Should be considered in great detail. The material must be accessible to processing, practical to use and necessarily inert - not reacting with alcohol and its compounds. The thermal conductivity of the material is also of great importance, which directly affects the cooling rate of hot vapors. There are several types of materials to choose from, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Copper tube

The most popular material for making the coil of a moonshine still is copper. It has high thermal conductivity and is a very soft metal that bends easily. To coil a copper tube into a coil, it does not need to be preheated, unless the bend radius is less than five times the nominal diameter of the tube itself. On the other hand, such coils are not chemically neutral, although the copper itself does not react with alcohol. Upon contact with oxygen, a thin coating of copper oxide forms on the surface of the copper tube, which inevitably ends up in the distillation product, albeit in very small doses.

Stainless steel

Corrosion-resistant steel produces a cleaner end product, but is more difficult to process. If a coil made of a softer metal can be bent, so to speak, with bare hands, then to process a stainless tube you will need a gas torch, a pipe bender or a special radial template. Additionally, stainless steel coils are the heaviest.

Glass coil

Glass is the least used material for the coil of a moonshine still, although it ensures the absolute purity of the alcohol after distillation. Glass should only be bent in a special glass-blowing workshop, otherwise local stress spots will certainly appear in the bent tube, which will lead to spontaneous destruction of the coil even without mechanical or temperature influence. In addition, glass has a significant disadvantage when connecting the coil to other elements of the device: it cannot be threaded or a tight clamp can be installed on it.

Nylon or polyethylene pipe

A good alternative when choosing a material for a moonshine still cooler can be a tube used for installing underfloor heating systems. The main advantage of this material is its low cost and ease of processing, although it must be carried out with extreme caution. Nylon and polyethylene tubes are considered chemically neutral and do not come into contact with most known solvents. The main disadvantage of these tubes is their high elasticity, due to which the coil does not hold its shape well, so it is fixed to a frame, most often a wire one.

Today, distillers have the opportunity to choose any moonshine still, from the cheapest and simplest to the most advanced in terms of its configuration. Nevertheless, any unit used for the purpose of distilling moonshine must include the required elements: a distillation cube and a cooler (refrigerator), which is called a coil. How does this component of a moonshine still work? How to make a refrigerator for a moonshine still with your own hands?

Coil purpose: direct flow

The coil, or refrigerator, is a winding thin hollow tube through which the vapors released during the heating of the mash pass. As steam circulates through the refrigerator, heat is removed through its walls using water or air, which leads to the conversion of steam into condensate.

Drawing for making a refrigerator for a moonshine still

Conventionally, all cooling coils can be divided into direct flow and return. An air, or direct-flow, refrigerator for a moonshine still has a simpler design, and making such an element for a distiller is quite simple. This coil is a simple thin tube made of stainless steel, copper or glass. Distillation hoses are attached to this tube, after which such a coil can be used. A significant disadvantage of refrigerators of this design is that they cannot be improved.

It is easy to make a coil for direct flow with your own hands. How to make a refrigerator for a moonshine still:

1. Before you start making a refrigerator with direct flow, you should find out the operating principle of such a part. In order for such a coil to fulfill its function, it is necessary that a refrigerant flow towards the steam entering the tube, which will provoke condensation of the steam. Immediately after this, the recycled liquid will be replaced by a new one, and the process of functioning of the coil will continue.
2. To make a direct-flow refrigerator, you will need a PVC pipe, the diameter of which does not exceed 4 centimeters. The length of the tube should not exceed 30 centimeters. You should also prepare a couple of plugs and couplings. A bellows liner is also useful for the job. The liner should be screwed to the plugs, and after that the prepared fittings should be inserted into the casing.
3. Take a tin can, which will serve as a housing for the coil, and place the structure made at the previous stage into it.
4. At this stage, the manufactured refrigerator is equipped with a distiller. Regardless of the choice of method of equipping the device with a coil, first of all, care should be taken to ensure that after use this element can be disconnected from the device without obstacles. At the same time, sealant must be freely applied to the junction of the refrigerator and the device. Therefore, the choice should be made in favor of installation using the threaded nut method. After installing the cooler, you should lubricate the place where it is attached to the device with sealant, after which you can begin testing the design. Important: when checking the manufactured coil for the first time, you should not turn on the full water pressure.

Reflux condensers and Graham tubes

As for return coils, they exist in several varieties. Ball air chambers can be classified as return coils. They have a large heat exchange area, which provides them with high performance. Such coolers are used for liquids that have a low boiling point.

Liebig chambers can perform the functions of both reflux and direct-flow refrigerators. The design of the Liebig chamber consists of a single copper or glass tube. In moonshine stills, Liebig chambers have the form of tubes, attached using self-tapping screws or by soldering.

All return coils differ from direct-flow coils in that the refrigerant is supplied to them from the bottom up. This feature is considered an advantage of this design, allowing the introduction of additional substances into the chamber with moonshine vapors.

Most often in moonshine stills you can find coolers that are a winding tube, and such coolers are called Graham tubes. Such elements are installed vertically, which allows the distillate to flow freely into the substituted container. Such coils differ from each other in the number of spirals. The larger the volume of the mash, the more such spirals there should be on Graham’s refrigerator.

You can also make a refrigerator with coils yourself, but before you begin this task, you should make an accurate drawing of the coil design using special calculations. The thing is that the diameter of the spirals of such a device should be the same, regardless of their number. Carrying out a diagram of the future coil will allow you to accurately determine the parameters of the spirals and recreate them in the finished product.

To make your own coil tube, you should prepare a copper (alternatively aluminum or brass) tube up to two meters long, with a cross-section of 8 to 12 millimeters and a metal thickness of up to 1.1 millimeters. You should also prepare the body of the future refrigerator, because the parameters of the tube spirals will depend on its size. For the housing, you can choose a plastic sewer pipe with a diameter of 80 millimeters.

