become a real heirloom.
It is important to mention that, if desired, the proposed design can be significantly simplified. However, it is worth using copper for the coil, although the material of the body is practically unimportant.

Conclusion

Having studied the material on how to make a moonshine still with your own hands, you can come to the conclusion that such products are not very complex and intricate in design. However, this process must be approached very responsibly, having familiarized itself in detail with different models and cooking methods. A poorly prepared product will not only not meet all the necessary requirements, but can also greatly harm human health.

If there is a strong desire and in the absence of the necessary materials at hand, a system for turning mash into moonshine can be built without a coil. However, it is useless to expect more or less normal performance and acceptable quality of the resulting drink from such a device. Good moonshine This is obtained only when alcohol vapor passes through a condenser with a properly organized cooling system. In this case, the material of manufacture of the moonshine still’s coil, the diameter of the tube, size, wall thickness, and location of the refrigerator in space are important.

What's better? Should I buy a ready-to-use distiller or try to assemble it myself? The first option is more reliable and simpler, the second? more profitable. Moreover, in practice, making a coil (condenser) for a moonshine still turns out to be not as difficult as it looks in theory.

Geometric dimensions

Length, diameter, thickness of the tube? parameters that primarily affect the rate of condensate formation and distillation of alcohol-containing liquid. The larger the area of contact between the vapor and the cooling surface, the faster the process proceeds. The thinner the walls of the coil, the higher its thermal conductivity and, consequently, the higher the condensing capacity.

This means that it is better to choose a larger length and diameter (internal cross-section) of the tube, and what about the wall thickness? slightly less. However, such a decision will not be entirely correct. A tube that is too long will increase the hydraulic resistance along the vapor path, as a result of which the distillation speed will automatically decrease.

To achieve optimal balance, it is recommended to make a coil from a tube 1.5-2 m long. This means that this should be its size before curling, and not the length of the finished coil. What are the optimal dimensions for the internal diameter of a capacitor? 8-12 mm.

Thin walls. On the one side? ok, on the other hand? Not good. The fact is that during the curling process they are easily damaged, and the service life of the fragile structure is shorter. In addition, the thermal conductivity of a coil with thin walls at the moment of contact of two media (steam and condensate) sharply decreases, regardless of the diameter of the tube and the material of its manufacture.

What, in this case, should be the thickness of the walls of the moonshine still cooler? The most suitable size is considered to be 0.9-1.1 mm, no more and no less.

Material of manufacture

Important characteristics of the material for making a coil? good thermal conductivity, non-toxic composition, no reaction upon contact with alcohol vapor. These requirements are met by copper, aluminum, brass, food grade stainless steel, silver, and glass. The degree of thermal conductivity is most often
metals and alloys used in decreasing order:

silver? 429 W/(m K);
copper? 382-390 W/(m K);
aluminum? 202-236 W/(m K);
brass? 97-110 W/(m K);
stainless steel? 20 W/(m K).

Not any stainless steel is suitable for making a coil, but only food grade. In addition, during processing and welding, the composition of the alloy changes and it is unknown how the metal will then react to contact with an aggressive environment, which is an alcohol-containing liquid.

Aluminum tubes are also a good option, but they are inferior to copper and brass tubes in terms of service life. Silver? metal is expensive. It is not advisable to use it in the manufacture of a homemade distiller.

Thus, it is most practical to make a coil for a moonshine still from copper. This material is not difficult to obtain, it has a fairly high thermal conductivity, is easy to process, and does not release toxins when in contact with alcohol.

Glass? the material is non-toxic, with sufficient thermal conductivity, 1-1.15 W/(m? K). But at home it is not possible to make a coil out of it. Therefore, it is best and easiest to buy a glass capacitor at a laboratory equipment store.

Location in the diagram

Depending on the model and configuration of the moonshine still, the refrigerator can be located in the general layout horizontally, vertically or at an angle. The most rational option for moonshine brewing? vertical capacitor connection diagram. In this case, the liquid flows down the tube by gravity, without interfering with the movement of steam.

