What should be the length of the flow cooler tubing. Moonshine cleaning, coil tube, wire diameter and cross section

The classic coil is a spiral made of a material with high thermal conductivity. Such devices have a large cooling area and are easy to manufacture.

The best materials

What to make a coil for a home-made moonshine with your own hands? The material must be easy to process, not form harmful compounds during distillation and be strong enough. The most popular materials for moonshiners: copper, stainless steel, aluminum, glass. Much less often, coils are made of silver, brass and metal-plastic.

Copper

Copper coils are most common in moonshine stills. Copper is excellent for processing, and the high thermal conductivity of copper allows for faster distillation. Copper is not completely chemically inert, that is, it can form new compounds when interacting with heated vapors.

Theoretically, they can turn into ready-made moonshine, and then have a negative effect on the body, but the experience of French winemakers does not confirm these assumptions. They traditionally use copper stills in the production of whiskey and cognac, recognized worldwide for their high quality.

stainless steel

Stainless steel has good thermal conductivity and does not interact with most active chemical compounds. A stainless steel coil for a home-made moonshine still will allow you to get a high-quality alcohol product.

Aluminum

In the manufacture of an aluminum refrigerator, it must be taken into account that with age such a device becomes old and becomes hazardous to health. During distillation, aluminum oxides interact with alcohol compounds, and the resulting complex substances accumulate in the body. Alcohol obtained using an aluminum apparatus has a slight specific aftertaste.

Glass

Glass fixtures have excellent thermal conductivity and allow you to control the distillation process. The disadvantage of such a device is the difficulty of manufacturing at home and high fragility. If you decide to go with this option, then in most cases it is better to buy a sufficient number of ready-made glass refrigerators on the Internet.

Distillation without serpentine

If you are a beginner moonshiner, then it is not always necessary to immediately equip the perfect winemaking corner. To get started, you can use improvised materials. An old saucepan or can with a sealed lid is perfect as a distillation cube. As a coil, you can use improvised materials. Moonshine after distillation will not be of the highest quality, but the first exciting experience of moonshine will be obtained at almost no cost.

Grandma's design

This is the simplest model of a moonshine that can be made. The role of the refrigerator in the design is performed by a large bowl of cold water, in which snow can be put in winter. Alcohol vapors condense on the walls of the "refrigerator" and fall into the funnel, and then flow down the groove into the alcohol receiver.

lazy serpentine

If the soul yearns for a homemade drink, but there is no time, then fantasy will help out. In the presented model, the role of the coil is performed by a silicone tube of small diameter, attached to the distillation cube. Free coils of the condenser are immersed in a container, which is placed in the sink and cooled with water. Silicone tubes of different lengths are sold at the pharmacy. When buying, it is important to pay attention to the material - rubber products will not work.

Refrigerator made of metal tube

A do-it-yourself coil for a moonshine still will compete with store counterparts. Before starting the assembly of a moonshine structure, it is necessary to determine its parameters:

1. Dimensions. To make moonshine flow faster and taste better, you should find a longer copper or aluminum tube. Its length before twisting should be about 2 meters, and the cross-sectional diameter should be 8-12 mm. Such dimensions will provide a sufficiently large area of ​​contact with the cooling medium. The wall thickness of the tube should not be very thin, on the order of 1 mm, so as not to impede processing.
2. Spatial location. The orientation of the refrigerator can be any, but it is better to prefer vertical, and steam to be served from above. In this case, the condensed moonshine flows down under the influence of gravity, without creating steam barriers.
3. Cooling can be produced by air, snow or water. Water cooling systems are more efficient. The choice between a capacitive and flow (open) refrigerator depends on the availability of water supply and sewerage.

How to bend a phone?

There are many ways to get a beautifully curled serpentine spiral. The air conditioner store sells copper tubes of the right length, and there you can also find "pipe benders" that create smooth bends without creases. If there was no special device, then the old-fashioned way to make neat turns with your own hands will help:

• one end of the tube is closed;
• the cavity is tightly packed with sand (salt, soda);
• the other end is closed;
• the design is wound on a pipe of a suitable diameter;
• the spiral is removed, its ends open, the filler is carefully poured out.

