A tubular electric heater is a metal tube (copper, stainless steel, aluminum) into which a chromium-nickel spiral is inserted. The gap between the inner walls of the tube and the heater is filled with a special dielectric powder that conducts heat well but eliminates electrical contact. The powder used is dry quartz sand of the smallest fractions or periclase (magnesium oxide in crystalline form).
Heating element, contrary to popular belief, is not a new invention. A patent for the circuit diagram of such a heater was issued back in 1859 in the USA (the inventor was engineer Simpson). The powder-filled ones were granted a patent by the General Electric Company in 1915. Their novelty lies in the fact that they have only been allowed to be produced outside the United States since 1955.
Every person who has an old-style electric kettle or a household boiler is familiar with the heating element - an indispensable attribute of all Soviet business travelers. TEN are produced in the form of a tube bent in the form of a paper clip or in the form of a one- or two-turn spiral on long legs. Some elements are filled not with sand, but with dielectric oil, but such heating elements are relatively rare.
You can install the heating element yourself
If desired, the heating element can be installed on any device with a steam chamber. To do this, just drill two holes for the heater in the tank and secure it there, sealing it securely.
The electrical outputs of the heating elements are isolated from the housing with ceramic inserts, which prevent breakdown. If the heating element's spiral burns out, which can happen during prolonged operation in an airy or dry environment, the spiral simply breaks off and the heating element stops heating. There is an opinion that if the spiral burns out, it may become deformed and touch the body, which is unsafe. Yes, such a danger exists theoretically, and it is possible that out of thousands of heating elements, a breakdown will occur in yours. It’s better to play it safe and throw away the burnt-out heating element. It is almost impossible to repair them, and buying a new one is not too burdensome for the budget.
Moonshine stills with heating element
The design of a distiller with a steam steamer or a rectifier with a heating element differs from a conventional one only in the presence of a heater built into the volume of the evaporator. A moonshine still with a heating element works on the same principle, and there is no need to consider the operation of the remaining parts. We are interested in the evaporator.
A special feature of the device is that the mash is in direct contact with the heater. The heating area is small, which leads to the occurrence of complex thermodynamic processes in the volume of liquid. At a time when the liquid in direct contact with the heating element is already heated to boiling point, the neighboring areas are still cold. We have to wait until convection currents level out the temperature and the boiling process begins throughout the entire volume. For cubes with a capacity of 10 - 15 liters this is not a problem, but for forty-liter cubes the preheating time increases significantly.
The heating elements are installed near the very bottom of the vessel, so the mash is heated more or less evenly throughout the entire volume. But there is another problem here - an electric moonshine still is prone to burning the mash. To eliminate this unpleasant phenomenon, which spoils the taste of the finished drink, the mash should be strained, allowed to stand for several hours and strained again through a fine sieve. Pieces of yeast or flavoring particles contained in the liquid may burn. By straining and settling the mash, it is possible to reduce their quantity to a minimum.
Calculation of heating element power
When choosing a device with a heating element or making it yourself, you should remember that there must be at least two heaters, or one powerful one, but equipped with a power regulator, electronic or mechanical.
It is enough to equip a moonshine still with a heating element with a volume of up to 25 liters with heaters with a power of 1 and 1.5 kW, or one 3-kilowatt with a regulator. With a volume of 25 - 40 liters, heaters of 1.5 and 3 kW or one of 5 kW will be required. This is determined by the operating mode - the electric moonshine still is first turned on at full power for rapid heating, then, especially when working with a steamer or in the rectification mode, the more powerful heating element is turned off and distillation occurs more slowly.
Having an electric regulator is much more convenient than two heating elements. In this case, the temperature can be adjusted very smoothly, which is especially important in devices with a distillation column.
Such a regulator can be purchased separately; even if you have a device with two heaters, connecting it is easy. It is convenient to do this on a higher power heating element.
Once you acquire some skills in working with an electric moonshine still with a steamer, you no longer want to go back to a conventional one. Industrially manufactured devices, for example, “Saturn”, “Umelets”, “Vesely bearded man”, “Bavarian” are equipped with a steamer, some with a bubbler, thermostats, thermometers and other accessories that make the process of moonshine brewing a complete pleasure.
When purchasing a device with a heating element, pay attention to what material the heater body and the cube itself are made of. If they are made of stainless steel or copper, then there will be no problems. Aluminum products are not only harmful to health, but also short-lived - electrochemical corrosion will quickly render them unusable.
The second thing you should pay attention to is the cost of electricity. Heating elements are quite voracious and can “wind up” a decent amount in one distillation session. When using the device once or twice a month, it is practically unnoticeable, but with more frequent use it becomes noticeable.
Experience shows that electric moonshine stills, especially latest models, much more convenient to use than traditional ones. Give it a try.