Let us clarify that vertical coolers are either ascending or descending. It is more practical to use a downward system, in which steam enters the refrigerator from above. In the rising
In the coils, the vapors of the distilled distillate are fed from the bottom up, which creates additional resistance to the movement of the condensate.

Cooling system

While the moonshine still is operating, the coil must be constantly cooled. Cooling can be air, but in this case it will be necessary to make a complex structure with a cooler, fan, etc. You can use ice or snow as a cooler, which also requires additional effort and material costs in the manufacture of the coil cooling system. In addition, it is not always possible to obtain large quantities of ice or snow.

The easiest way to cool the coil is with water. It should be taken into account that water cooling systems can be closed or open. In an open system, water circulates constantly; in a closed system, cooling is carried out by a certain amount of water, which is poured into the tank before the distillation of moonshine begins.

Advantage of closed systems? simple design. But at the same time, the tank needs to be made large enough in volume. In addition, when water comes into contact with the warm walls of the coil, it quickly heats up, so that after a short time the distillation of the distillate has to be stopped.

Open cooling systems are more convenient to use. Firstly, do they cool a coil made of any material and any diameter much more efficiently? The distillate will always be cold at the outlet. Secondly, the body of a refrigerator with an open cooling system can be made compact, which makes assembly, operation and storage of the unit more comfortable.

An indispensable condition when organizing a water cooling system for the condenser of a moonshine still? counterflow or reflux mode. This means that water should enter the vertical tank from the bottom and exit from the top. In order for cooling to be uniform, the water flow must be directed towards the movement of the distillate along the coil tube.

Manufacturing technology

The dimensions, material, and diameter of the coil tube were discussed above. Now you need to decide what kind of housing to make for the refrigerator of the moonshine still.

It is most convenient to use sewer pipes made of plastic or metal-plastic under the tank. They are not difficult to get, easy process, install fittings for water inlet/outlet, ensure connection through adapters with alembic or a steamer. What is the optimal cross-sectional size for such a pipe? 75-80 mm.

The sequence of manufacturing a moonshine still cooler:

The cavity of the coil tube is filled with any bulk material so that the metal does not flatten during the curling process.
The ends of the tube are clamped, sealed or plugged with wooden pegs.
Gently wind the tube around any hard object cylindrical with a cross section of 35 mm. Distance between turns? approximately 12 mm.
The spiral-curled tube is freed from the filler and washed with water.
2 holes are cut out on the cooler body, and a pipe (fitting) is installed in them for supplying and draining water. The holes for the fittings should be located at the level of the spiral part of the coil.
The coil is installed inside the housing; the tube is attached to the inner surface of the walls with superglue in 2-3 places.
The ends of the body are covered with round sheets of tin and glued around the perimeter with the same superglue. The remaining voids are filled with paper.
The ends of the refrigerator and the places where the fittings are connected to the body are sealed with epoxy resin and silver.

After a day (time for the compound to harden), a homemade condenser with a flow-through cooling system will be ready for use. The productivity of a refrigerator of this design, depending on the heating power, is on average 3-4 liters of distillate per hour.

The main components of a moonshine still are a distillation cube and a refrigerator. All other elements, such as a steamer, a carbon filter and a bubbler, are additional and serve only to improve the quality of the product. Any sealed container of the required volume is suitable for a distillation cube, but the speed of distillation and the quality of the resulting product depend on the design of the refrigerator.

The process of producing moonshine is based on the condensation of alcohol-containing vapors. In the distillation cube, the mash is heated, resulting in its separation into vapor and liquid.

A refrigerator or, as it is also called, a condenser, works on the principle of a heat exchanger. Alcohol-containing vapor enters it through a tube and, due to contact with the coolant, condenses into moonshine, which then flows into a collection container.

