How does a thump keg work?
The thumper Keg is a small copper, steel, or wooden vessel which is placed between the stillpot and condenser. It receives low wine from the stillpot and heats it again, sending highly purified alcohol vapors to the condenser.
Can I put fruit juice in a thump keg?
Finally, it should be added that a thump keg can be used to impart flavor in another manner as well: it can be used just like a gin basket. Fruit, herbs, or spices can be placed in the thumper where their essences are, in effect, steam-extracted along with the alcohol during this virtual second distillation.
What does a thumper do in distillation?
A thumper is essentially a parasitic kettle connected to the primary distilling kettle. The thumper gets heated with the heat already produced to feed the primary kettle. Evidently, the thumper gets its name from the sound it makes while in operation.
Does a thump keg need to be heated?
Does a Thumper Need to be Heated? Many moonshiners do prefer to heat the thumper. The alcohol does need to stay in vapor form to be able to rise into the condenser. Wood barrels are often preferred as thump kegs because of wood’s natural isolative abilities.
Do I need a thumper for my still?
It was traditionally used in hillbilly stills to increase the alcohol content of the distillate because, traditional stills only output product with about a 50-60 percent alcohol content. In short, the answer to whether our stills need a thumper keg is: NO.
Does a thumper need to be heated?
How full do you fill your thumper?
filling it about 1/4 full. The options are: left over mash, tails from a previous run, etc. But if you want the thumper to do what it is supposed to do (increase the alcohol % in the final product), there needs to be some kind of alcohol in the thumper. The higher the alcohol concentration, the better.
What is the best temperature to distill alcohol?
Temperature Safety When Distilling Distilling alcohol uses high temperatures – generally around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. High temperatures mean opportunities for accidents, so make sure that everyone who is in your distilling environment is aware of how hot your equipment will get.
How long does it take to distill moonshine?
The first distillation in the wash stills takes approximately 4 to 7 hours. The wash still has a temperature of approximately 173°F (78°C), the evaporation point of ethanol. The whole heat input is used for the evaporation of the alcohol. The distillation usually ends after 4 hours.
How does the still work in a thumper keg?
The still’s head has a pipe that comes out of the pot, and goes into this thump keg, and the tip of the column is submerged in the liquid. So, the alcohol vapors travel through the column and into the water inside the thump keg, where they emerge as bubbles of hot alcohol steam.
How much distillate should be in a thump keg?
Such a design would maximize immersion while keeping the volume low. The rule of thumb is that you want a thump keg that will hold at least twice the volume of distillate that you expect to collect. The liquid volume it contains should begin with around 1/3 the volume of the distillate.
Can You Heat a thump keg with partial reflux?
Bear in mind that many reflux column designs do not output hot vapor at all, so these will not be able to heat a thump keg. If you use a partial-reflux design, then you will get hot vapor coming out of the column that might supply enough heat to run a small, well-insulated thump keg, but to what purpose?
How does a column still Thumper make alcohol?
At the same time, gather the wood you will need, bring in kegs, fruit jars, and. Making alcohol revolves around two processes: fermentation and distillation. Fermentation is a chemical reaction that occurs when the yeast breaks down the . A column still thumper combination does this only once.