Look, which is easy to manufacture and gives a quality product. Also, the article discusses in detail the process of manufacturing a coil from a copper tube.

Sealing the still
For all aluminum flasks that have been in operation for a long time, the rubber sealing ring on the lid eventually becomes unusable. The ring loses elasticity, cracks and sometimes even breaks. Meanwhile, this defect can be easily repaired with a commercially available PTFE tape. FUM tape (Fluoroplastic Sealing Material) can have a different thickness and color, you can use any, carefully wrapping the rubber ring around the entire circumference. Fluoroplastic withstands temperatures up to 400 degrees, does not emit any odor and is absolutely safe.

Moonshine cleaning
The most harmful impurities in moonshine are fusel oils. We must strive to reduce their number to a minimum.
When distilling, do not excessively increase the heating temperature of the mash. In other words, the thinner the stream at the outlet of the coil, the higher the quality of moonshine. It is necessary to constantly monitor the water level in the reservoir tank and top up water in a timely manner. The colder the water, the better.

To clean the moonshine, you can use household water filters or strain the moonshine through a vessel with activated carbon. Charcoal for the filter can be obtained at home.
Somewhere I came across this method: "Light a fire from birch firewood. When the firewood is almost burned out, but the heat is still very strong, fill the clay pot with coals, blow off the ashes and close the lid tightly. Wait until the coals go out and cool down."

Unfortunately, I did not have a clay pot at hand, so I kindled a fire from small birch logs, previously cleaned of birch bark, in a 200-liter iron barrel with a cut-out top lid. These barrels are often used to collect rainwater for irrigation. At the right moment, he simply turned the barrel upside down and sprinkled the edges with earth to stop the access of oxygen to the cooling coals. The cooled coals must not be crushed very finely, so that pieces of 0.5-1 cm in size are obtained, then sift through a not very frequent sieve. Coals can be used in the filter, or you can throw them into a container with moonshine at the rate of 10 grams per liter. In the latter case, the contents must be shaken daily for several days, then filtered.

carbon filter you can make your own hands from a 1.5 - 3 liter plastic bottle. The bottle is cut across approximately in half. Use the part with the neck. They put a piece of gauze, folded in several layers, then a thin layer of cotton wool and covered with coal. Instead of gauze, you can use thin felt. On top, you can put another layer of cotton wool. The filter is ready. It can also be used in the distillation process, simply by substituting it under the coil. The carbon in the filter must be changed periodically.

The carbon filter does not pass elements such as mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, iron, manganese, chromium and other heavy metals, which can give moonshine a cloudy color and negative taste, and are not at all good for health. It also cleans the product of elements such as arsenic, hydrogen compounds, sulfides, excess chlorine, etc.

Coil tube length
The table contains information that may be useful in the manufacture of moonshine. The most interesting is the calculation of the minimum length of the tube for the coil, depending on its diameter. As can be seen from the table, the larger the diameter of the tube, the shorter its length can be. In practice, for reliable and trouble-free operation of the system, it is desirable to take the length of the tube a little more than the calculated one.

The cross section of the wire depending on its diameter

What is wire size and how to determine it? If you bite the wire and look at it from the end, you can see the core of the wire in the form of a circle. The area of ​​this circle is the cross section of the wire.
As can be seen from the formula, the cross section of the wire (circle area) is easy to determine by its diameter. It is enough to multiply the diameter of the wire core by itself and by 0.785.
Example. There is a wire with a diameter of 3mm. Let's define its section. 3mm*3mm*0.7854=7.065. Rounding the value, we get: a wire with a diameter of 3 mm has a cross section of 7 squares.