Kinds

Depending on the cooling method, refrigerators come in two types:

non-flowing;
flow-through.

An example of the simplest moonshine still with a static refrigerator is a pan with mash, on top of which a basin filled with cold water is placed. The vapors settle to the bottom of the basin, condense due to contact with the cold surface and flow into a collection container installed inside the pan.

Our grandparents distilled moonshine this way, but it is still used in places where there is no centralized water supply. Due to the inability to monitor what was happening inside the pan, over time the device was modernized, providing it with a sealed container and a coil. They began to use a bucket filled with water as a refrigerator for the coil.

The main disadvantage of a static refrigerator is the rapid heating of water, which leads to worse condensation and a decrease in the yield of the final product. The frequency of water changes depends on the material from which the coil is made and the amount of water in the bucket. The advantage of a device with a static refrigerator is the ability to use it in places where there is no access to running water.

A flow-through refrigerator is a sealed housing, inside of which there is a tube for draining condensate. The refrigerator body is equipped with two pipes for supplying and discharging running water.

This device is more efficient, since due to the constant flow of water inside the refrigerator, a stable temperature is maintained and the yield of the final product remains unchanged.

Important! The condensate drain tube must have good thermal conductivity and be made of an inert material, that is, one that does not react with alcohol. Copper, aluminum and stainless steel are most suitable for this purpose.

According to their design, refrigerators are divided into:

straight-through:
coil

A straight-through refrigerator consists of a casing with two pipes and a straight tube that runs inside it. Alcohol-containing vapor passes through the inner tube, and cooling liquid is in the cavity around it. The coil condenser has a similar device, only the tube inside the casing is not straight, but twisted into a spiral.

The coil refrigerator has compact dimensions, but thanks to its simple design, the direct-flow refrigerator is more practical in terms of operation.

Advantages of a direct-flow refrigerator over a coil refrigerator:

Condensation plugs often occur in a coil refrigerator, leading to sudden pressure drops in the distillation cube and the release of mash into the refrigerator. In the direct-flow design, due to the absence of bends, this is excluded.
A direct-flow condenser quickly responds to the slightest changes in water pressure, which makes it possible to regulate the temperature of the final product. The coil design works slower in this regard.
The direct-flow unit has a higher efficiency and, accordingly, less water consumption for cooling.

Reference. Glass models of coil-type refrigerators are available for sale, intended for use in laboratories. But due to impracticality for moonshine brewing, they are rarely used - glass is a fragile material and can be easily damaged if handled carelessly.

How to make a refrigerator at home?

Despite the fact that refrigerators for moonshine stills are available in free trade, many moonshiners still prefer to make it themselves.

Direct-flow from sewer polypropylene pipe

This is the cheapest capacitor option that can be easily made at home.

Necessary materials:

copper tube 12x1 – 1 m;
PP pipe ø25 mm – 1 m;
PP tee with internal thread 25x1/2″ – 2 pcs;
PP adapter coupling 25/20 – 2 pcs;
threaded plug 1/2″ (15 mm) – 2 pcs;
hose fitting with 1/2″ (15 mm) thread – 2 pcs;
tow or FUM tape.

Tools you will need:

hacksaw for metal;
drill with drill bit;
a soldering iron for propylene pipes, but if you don’t have one, it doesn’t matter.

Manufacturing process:

Cut a piece of polypropylene pipe 500-600 mm long with a metal hacksaw - this will be the casing of the future refrigerator.
Solder tees to the ends of the pipe. If you don’t have a soldering iron, then the fittings must be immersed in boiling water for a few minutes and quickly put on until they stop until they cool down.
Connect the adapter couplings to the tees.
Drill holes in the center of the threaded plugs to the diameter of the copper tube. It is important that the tube fits into them as tightly as possible. You can drill a hole with a smaller diameter and then adjust it with a round file.
Heat the adapter couplings in boiling water and insert the threaded plugs into them.
Screw the fittings under the hose into the tees, sealing the threads with tow or FUM tape.
Cut a piece of copper tube with a hacksaw so that it is 5-6 cm longer than the casing.
Insert the tube into the holes of the threaded plugs, evenly distributing its protruding parts at both ends of the casing.
Seal the cracks around the tube with sealant or any waterproof glue.
Connect the device to the distillation cube using a silicone hose with a diameter of 12 mm.

