T500 water input needle valve - help please

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T500 water input needle valve - help please

Postby nudder12 » Tue Dec 08, 2020 8:14 pm

For the first time last weekend, I tried to run my T500 outside, connected to the garden hose. Complete disaster!!
I had been to almost every plumber in town to find an adaptor to connect the standard T500 needle valve to the garden tap, but no luck at all. So ended up putting a few bits and pieces together and using a small type of gate valve. Totally useless - absolutely could not refine the water flow accurately enough to maintain temperatures etc etc.
.
So......I'm wondering.....has anyone here managed to find a foolproof way of either:
1 - connecting the standard valve to a garden tap, or
2 - putting together some other pieces that allow sufficient control over the water flow??
nudder12
 
Posts: 45
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equipment: Still Spirits T500 reflux still

Re: T500 water input needle valve - help please

Postby hgwells » Wed Dec 09, 2020 5:47 am

Hi Nudder,

Not sure how much you have used the T500 so sorry in advance if I’m telling you how to suck eggs.

The T500 does not need a lot of pressure from the tap, if you are having trouble with the hose leaking excessively I’d suggest Turing the pressure down (maybe only half to three quarters of a turn on)

Biggest issue I found with the T500 is that it’s very sensitive to pressure fluctuations like someone else in the house flushing the loo or using another tap.

The manufacturer of the T500 also sell a flow control which has a small pump, tank , float and needle valve which worked really well for me. (Approx $80 from memory, can get from local HBS)

I used to distill outside with the T500 and even if a bit of wind picked up it would change the flow rate,
so in colder times of the year I would insulate the column.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

HG
hgwells
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Re: T500 water input needle valve - help please

Postby nudder12 » Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:47 pm

hgwells wrote:The manufacturer of the T500 also sell a flow control which has a small pump, tank , float and needle valve which worked really well for me. (Approx $80 from memory, can get from local HBS)

I used to distill outside with the T500 and even if a bit of wind picked up it would change the flow rate,
so in colder times of the year I would insulate the column.

HG


Thanks. Coincidentally, it was very blustery outside last weekend, and I did wonder if that was having any effect.
I'll look into the flow control system.....any idea if it will connect to a garden outlet, or does it have the same tap fitting as the standard flow valve?
nudder12
 
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:22 am
equipment: Still Spirits T500 reflux still

Re: T500 water input needle valve - help please

Postby hgwells » Wed Dec 09, 2020 5:53 pm

Comes with some plastic tubing, clamps and a hose fitting, I’ve bastardised mine a bit, but you should get the idea with the pic
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hgwells
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Posts: 179
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 3:25 pm
Location: Victoria
equipment: FSD Neutraliser
FSD Carter Head
60L Milkcan Boiler
100L 5 Star Boiler
3x 2400 Elements
1x 3600 Element
Turbo-500

Re: T500 water input needle valve - help please

Postby nudder12 » Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:41 pm

Thanks for that
nudder12
 
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:22 am
equipment: Still Spirits T500 reflux still

Re: T500 water input needle valve - help please

Postby Reedy » Thu Dec 10, 2020 11:15 am

A Flow control system will prevent pressure variation from the tap but will not stop the effects of wind in my experience. A woollen blanket (non meltable material) around the base of the column and around boiler will do that.
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Location: Far south coast nsw
equipment: Brewzilla 50l. T500. Alcoengine pot still. 6 50l fermenters.


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