The choice of the section of copper wire for electrical wiring

When breeding circuits at the input, a general switch (fusible links or electromechanical machines) must be installed. In household networks, fuses are the most common. As a rule, such fuses always burn out at the most inopportune moment, and a full-fledged replacement is not always at hand. For self-manufacturing of the fuse, you can use the following table.

Electromagnetic cleaning of moonshine

Take a piece of wire 1-3 meters long, wrap it around a bottle of moonshine or any other drink. The wire must be rigid so that the resulting coil holds its shape, and its diameter is such that a bottle of moonshine can freely enter inside. The number of turns does not matter, but the more the better. The same applies to the wire diameter. Connect the ends of the coil through a switch to any DC source. A 12-volt battery is sufficient.
Be sure to turn on the light bulb at the appropriate voltage when breaking the circuit!
And the switch is only in the negative wire!

After placing the bottle inside the coil, close and open the circuit at intervals of 5-10 seconds. Under the influence of an electromagnetic field, all harmful substances that are in the moonshine are actively volatilized. Therefore, the bottle must be open. The duration of the process is not more than 5 minutes. As a rule, this time is enough to prepare a snack ...

The method is especially effective in large companies, at picnics, etc. Checked several times this past summer. Those present unanimously gave the highest rating to the purified drink. Moreover, after cleaning and tasting each next bottle, the quality of moonshine, by all accounts, certainly increased ...

Moonshine is impossible without special equipment and devices, one of which is a coil. It can be made of various materials, have different performance, service life, but the purpose of this device is the same - cooling and subsequent condensation of alcohol vapors.

The principle of operation of this device is quite simple. When the mash is heated, alcohol vapors enter the coil, the surfaces of which cool this mixture. The decrease in temperature occurs due to the contact of the outer side of the element with a cooling medium, more often it is water. How well this process will take place depends on the diameter of the coil, the material and the common contact surfaces of the working agent and the coolant. Some call this part of the system - the heart of the moonshine still.

Which coil to choose

A coil for a moonshine still can be purchased ready-made or made by hand.

If we consider the coils already adapted for distillation, then they are on sale in different sizes, which allows you to choose the best option for almost any unit. There are also differences in material, you can find a glass coil, stainless steel, brass and even silver. Naturally, depending on the material, the average cost of the element also changes. Such products are easy to choose on the Internet resources, specialized outlets, and the glass cooler can also be found in medical equipment stores.

If the main moonshine is assembled independently, then they are more often engaged in the design of the coil with their own hands. It is quite simple to do this, you just need to choose the right material, determine the cross section.

What material to choose for the coil

Regardless of whether a ready-made “refrigerator” will be purchased or there is a desire to experiment on your own, you need to understand the differences in materials and immediately decide what the element will be made of. The following types of coils are distinguished, made from such compounds as:

• Silver. It is used quite rarely due to high production costs, although in terms of thermal conductivity and average service life, it is considered one of the best options;
• Copper. Good thermal conductivity is combined with an affordable price and practicality. The copper coil is used most often, since it can be made independently or purchased already in the finished version;
• Aluminum. Average indicators of heat transfer and low cost, but in terms of duration, aluminum products are inferior to copper or glass counterparts;
• Stainless steel. If you plan to make a reliable element out of which, then preference can be given to stainless steel. Such an element will cost more than identical coolers, but it will last long enough and will not react with an alcohol solution over time;
• Glass. The material is absolutely neutral to alcohol vapors, which is important for high-quality alcohol, but not very to mechanical stress and sudden temperature changes. It is easy to make a glass coil for moonshine with your own hands, or rather, purchase it in departments where laboratory attributes are presented or at specialized points for winemakers.

The choice of coils is quite wide, so it will not be difficult to find the required diameter, the required working surface and thermal conductivity parameters.

How to make a cooler with your own hands

First you need to decide on the material, since this will determine how long and often the coil will be used. In the preparation of alcohol at home, it is important that there are no interactions between the solution or steam. This must be taken into account, since high temperatures and an aggressive environment, in the presence of surfaces that are unstable to such factors, can spoil all the advantages of making drinks with your own hands.

