Designing & Building Automatic Stills

The newest technique in small-scale distillation is Automatic Reflux Control (ARC), which takes all the guesswork out of controlling a still to ensure that it produces the best product with the least trouble and supervision. The idea behind ARC is to use the temperature at the top section of the still to automatically keep both the output and the reflux ratio at optimum values to ensure you get excellent results. Many variations of this system have been developed and ARC can be attached to most existing conventional still heads. The book is copiously illustrated, and several methods of ARC are described in detail from the simplest mechanical system, to advanced electronic controls. Various traditional still designs are also included in water cooled and air-cooled versions. The book will take you through the phases of building your own still, from a simple pot still to an advanced reflux still producing neutral ethanol automatically. The third edition updates the book with all the latest advancements that have taken place in hobby scale distillation since the second edition. It also presents easy to build and efficient designs of hobby scale continuous stills for stripping mashes and for production of neutral alcohol.