Heating with a heating element is the safest heating method. The heating elements are made entirely of AISI 304 stainless steel. Huge service life. The most convenient way to attach the heating element to the distillation cube has been implemented. In a few seconds, you can disconnect the heating element and calmly wash the distillation cube without fear of flooding the electrical contacts. Unlike brass heating elements, AISI 304 stainless steel does not react with mash and raw alcohol and does not release harmful impurities into the drink.
3,500.00 R ub. 3,500.00 R ub.Double heating element - made entirely of AISI 304 stainless steel. Unlike brass heating elements, AISI 304 stainless steel does not react with mash and raw alcohol and does not release harmful impurities into the drink. Eternal body. Replaceable heating elements.
3,500.00 R ub.Double heating element - made entirely of AISI 304 stainless steel. Unlike brass heating elements, AISI 304 stainless steel does not react with mash and raw alcohol and does not release harmful impurities into the drink. Eternal body. Replaceable heating elements.
3,500.00 R ub.Double heating element - made entirely of AISI 304 stainless steel. Unlike brass heating elements, AISI 304 stainless steel does not react with mash and raw alcohol and does not release harmful impurities into the drink. Eternal body. Replaceable heating elements.
3,500.00 R ub.Double heating element - made entirely of AISI 304 stainless steel. Unlike brass heating elements, AISI 304 stainless steel does not react with mash and raw alcohol and does not release harmful impurities into the drink. Eternal body. Replaceable heating elements.
There are many ways to heat mash in a still. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Many people use direct heating using a burner gas stove, however, this method carries a risk of fire. Induction and electric furnaces are also popular, but the built-in electric heater still holds the lead. Which heating element for moonshine still is it suitable and how to install it?
Heating element for moonshine still
The name TEN stands for tubular electric heater. It is a relatively simple device that is used to convert electrical energy to thermal. It consists of a tube that is bent in a certain way and has a heating coil inside.
To increase the heat conductivity properties, the space inside the tube is filled with some substance, for example, magnesium oxide. The spiral is made of nickel and chromium alloy wire, which ensures reliable operation of the heating element for a long time.
What are the main advantages of heating elements? Due to the fact that its design is closed, the device provides a high level of safety and is not afraid of vibration, shock and contact with liquid. However, it is worth noting that heating elements come in two main types, air and water. Only the latter are suitable for a moonshine still, but there is one restrictive condition for them: during operation they must always be in contact with liquid, otherwise they will burn.
However, practicality, reliability and safety classify it as a device that is most often used as a heater in a moonshine still. What is the main advantage of heating elements? The point is that you can use the moonshine still without the use of additional devices.
How to choose the right heating element?
Not every heating element is suitable for insertion into the device. A large number of heaters quickly fail upon contact with mash. This occurs due to oxidation and corrosion processes, which can not only damage the device, but also negatively affect the mash and the moonshine itself. Therefore, a heater for a moonshine still is better suited to be made of stainless steel.
How to choose the power of such a device? There is a generally accepted formula for this.
P=0.0011V(tk-tn)/T
In this formula, P means power, V is volume, T is the time required to heat the mash (measured in hours), tn and tk are the initial and final temperatures.
In fact, the process of choosing a heater for a moonshine still is a piece of cake; the procedure for its implementation will be much more difficult. Therefore, you first need to assess your capabilities, and then make a decision about installing and purchasing a heating element. However, if you still spend time and effort, you will get universal equipment with its own heater, which can be transported and used in any room where there is an outlet, and be self-sufficient.
Another interesting point: If you are going to use a device, you also need to think about how it will be connected. The fact is that heating elements are sold with different connection voltages, 220 volts and 380.
Of course, there is always the option of buying a ready-made moonshine still with a thermostat and heating element. Such a device will help not only not to use additional heating elements, but also to more correctly organize the process of preparing moonshine. Such a ready-made moonshine still is well suited for beginners and for those who doubt their ability to correctly connect and embed a heating element.
What is important to pay attention to when purchasing?
When purchasing, you need to evaluate some parameters. The first thing we do is check the heating element for a short circuit. This is usually done with a device called a multimeter, or tester. We apply the multimeter probes to the heating element contact and ground. It is worth immediately noting that the multimeter must have a dialing function. If at the same time it emits a characteristic signal, it means that a short circuit may occur; if it does not, then everything is fine.
Next, you need to check the heating element for external damage and corrosion, and make sure, if possible, that it is really made of stainless steel. As an option, you can use a copper heating element. It is also necessary to check the resistance. For example, for a 3 kW heating element, the resistance should be about 16–19 Ohms. The resistance of a heating element with a power of 2 kilowatts should be about 25 Ohms and so on. In order to determine what it should be, simply divide the square of the voltage by the power value in watts.
Another parameter that can be checked is ground leakage. However, this should not be done; it can be life-threatening. For this you need a megohmmeter, but if you don’t have one, then buying it just to check one heating element is impractical.
Therefore there is another way. To do this, you need a container that does not have grounding, for example, a 20 liter bottle. We fill it with water and insert the heating element there, connecting directly to the outlet. We simply bring an indicator screwdriver to it: here you can see that voltage is present at ground, which means that the heating element is broken and it is unsafe to operate it.