The coil design technology practically does not differ in stages from the material used. By analogy, you can make a product from corrugated steel, copper or other surfaces. Since steel is one of the practical materials, although a little more expensive than copper, we can use its example to consider the manufacturing process:

1. Preparation of steel tube. It is important that it be food grade, stainless, and not previously used in other chemical processes. You should focus on a diameter of 10 to 15 mm. As for the length, it is calculated relative to the desired coolant capacity. On average, it can be about 1.8 meters. Thickness - 1.5mm;
2. Choosing a cylinder that will become the basis for winding the steel tube. The cross section of the cylinder can also vary, but it must be at least 6 cm;
3. Preparing for winding. It is impossible to simply bend the material relative to the cylinder, since it can be significantly deformed. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to make a seal, namely, to fill the entire length of the pipe with clean, and preferably calcined sand. On the one hand, the pipe is sealed or you can simply insert a suitable plug, the sand is poured in, on the other hand it is also clogged;
4. Steel tube winding. Pre-cylinder must be well fixed, this can be done with a vice. The winding process itself must be carried out carefully and this will require certain physical efforts.
5. Uncorking, pouring sand.

About analogies, you can make a device out of copper and in many respects it will not be inferior to stainless steel, but in terms of price it will still have an advantage. In addition to the availability of coils made of copper, they do not have a high degree of toxicity. Many old recipes for moonshine, cognac and other strong drinks contain a list of equipment used and many contain copper parts.

It is not difficult to make a device adapted for a moonshine still, but if you don’t want to waste time, look for a suitable material, that is, there is an option to use ready-made elements.

If the entire system is designed independently, then it will also be necessary to correctly position the device and ensure tightness. There is an option of horizontal, inclined or vertical arrangement. Each of the methods has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account when collecting the entire moonshine brewing system.

Geometric features of the coil

It is not worth choosing the dimensions of the cooler unreasonably, since this may affect the performance of the entire moonshine still and the quality of alcohol condensation. Some novice moonshine cooks first find certain elements, and then try to adapt them to the equipment with their own hands. There are certain sizing guidelines:

• Wall thickness. The thermal conductivity depends on this parameter, namely: the thinner the wall, the higher the thermal conductivity. At the same time, very thin tubes wear out quickly;
• Tube length. It is believed that long coils have a large area of ​​contact with the cooling medium, which increases productivity, but the hydraulic resistance also increases;
• The cross section or diameter of the tube. The contact area depends on the parameter, and the larger the cross section, the lower the hydraulic resistance.

You can decide on the best option using calculations, and you can also use special tables where there are already approximate dimensions.

In order not to bother with calculations, you can buy a ready-made coil, and get information about its efficiency, performance and safety from a consultant or in the instructions. Increasingly, the coil already comes complete with units for making various alcoholic beverages with your own hands. The cost of finished products is also quite affordable, especially compared to the labor costs of manufacturing and searching for materials, because high-quality stainless steel or copper still needs to be found or bought.

To get homemade moonshine, there are two devices, without which this is impossible. This distillation cube and coil for moonshine still placed in a container with coolant (cold water).

All other canopies are secondary and are designed to increase the strength and clean the alcohol vapors from the fusel in the process of distillation/rectification.

The main function of the coil is alcohol vapor transmission, which, under the influence of the water jacket surrounding it, turn into liquid alcohol, that is, they are distilled.

Its dimensions are developed based on the capabilities and volume of the cooling tank. In a flow system it is more compact, in a non-flow system it is larger.

Important. For optimal performance, the coil should occupy 15-20% of the useful volume of the cooler.

