StillSmart

my tuppence worth: 100L would be a great size for the hobby distiller - when you start out distilling you are keen to still all the time, but now I really want to do a few runs at the beginning of the year to stock up on neutral, then do a few more interesting things like whisky throughout the year when I find the time.
I'm often frustrated with the limitation of my 50L keg boiler (11 imp gals), filling a 50L barrel to age for 3-5 years is a ton of work with a boiler that size.

If you have the room to store it, or a dedicated space, think bigger, you only have to buy it once.

That is a good thought Capt. but for someone starting out, is quite a big commitment, even if they have the space.

Robert

I see your thinking there CC. I is the way I make my wine.

I'm still struggling.

I see water boilers on ebay/amazon for a good £100 less than the T500 boiler and they have a controller, but maybe the tap internals include plastic? and obviously lid needs work done.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Burco-Cygnet-Commercial-30L-Catering-Hot-Water-Boiler-Tea-Urn-Stainless-Steel-/400972277660?hash=item5d5bcf679c:g:uGUAAOSwpDdU7bJG for example

T500 boiler and the pot head without copper dome comes in at sub £300

My washes will be 25 litres max before racking, so 20-23 litres is fine.

No-one mentioned the copper alembics from Portugal. sub £200 for a 20 litre? https://www.coppermasters.com/prod_details.php?iProdId=27&iCatId=3&iOffset=0

Worry less about bits of plastic in your tap on a tea urn (I rarely use my oem tap)
But more about the fact that you consider the oem fitted thermostat a "controller"
It isn't.
A little reading around this site should fill in the blanks.
Learning is fun.

Robert.

Very Good point Robert

(damn damn damn )

I've been using an Airstill for a while and recently decided to upgrade so I chose a T500
Why? To learn on as there are plenty of other users here, it just seemed like the next logical step before eventually moving on to something more adventurous.

Fair play brewhunter. I can't currently justify £300 to the Boss. My airstill was something like £85 including postage 2nd hand so has paid for itself.

I'd be very happy with a T500 as next step but it's either going to be a £75 burco or a big ole stock pot and one of 2 far from perfect condenser/head combos from ebay for around £50.

There's an offer hard to refuse

That's extremely generous. Thankyou.

I hope to be able to pick up Boss Lady's new vroom vroom wheels (mobility scooter) this week and then it'll be my turn to spend the savings I'm already making from new hobby.

Almost completely off topic, but 15 years ago I was using water to cool my PC when everyone else was using air and now I have an airstill when everyone else uses water cooling.

I did use both air and water but mostly water to cool any other bad habits I had then and that hasn't really changed.

Not sure what you are saying here Curmudgeon,
All three of my stills are air cooled, even the Reflux.
Are you having a brain fart, or am I missing something?

Robert

Sorry Robert, I don't express myself very well when sober and after a drink my brain goes off on strange tangents. Most morning afters I can understand what I meant the night before, but not always, so I concede others have worse odds.

It just amused me that back when decent pc's howled when cooled by air (call it 15 years ago), mine was water cooled using a pond pump and some bits, whereas now watercooling high end pc's is quite common.

Meantime you and I (but in very different ways and scales, as you so rightly point out) are stilling on air when 15 years ago it would have been mostly unheard of.

I think perhaps I was amused by being a contrarian as well as a curmudgeon