How to make your own Graham refrigerator:

1. First, the copper (brass, aluminum) tube should be well filled with fine sand, which will avoid deformation of the material when curling the structure.
2. Wood pegs are attached to the ends of the tube. You can also tightly clamp the ends or solder them completely.
3. Next, you should take a smooth object with a circular cross-section of the required diameter and screw a tube onto it. When choosing a step between turns, you should pay attention to the diagram and the calculation performed.
4. The ends of the almost finished coil should be opened and the filler poured out of them. Afterwards, the tube should be rinsed thoroughly.
5. The coil body should be equipped with pipes for water drainage and supply.
6. The coil itself should be inserted into the housing and plugs installed at both ends. All connections must have perfect tightness, and this can be achieved through the use of superglue.

Before use, it is also better to test such a refrigerator with low water pressure in the distiller.

All coils are cooled by ice, air or water. The last option is considered the simplest and most convenient from the point of view of distillation. Coolers powered by water can be either open or closed. Open refrigerators require running water, while closed refrigerators are filled with liquid manually.

Today, all ready-made moonshine stills offered for sale are equipped with refrigerators. Therefore, if you do not want to make a cooler yourself, you can give preference to a ready-made distiller.

To make a direct-flow refrigerator for a moonshine still with your own hands, you do not need any specific tools, and the procedure itself will take a little time. This is a necessary element for even the simplest moonshine brewing system. Since it is compact, it takes up little space and is easier to store. Making such a capacitor is very simple.

The most economical option is a cooler, which is made of polypropylene pipes and fittings. Such materials can be easily purchased at any hardware store. To do this you will need:

• copper tube;
• polypropylene pipe;
• tee turning onto thread;
• coupling, plug and fitting;
• FUM tape.

You need to cut a small piece from the pipe - this will be the casing. At the end of the pipe, tees will need to be installed on one side and the other. Then you will need to place the tee in boiling water and hold it for a couple of minutes. Place the part on the pipe, without allowing it to cool. You can put on a muff in a similar way.

After this, in the middle of the plugs you need to make a hole for the copper tube. Heat the couplings and install plugs there. Screw the fittings into the tees, and make the thread tighter with tape. Cut the copper tube so that it can protrude a few centimeters from all sides of the casing. The tube will need to be inserted between the holes in the plugs, and the cracks will need to be sealed with sealant. The refrigerator is ready for use. It can be connected to the distillation cube with a silicone hose.

How to choose the right size for your refrigerator

A suitable size is when the length of the casing is 500-600mm, and the distance between the tubes is from 2 mm. When purchasing materials, you need to pay attention to the thickness of the pipe walls: the internal diameter must match the diameter of the pipe. Wall thickness also plays an important role. And the smaller it is, the better. It is not recommended to purchase a tube whose walls are thicker than 1 mm.

The water should flow towards the steam. It must be connected on the other side of the steam connection.

The most ideal position for the refrigerator is vertical, because in this case the moonshine condensate can flow down freely. In addition, being in this position, the direct-flow cooler will have maximum efficiency and there will be no condensate plugs.

After distillation is completed, it is imperative to clean the pipe. This can be done using a brush, or you can simply wash it under hot water. If this is not done, copper sulfate, which is a toxic substance for the body, may appear in the tube.

Advantages of a direct-flow refrigerator

Most people who have tried high-quality and natural alcohol, be it moonshine, cognac or tinctures based on them, sooner or later wonder how they can prepare something similar on their own. If you think about your needs or preferences, there are not many options. If we talk about the process of brewing moonshine, then everything is simple - it is heating the liquid until the alcohols evaporate and cooling the vapors until they condense into a liquid.

A DIY moonshine still with a direct-type refrigerator has a number of advantages. Visible advantages include the ease of making a refrigerator yourself. No additional materials are required for work. This device is also easy to use at home.

The following advantages of the refrigerator can be highlighted:

• no formation of condensate plugs;
• temperature can be easily adjusted;
• low water consumption and, accordingly, its costs.

It is also easy to transport. In addition, this device is not afraid of shocks and is not susceptible to the action of chemicals in moonshine.

Conclusion

Having studied all the information about making a once-through cooler yourself, we can conclude that this product is not particularly complex. However, the entire process must be approached with special responsibility, having become thoroughly familiar with all the nuances and details. After all, a poorly prepared product can significantly 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 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 supply/discharge, ensure connection through adapters with a distillation cube or steam chamber. What is the optimal cross-sectional size for such a pipe? 75-80 mm.

The sequence of manufacturing a moonshine still cooler:

1. The cavity of the coil tube is filled with any bulk material so that the metal does not flatten during the curling process.
2. The ends of the tube are clamped, sealed or plugged with wooden pegs.
3. Carefully wind the tube around any solid cylindrical object with a cross-section of 35 mm. Distance between turns? approximately 12 mm.
4. The spiral-curled tube is freed from the filler and washed with water.
5. 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.
6. The coil is installed inside the housing; the tube is attached to the inner surface of the walls with superglue in 2-3 places.
7. 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.
8. 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.

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 the moonshine still, which plays a leading role in the manufacturing process, has undergone many changes and modifications throughout its time, 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. This is how the finished product is obtained. 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 cold water supply. 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 the 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. This material has the best thermal conductivity and practically does not affect the quality of the finished product. 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 of special metal, which is intended for working 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.
• At the 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 is worth testing it 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. Typically, copper pipes are used to handle harmful chemical elements, and may leave a specific residue 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 the different models and methods of cooking. A poorly prepared product will not only not meet all the necessary requirements, but can also greatly harm human health.