In a similar way, you can make a direct flow pipe using a copper tube with a diameter of 10 mm and a PP pipe of 20 mm. In this case, adapter couplings will not be needed - threaded plugs will be inserted into the tees. By reducing the diameter, the device will be cheaper, but its throughput will also be lower.

Important! Ideally, a direct-flow refrigerator should be in a vertical position - this is the only way to avoid the formation of condensation plugs and achieve maximum efficiency. After each use, the copper tube must be cleaned with a brush or rinsed under hot water.

Coil type

To make a coil, you will need a copper tube with a diameter of 10-12 mm and a length of 1.2-2 m. The optimal wall thickness is 1 mm. If the wall is thinner, then there is a risk of damaging the tube when winding the spiral; in addition, such a coil quickly wears out during operation.

Using a tube with a wall of more than 1 mm will lead to a deterioration in the thermal conductivity of the device; moreover, such material is quite rigid and difficult to manipulate.

Annealed and unannealed copper tubes are available for sale. For the manufacture of the coil, annealed copper is used - it has good ductility and is easy to deform.

Coil manufacturing process:

Plug one end of the tube with a wooden peg and pour fine bulk material into it, tapping occasionally to compact it. Sand, salt or soda are suitable fillers. This is necessary so that the tube does not flatten while winding the spiral.
After filling, plug the other end in the same way.
Select a cylindrical mandrel. Its diameter depends on the size of the housing in which the coil will be placed.
Clamp the mandrel in a yew and wind a copper tube around it, leaving a gap between the turns of 12-15 mm. It is better to leave the straight ends of the tube longer, then it will be easier to bend them.
Remove the plugs and pour out the filler. Rinse the internal cavity of the coil thoroughly with water.

Usually the body for the coil is made of glass or stainless steel, but making such a design at home is problematic. A more affordable, but no less effective option is a refrigerator made from a polypropylene sewer pipe. To make it you will need:

sewer pipe PP ø110 mm – 30 cm;
coupling for pipes ø110 mm – 1 piece;
plug for sewer pipe – 2 pcs;
hose fitting with 1/2″ thread – 2 pcs;
nut with thread 1/2″ – 2 pcs.

Refrigerator assembly process:

Connect the pipe to the coupling.
Make 2 20 mm holes along the edges of the structure.
Place the fittings under the hose into the holes on the sealant and secure them with nuts on the inside of the pipe.
Place the coil into the housing.
Close the edges of the pipe with plugs with pre-made holes for the ends of the coil to exit.
Seal all joints and cracks with sealant.

The working position of such a refrigerator, as in the case of a straight-flow refrigerator, is vertical or slightly inclined. If you place it horizontally, the condensate will settle at the bottom of the coil, which will impede the passage of vapor.

Important! The flow of water in the condenser should be directed towards the movement of steam, that is, the inlet should be from below and the outlet from above.

The refrigerator models described are easy to manufacture and inexpensive in materials, but they work no less efficiently than expensive serial models. The main thing is that the diameter of the tube is at least 10 mm. As for the length, for a flow-through refrigerator it should be at least 1 m, and for a coil placed in a bucket - 2 m.

Video: shell-and-tube condenser design

Watch a video that shows how the shell-and-tube and pre-coolers of a moonshine still work:

Russians learned how to prepare a fiery drink during the peak of Prohibition. During all this time, skills were honed, changes were made to the recipe, and moonshine stills were improved. Today, no one prohibits purchasing, much less making, alcohol for home use, but the quality of store-bought vodka leaves much to be desired. That is why the present time can be called the heyday of moonshine. We have already written how to make it and even, and now it’s time to tell you how to make a refrigerator for a moonshine still with your own hands.

