Hi all - long time listener, first time caller. I lurked for years before finally deciding to make an account.. :teasing-neener:
I started distilling in ~2017 with a T500, used turbos for years before taking a bit of a hiatus these last 2 years - life and work got in the way. Came back to it in the last few weeks and have a bunch of FFV and TPW going instead of the turbo, which I'm cautiously optimistic about so far.
One of the problems I have had over the years is the time it takes for a run to finish, hence the 2 year hiatus. I know this is because the column on the T500 is 2", and that increasing this will result in higher distillation speeds.
That said, I still like the T500 - the boiler, anyway. It's easy to fill and clean, and with a power controller I don't see any reason to change it up or build something custom, aside from it being a little small.. I've seen the larger digiboils but I also don't want to have to get a 15a plug put in if I can avoid it (but I might be sold on it with a good argument..), so it's hard to go larger than 2kw.
What I am considering doing is building a custom column for the boiler. 3", maybe 4". I have seen triclamp adapters for the T500, and I could basically invert a reducer to get the desired diameter and go from there. But I have found pretty much zero information on anyone else that has done this.
Would this be a stupid thing to do? Would it result in a "choke point" at the lid before opening up, or does this not really apply in the same way it would restrict something like a water pipe? Would the boiler be able to keep up with the extra head space? Am I missing a painfully obvious alternative? Should I just get a better/bigger boiler and stop bitching about 10a sockets?
Budget isn't limitless, but I'm open to making it rain a little if there is a better long-term solution I haven't thought of.
Some caveats I am aware of already:
- The T500 lid is made of cheese. I know I would need to reinforce it somehow due to the extra weight
- I will also need to build taller if I go wider (if there's a formula for this, I'd love to know).
- I will need a bigger condenser to compensate.
Keen to get any thoughts.. thanks!