Material

Main materials:

• Food grade stainless steel, characterized by inertness with respect to alcohol vapors. Another plus is strength and durability.
• Copper- the first of the materials that mankind used to create. Its main advantage is the retention of sulfur compounds, which are certainly present in fruit and grain mashes. As a result, not only the purity of the product is improved, but also its taste.
• Glass. Inert material, but brittleness is a serious disadvantage. In addition, it is impossible to create a glass structure on your own.
• A aluminum. In home-grown CAs of the last century, aluminum tube coils were found. But do not create them at least today, when there is a choice. Aluminum is the nastiest of materials for moonshine stills. It easily reacts with the components of the mash, saturating alcohol vapors with compounds that are harmful to health.

Reference. The thermal conductivity of copper is much higher than stainless steel (389.6 units versus 45.4).

What role does this play for the moonshiner? Copper is 9 times faster than steel, cools under the influence of cold water and just as quickly turns vapor into liquid. That is, copper has a higher efficiency, and the distillation is faster.

Dimensions

It seems that for a non-through cooler it is better to take a longer tube, but this is not entirely true. Yes, the degree of cooling with a long tube will increase, as the area of ​​contact with cold water will increase.

But, at the same time, the speed of the transfer will drop. It is called hydraulic resistance. Therefore, the following sizes are considered optimal:

• The length of the tube is 1.5-2 m, for a non-flowing one it is up to 2.5 m. But if the transfer speed is not significant for you, 3.5-4 m can also be placed in a large container.
• The inner diameter of the wall is 8-15 mm.

Attention. The thinner the tube wall, the higher the heat transfer and the faster the cooling.

But the main danger is brittleness of thin-walled tube. It can burst even when winding. Therefore, the best wall thickness is 0.9-1.1 mm.

How to bet and why?

The flow cooler is traditionally installed vertically. So the vapors in the coil condense and flow freely into the receiving container of moonshine.

If you install it horizontally, then condensate will invariably linger in the lower part of the turns. What does it threaten:

1. In the finished product, when divided into fractions, a part of the fusel oil will fall, which should have gone “heads”.
2. - explosive substance. And if for some reason the cooling stops, an explosion can occur, fraught with injuries to the distiller and a fire in the house.
3. There is no backflow and the cooling is not as efficient.

Important. If for some reason it is impossible to install the cooler vertically in your device, then place it at least at an angle of 45 °, so the condensate will not linger.

Another important issue is the correct and removal of hot. Here, too, there is a rule: connect cold water to the lower pipe, and hot water to the upper one. Why is that? Reading:

• Alcohol vapours, leaving the still and possibly passing through the steamer/bubbler/strengthening column, are looking for a way out. In a sealed system, it is alone - through the coil.
• The hottest pairs are in its upper part. And if we start cooling from above, then the incoming hot vapors (the evaporation process is not interrupted until the distillation stops) instantly heat the cold water, and it already flows down hot. That is, it will not be possible to achieve high-quality cooling.

Carefully. Incompletely condensed vapors not only saturate the kitchen with a moonshine smell, but also threaten to ignite.

• By connecting cold water to the lower pipe, you ensure that it meets partially cooled vapors upstream, and at the bottom there is already completely cooled distillate.

Important. When distilling, check the temperature by touching the cooler with your bare hand.

From below, it should be cold at any time during the run. If it gets warm, you need to increase the water pressure.

Cooling system

The most commonly used cooling system in home brewing is water. It is much more convenient than air, although this is sometimes used. But due to the complexity and low productivity of the air, we will discuss the water in more detail.

In the "country" version: a coil, lowered into a 20-liter bucket, a pot, etc., filled with cold water. It is convenient to build a coil that does not require alteration of the container: it simply lowers into the water, and the outlet end, on which the silicone tube is put on, sticks out from above.

Look at the ones that are produced by the industry and you will understand how it is made. When operating in winter, you can fill the tank with water not completely, but add snow and / or ice as it warms up. So you do not have to scoop out water and carry a new one.

The second option is a flowing water jacket around the coil, into which cold water enters and exhausted, heated water is discharged.

From what and how to do it yourself?