Despite the fact that ready-made moonshine stills are available in free trade, many people prefer to assemble it themselves. Moreover, in reality there is nothing fundamentally complicated about this. At the end of the article, we will provide recommendations from experts, and also tell you how to make moonshine in winter even without a machine.

No matter how severe the assembled unit may look, its structure is very simple, which includes the following required elements:

Alembic- a sealed container into which mash is poured and from where the production of an alcohol-containing product begins. In homemade devices, a pressure cooker acts as a distillation cube, where the raw materials are heated to a certain temperature.
Coil- a spiral-shaped copper (glass, aluminum or stainless steel) pipe through which alcohol-containing steam passes, some of it settles as condensation on the walls, and the alcohol flows into the prepared tank.
- a container with circulating cold water with a submerged coil, where the process of fragmentation of steam into alcohol and condensate occurs. As in the distillation cube, a relatively constant temperature must be maintained here, sufficient for condensation to form.

During operation of the moonshine still, the water in the refrigerator heats up and less of the final product is obtained. In order for the water temperature to remain at the same level all the time, it is necessary to ensure its constant temperature. To do this, taps are made in the tank to drain and supply water.

The water supply tap should always be located at the bottom of the container - cold water, rising when heated, tends to meet the moonshine, due to which intense separation of steam occurs.

Hoses or tubes, necessary to connect all elements into one circuit.
Sukhoparnik- an additional element that is used for additional purification of the final product.

How to make a refrigerator for a moonshine still with your own hands

For the body, take a stainless steel pipe with a diameter of 76-78 mm. Make 2 holes at the top and bottom for water inlet and outlet and connect the pipes for convenience. On the covers you make holes for the coil, based on its diameter.

Insert the coil and pipes into the pipe, seal all the holes tightly so that water does not leak out.

After the entire refrigerator is assembled, be sure to check it for leaks.

Weld a fitting with an external thread onto the supply coil pipe.

This completes the manufacture of the refrigerator.

For reference. The standard coil length is 1800-2000 mm, this is enough to produce 3 liters of moonshine per hour. It is not recommended to increase the speed - if the mash starts to boil strongly, it will splash out into the finished product, which will spoil the taste and aroma.

When connecting the refrigerator, ensure that the waste (warm water) is discharged from above and the cold water supply from below. If this is not provided for, at the end of 10 liters of mash you will get only 1.5-2 liters of moonshine, that is, almost 2 times less than the planned volume.

Examples of moonshine stills with different refrigerators

First, let's look at the diagram of a moonshine still based on the principle of isothermal distillation

This scheme cannot be called fundamentally new, but it is worth noting the receiving funnel, which allows you to collect the finished product without removing the refrigerator. It is best to place the funnel on a small tripod, but you can also attach it with wire.

What is distinctive about such a scheme? The presence of a flow system directly from the water tap, which allows you to constantly cool the water and make the device more efficient.

It is recommended to cover the junction of the evaporator and the refrigerator with ordinary salt dough. Firstly, such a connection compensates for excess pressure; in fact, the dough acts as a safety valve. Secondly, when heated in the room, there will be an aroma of fresh baked goods, and not fusel, as is often the case. This is a small thing, but also very important.

Standard unit diagram

This is the most popular type of moonshine still and refrigerator made at home.

Take a container, close it hermetically with a lid, into which you insert a thermometer and an outlet tube with a tap. Connect the coil to this tube. He, in turn, is immersed in a container of cold water.

Fill the mash into the distillation cube no more than 2/3 of the volume. Bring gradually to a temperature of 75-780C, after which you control the boiling - it should be very slow and not bubbling. If you boil quickly or allow it to boil violently, drops of mash will clog the tube, and you will have to disassemble and flush the entire system.

