Still Smarter

Good share. Thanks.

myles wrote: Wed Dec 04, 2019 9:39 pm https://www.smithsofthedean.co.uk/drums ... drums.html

Screw top 45 litre drums.
45 litre drum.png

I only have 2 of the heavy duty blue screw top 120 litre drums, wish I could find more of these.
Photo090.jpg

Only snag with those plastic drums, is that if the materials kept in them is "aromatic" enough for a rat to smell, they can also be easily chewed through.

When I was a kid, we had those bins in the stables (on the farm I worked at). We kept both the mixed feed and beet nuts in them. Both got chewed through.......

Gotta agree with you there. Seen it myself. Steel drums for feed.

But for cooling water, I have 3 of the brown ones with the black screw top lid for rain harvesting (condenser cooling), like the ones pictured on the dvcontainers link (page 1 I believe).

They're 205 litre capacity, so I figured that 615 litres (or close too) should be enough for a run, with the recirculation into the first one, which may even make it usable for 2 consecutive runs........

Will have to wait and see...,.......

I reckon that will work. I also think you will have enough to water the kale, coriander and juniper plants

phantom wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 9:48 am But for cooling water, I have 3 of the brown ones with the black screw top lid for rain harvesting (condenser cooling), like the ones pictured on the dvcontainers link (page 1 I believe).

They're 205 litre capacity, so I figured that 615 litres (or close too) should be enough for a run, with the recirculation into the first one, which may even make it usable for 2 consecutive runs........

Will have to wait and see...,.......

That seems well thought out.
With a strainer somewhere inline, you could possibly cook and harvest the small wriggly things that will inevitabley take up residence.
What you then do with them is another question!

Robert.

I use 2 of the 220 litre containers inline and find that is enough to do to 2x 50litre back to back strip runs and found that a 2 litre bottle of cheap bleach in each barrel helps with the the little wriggly things although it does froth a bit

Yup. Water does have to be managed. And goes 'over' surprisingly quickly. Chlorine tablets (for swimming pools) work, and as it not for bathing 50ppm coppery sulphate as a good fungicide.

I am seeing some serious recycling here!
Wash your copper boil pieces with Citric acid, tip the resultant liquer, (High in Copper sulphate), into your water barrels.
Where does the win end?
Prolly in my shite chemistry!

Robert.

Easydrinker wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2019 11:19 pm I am seeing some serious recycling here!
Wash your copper boil pieces with Citric acid, tip the resultant liquer, (High in Copper sulphate), into your water barrels.
Where does the win end?
Prolly in my shite chemistry!

Robert.

Agree with your last statement. Citric acid is that strong, what it is doing is removing the copper oxide and shite layer on the copper - not reacting with the copper.

However repeatedly doing this will affect the PH of you stored water - which will affect the efficiency of the copper sulphate you still need to add.

My chemistry knowledge is not totally shite.
For instance, your Citric acid is as strong as you choose to allow it to be.

And, most of the crap on the Copper in a still, is Copper Carbonate, which citric acid breaks down to Copper Citrate and Nitrate, just a little CuS04.

Now, if I could own a copper still which started life at 9mm thick, and just shovel the black deposit from it, I would be a happy man.
I think it may last my days, and then some.
TBH, I think my cheaper sourced, thinner Copper may do the same.

Robert.