Winding the coil is easy if you act in this way:

• determine the internal diameter of your refrigerator and its length;
• pick up a cylindrical object (blank) so that the tube wound around it subsequently enters the refrigerator with a gap of at least 0.5 cm from each wall. This is necessary so that the water circulates freely;
• so that the walls of the tube do not flatten when bent, fill it with dry sand. Either flatten the ends (if the tube has a margin of length), or hammer wooden plugs into them;
• leave leads from the refrigerator on each side (connect silicone tubes to them later) and wind the tube onto the blank;

Advice. The tube can be clamped in a vise or mounted on the blank itself.

• adhere to the winding step: between the centers of the tube in thickness should be 12-15 mm;
• pour out the sand, removing the plugs (cutting off the clamped parts) and rinse;
• install the coil in the cooler body and carefully seal the joints.

How to clean the coil?

From time to time the coil needs to be cleaned. Copper is recommended to be cleaned after each stage.

From stainless steel - after 4-5 distillations. And of course - after the spray. After all, the small particles of mash remaining in the tube will spoil the subsequent haul. Considering that you cannot wash the coil with a brush, do this:

• take a strong thread or thin synthetic twine 2 coils long plus another meter;
• approximately in the middle, tightly tie a piece of a kitchen sponge so that it fits into the tube with an interference fit;
• lower the end of the thread (twine) into the coil as much as you can and substitute the structure under the tap, holding the thread at the level of the sponge. The water will pull the thread along with it and you can take it from the other side;
• pull the sponge through the coil, cleaning it, but leaving the opportunity to stretch it again - in the other direction (the thread allows this);
• rinse the sponge and clean the tube again;
• remove the thread with a washcloth and rinse the structure with clean water under the tap.

Do the same with the copper coil. But before cleaning with a thread and a sponge, boil it in water with citric acid - this will remove all oxidation and sulfur compounds from the surface.

Many are interested in how to make a moonshine still. Such a device does not require large financial costs. It is quite realistic to make it at home for a person who is familiar with Home moonshine still includes stainless steel pipe trimmings. Such elements are connected to each other according to certain rules by means of ordinary soldering or welding. Some people even organize a whole home distillery.

For the operation of the moonshine still, any room to which 220 V electricity is supplied and for cooling is suitable. In addition, they resort to heating by means of gas, a cooking oven or hot steam.

Benefits of home distillery

The moonshine still does not need special tuning or calibration, as complex systems require. For normal operation, it is enough to keep the distillery clean. Products obtained at home are of good quality and are in no way inferior to factory ones.

How to make a moonshine with your own hands

Let's take a look at what a design is. A home distillery functions very simply: the mash is heated, and the vapors are cooled. Distillation involves dripping. Future moonshine falls into the receiving container.

Let's consider, First, a fermentation container is taken. It can act as a vessel for distillation. You can take a plastic canister of 20 liters for water. As a container for fermentation, you can use any jar or bucket. The main condition is that the vessel is suitable for storing food and is hermetically sealed with a lid.

Next, you need to make a water seal. This device allows the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast to escape, but does not allow air to enter the fermentation vessel. A water seal can be made from a dropper, removing all unnecessary components, or you can take a piece of hose and two plastic ties. Holes are made in the lids of the containers and filled with glue. It is better to use sealant for aquariums. It is not toxic.

The coil is considered one of the most important parts of such a device as a home moonshine still. Its design and choice of material should be approached with all seriousness.

What is a coil for?

The coil serves to cool the vapors that are released when the mash is heated, and turn them into moonshine. The better the design of the device, the faster we will get the right amount of alcohol. A do-it-yourself coil for a moonshine still can be made of copper twisted in the form of a spiral (based on an iron tube or on a pin). The tube should be filled with sand so that dents do not form on the walls.

Production material

This aspect is considered very important. The quality of the resulting alcohol and its safety depend on what material the coil is made of. The base of the device must not react chemically with the product. The metal must have a sufficient level of thermal conductivity in order for the vapors of alcohol to condense.