This is an example with a standard refrigerator, but an additional container that additionally cleans the finished product (this is not a steamer).

In a container with water (in Fig. 6), the temperature should be constantly at around 80C.

How to use it correctly

Pour mash into 2/3 of the volume of the distillation cube, heat it to a temperature of 75-78C and keep it at a gentle boil. After the process is started, the alcohol and water fractions pass through a container (in Fig. 6), where the water settles, and the concentrated alcohol vapor passes into the refrigerator. Here the standard separation of condensate from the alcohol begins, settling on the walls and the release of the finished product into a receiving container, which is installed in a water bath.

When passing through a container with warm water, some of the alcohol also settles, so at the end of the distillation it is recommended to pour water from the container into the distillation cube (in Fig. 6) and run the entire system again.

How to do simplest refrigerator for a moonshine still - video

After the moonshine has already been prepared, throw in a pinch (3 liters on the tip of a knife) of potassium permanganate. After a day, strain through a cotton filter.
In order for the product to turn out clean and without fusel odors, when preparing the mash you need to wait until it becomes transparent. Then carefully, without mixing with the sediment, drain and pass through the apparatus. There will be no smell at all, and in the morning you will feel perfect!
The simplest recipe for mash is 4.5 liters of water + 1 kg of sugar + 100 grams of pressed (live) yeast. Under a water seal in a warm, dark place for a week and a half.

How to make moonshine without a moonshine still

This recipe is popular in the north, and is prepared only in winter at temperatures of -2º - -3ºС.

So, make mash, pour it into a regular heating pad or medical gloves. Leave it outside for a day (we keep a close eye on our neighbors). After a day, drain the almost finished product. Throw a pinch of potassium permanganate and a few tablets of activated carbon into it and after another day, filter through a cotton filter.

The coil for the moonshine still is an integral part of it. Condensation of vapors of an alcohol-containing liquid occurs in the coil, and both the performance of the device and the quality depend on its normal operation.

Purpose of the device

The process of moonshine brewing is distillation. It consists of two main stages:

evaporation;
condensation.

The evaporator in the design of the apparatus is a distillation cube. It is poured inside, after which the cube is heated using heating elements or over a fire. The alcohol contained in the mash has a lower boiling point, so it begins to evaporate earlier than water. Alcohol vapor enters the coil, which is connected by a sealed tube to the distillation cube. In this scheme for distilling mash, the coil is a refrigerator, and it is in it that the alcohol vapors are cooled and condensed. The condensate, or distillate, is collected in a separate container.

Making a coil for a moonshine still with your own hands is not particularly difficult. In its classic form, it is a copper tube twisted into a spiral and placed in a tank of cold water. Designs, materials and designs of coils can be different, the main thing is that they cope with their immediate task, i.e. cooled vapors of alcohol-containing liquid as efficiently as possible.

Best materials

Alcohol vapor heated to high temperature, are an aggressive environment, since alcohol is a strong solvent. Therefore, for the manufacture of the cooler it is necessary to use materials that are resistant to such harmful effects. Best suited for this purpose:

copper;
stainless steel;
glass.

The copper coil is the easiest to manufacture. It is made from a tube with a diameter of 8-10 mm, which is rolled into a spiral in 5-6 turns and placed vertically in a tank of water. This scheme will allow the condensate to drain by gravity.

It is more difficult to make a stainless steel coil cooler only because stainless steel is a harder material compared to copper. It bends poorly and there is a high risk of jamming or breaking the tube. In addition, soldering it is much more difficult. It is preferable to use stainless steel in the manufacture of direct-flow refrigerators.

It is impossible to make a glass coil with your own hands, unless the master has the capabilities of a glass blower. Therefore, if you use glass, then it is more advisable to use a laboratory ball or spiral refrigerator as a cooler. In addition to being absolutely inert to alcohol vapors, a glass distiller allows you to observe the process of vapor condensation.