Installation of heating elements in a distillation cube
Usually, when purchasing a heating element, the package includes washers, gaskets and nuts. If you don't have them, you need to purchase them. The heating element must be selected depending on the volume of the tank. Typically, approximately 1.5–2 kW is preferred.
Next, you should choose a suitable location for installation so that installation and operation are not associated with additional, unnecessary difficulties. First we make markings on the wall of the tank and drill holes of the appropriate diameter. We process the edges of the hole, eliminating burrs and defects. To do this, it is convenient to use a needle file, sandpaper or other similar tools.
To ensure that the connections are airtight, we use fluoroplastic plumbing thread. It is designed to work with high temperatures and chemically neutral. If you have difficulty installing the washer, you must first tighten the nut, which will free the necessary threads. To connect to the electrical network, you must use a copper wire of the appropriate cross-section. For example, for a 1.5 kW heating element, a wire with a cross-section of 1.5 square millimeters is suitable. We isolate all connections; for power supply we insert circuit breakers that are triggered during power surges in the network.
It should be noted that in order to embed the heating element into the tank, it must have a large neck through which it could be inserted so that later there is no need for additional procedures for sealing the distillation cube. If you do not want to engage in cutting in and connecting a device, which, in fact, is dangerous if it is connected incorrectly and malfunctions (the consequence may be a fire), buy a ready-made device. It will be manufactured in a factory and will be absolutely safe for some time, although it will cost much more.
Having suffered with the heating of the moonshine still on gas, it was decided to switch it to “electric propulsion”. This is what will be discussed in this material.
A 1.5 kW stainless steel heating element was purchased on the market. It also came with nuts, washers and gaskets.
I chose the location for the insertion so that the heating element and its leads would not create inconvenience during operation. After this, carefully mark the holes and drill. I didn’t have a drill of a suitable diameter, so I drilled with a smaller one, and then expanded it with the side of the drill at high speeds of the drill to the desired size.
Having made and expanded both holes, you need to process their edges from burrs and burrs. I carefully cut off all the excess with a knife, and then cleaned it with fine sandpaper.
It's Teng's turn. We take fluoroplastic plumbing tape and wind a decent layer on the thread. When the nuts are tightened, this layer will be tightly pressed between the wall of the moonshine tank and the limiters on the heating element and will create an excellent seal.
We insert the heating element into the prepared holes and, if it is not possible to immediately put the washer under the nut, tighten the nuts without washers to “pull out” enough threads. Then we unscrew the nut, wind a little more fluoroplastic between the tank wall and the washer, and now with the washer we tighten the nuts tightly.
This is what it looks like now:
All that remains is to connect the heating element and you can test the moonshine still using electricity. To connect to the network I took a copper one multi-core cable cross section 1.5 mm2. We clean it, connect the plug at one end, and connect the other to the heating element. In this case, to connect the heating element, the stripped ends of the cable are rolled into rings, which are placed between two washers on the heating element.
All that remains is to securely insulate the connections with blue electrical tape, check for any breakdowns in the case, and you can connect the electric moonshine still to the network.
In conclusion, I would like to add that 1.5 kW is not enough, the output dropped by 1/3 compared to working on three gas burners. In the future I plan to supply 2 kW + 0.5 kW for.
You can get acquainted with the designs of moonshine stills, and you will find recipes alcoholic drinks based on good moonshine
Preparation of moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!
After the collapse of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and the article banning the production of alcohol-containing products at home was removed from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To this day, there is not a single law that prohibits you and me from engaging in our favorite hobby - preparing alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ “On Administrative Responsibility legal entities(organizations) and individual entrepreneurs for offenses in the field of production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products" (Collected Legislation Russian Federation, 1999, N 28, art. 3476).
Extract from the Federal Law of the Russian Federation:
“The effect of this Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) producing products containing ethyl alcohol for purposes other than sale.”
Moonshining in other countries:
In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses dated January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. Thus, according to Article 335 “Manufacture and sale of home-made alcoholic beverages”, illegal production of moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, mash and other alcoholic beverages for the purpose of sale, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages, entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with confiscation of alcoholic beverages , apparatus, raw materials and equipment for their manufacture, as well as money and other valuables received from their sale. However, the law does not prohibit the preparation of alcohol for personal use.
In Ukraine and Belarus things are different. Articles No. 176 and No. 177 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten tax-free minimum wages for the production and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for the storage of devices* for its production without the purpose of sale.
Article 12.43 repeats this information almost word for word. “Production or acquisition of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), storage of apparatus for their production” in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses. Point No. 1 states: “Manufacturing individuals strong alcoholic drinks (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), as well as storage of devices* used for their production - entail a warning or a fine of up to five basic units with confiscation of these drinks, semi-finished products and devices.”
*You can still purchase moonshine stills for home use, since their second purpose is to distill water and obtain components for natural cosmetics and perfumes.