Taking into account all the nuances, you can make a coil for a moonshine with your own hands from copper, aluminum or stainless steel. Glass is a very suitable material, but in this case it will be much easier to buy a finished device. The highest level of thermal conductivity has a copper coil.

But many experts in the field of home brewing believe that copper is toxic. This is far from true. For example, for many centuries, French moonshiners have been distilling alcohol in alambicas (special copper distillers). Cases of poisoning have not been recorded.

The second place in terms of thermal conductivity is occupied by aluminum. But it is inferior to copper by 1.6 times. The only advantage of aluminum is the low cost of the metal and ease of processing. Copper tube coil has the highest efficiency. Many parts of the moonshine still are made from copper, and this is no accident. Such material acts as a catalyst and reduces unwanted compounds. This explains the fact that copper parts are used in large enterprises for the production of alcohol.

A stainless steel coil for a moonshine is much inferior to a copper counterpart (about 4 times). In addition, the exact manufacturer of stainless steel is not always known. In this case, a food-grade metal is required that can withstand high temperatures and does not react with alcohol.

Coil dimensions

The longer the tube, the greater the area of ​​​​contact of vapors with water (better cooling occurs). At the same time, the level of hydraulic resistance increases (the level of moonshine distillation decreases). The most optimal length of the coil in moonshine before the start of the turns) are 2 meters.

The larger the cross section (internal diameter index) of the tube, the larger the contact area and the lower the resistance level. The diameter of the coil should be 8-12 mm.

A small wall thickness increases the level of thermal conductivity, improves condensation. Very thin tubes are difficult to handle and operate. They are very fragile. In addition, when two media (alcohol and steam) come into contact, the level of thermal conductivity decreases markedly, regardless of the size and material of the wall. A good indicator of tube thickness is 0.9-1.1 mm.

Coil location

The coil can take a vertical position, as well as horizontal or inclined. The solution will be the vertical arrangement of the device. It ensures that condensate drains by gravity and does not interfere with the movement of steam. Vertical circuit coils are ascending (steam is directed from the bottom up) and descending (from top to bottom). For a minimum level of resistance, steam is supplied from above.

Cooling system

The coils are cooled by water, ice or air. The last two methods are less efficient and require complex designs. Therefore, we will not talk about them in the article.

The water-based cooling system is of open and closed type. The basis of the first is functioning on the basis of running water. Closed structures work when the tank is filled with the right amount of liquid.

closed system

The design of the closed system is unified. But the degree of cooling is worse. It happens that at the exit the moonshine turns out to be not cold enough, and after a few hours of distillation - even hot.

open system

In open systems, water circulation provides better cooling. The moonshine is cold when it comes out. In addition, in flow-type designs, a smaller reservoir is used. The device has a compact size.

Water must be properly supplied from below and discharged from above. For the cooling level to be normal, the liquid must move against the moonshine current, otherwise the lower part of the coil will not cool completely. This scheme of operation is called "countercurrent mode".

How a coil is made

In order to make a coil for a moonshine still with your own hands, you will need a tube made of copper, brass, aluminum or stainless steel. Its length should be 2 meters, and the cross section should be 8-12 mm. The wall thickness should be wound 0.9-1.1 mm.

It is recommended to prepare the case in advance for installing the device. The diameter of the winding of the tube depends on its size. For example, you can take a plastic sewer pipe with a diameter of 75-80 mm. For high cooling efficiency, the coil must occupy at least 20% of the tank volume.

Sequence of work

So, how to make a coil for a moonshine with your own hands? This process includes the following steps:

How to clean the coil?

Over time, the copper surface oxidizes. Sulfur sticks to the walls. As a result, a black coating is formed. To clean the walls, you need one tablespoon of citric acid. It is diluted in a liter of warm water. The coil is immersed in the resulting liquid and left for 20 minutes. In case of incomplete purification, one teaspoon of soda should be diluted in a liter of water, and the coil should be left in the resulting liquid overnight.