Coil manufacturing technology

Before making a refrigerator for a moonshine still with a spiral coil, you need to determine what its design will be. It should be selected depending on the availability of water and the possibility of connecting it. If it is not possible to connect running water to the cooler, its size must be increased to ensure high-quality cooling and steam condensation.

In the absence of running water, the easiest way to make a cooler for a moonshine still is from a tank with a capacity of 25-30 liters and a copper tube. It is wound in a spiral slightly smaller in size than the inner diameter of the tank. The outlet of the coil tube is made at the bottom through the wall of the tank, the hole at the outlet is sealed.

While the device is operating, the tank is filled with cold water. During the distillation process, the temperature of the water in the tank will increase, which will reduce the cooling efficiency. Therefore, water from the tank will need to be periodically removed, adding cold water instead.

If it is possible to connect running water, it is better to make the refrigerator as compact as possible. In this case, the coil spiral can be wound with smaller diameter and denser turns, which will not affect the quality of cooling. For a cooling jacket, you can use, for example, a piece of polyethylene plumbing pipe.

Let's look at how to make a coil for a moonshine still with a flow-through refrigerator. To wind the coil, a copper tube with a diameter of 10-12 mm and a thickness of 1 mm is suitable; it will require approximately 1.5-2 m. The spiral must be wound on a mandrel with a diameter of 20 mm, leaving a gap between the turns of 3-5 mm. At both ends of the spiral you need to leave straight sections of tube 60-80 mm. Now you can take a piece of polyethylene plumbing pipe with a diameter of 55 mm. Its length is selected so that the coil is completely in the pipe, and the spiral tubes extend out.

The ends of the cooler pipe are closed with plugs. Holes are made in them according to the diameter of the coil. To supply running water from the ends of the cooling jacket, two fittings are cut in. It is possible to make a cooler for such a design from a stainless tube, but winding stainless steel, especially thin-walled steel, is much more difficult.

Which is better - coil or direct flow

There is no clear answer to the question which coil design is better, spiral or direct-flow. The good thing about a straight-through cooler is that its steam resistance is lower than that of a spiral cooler, especially with a small flow section diameter.

A spiral coil, especially a horizontal or inclined one, creates pressure fluctuations in the system due to steam-water plugs, which can lead to sudden foaming of the mash and throwing it into the refrigerator. The resistance of the spiral refrigerator increases the pressure inside the distillation cube, and this leads to an increase in temperature and increased evaporation of not only water, but also heavy fractions, which deteriorates the quality and strength of the final product.

A direct-flow cooler does not have these disadvantages. It creates virtually no back pressure and avoids sudden foaming of the mash. Despite all the advantages, a direct-flow refrigerator for a moonshine still has a significant drawback - its size.

To provide effective cooling, the refrigerator must be either long or thick due to the fact that the steam passes through several parallel tubes. However, such a refrigerator is much more difficult to manufacture, since the design must be able to separate the steam flow through the cooler tubes, and then collect the condensate again in one pipe.

Stainless steel tubes for a moonshine still, from which the cooler is traditionally made, are difficult to solder; processing stainless steel causes many problems due to its rigidity. It is impossible to weld such a direct-flow pipe without special equipment and materials. It’s easier to make a moonshine still with your own hands with a coil made of a copper tube.

Distillation without refrigeration

Manufacturing of coils - difficult process. During distillation, you can do without a cooler. The distillation process is a continuous heat and mass exchange, and the steam evaporated in the distillation cube carries with it a certain supply of thermal energy. It must give up this heat in order to condense and turn into liquid. In order for the steam to give off heat and condense, the distillation device must have a long direct-flow refrigerator that would have time to remove heat to the surrounding air. This scheme is feasible, for example, if you place the refrigerator outside the window and do the distillation in winter.

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