Ethanol recovery with Megahome Countertop Water Distiller

Good video and good pics of the variable temp distiller, thanks!

The K thermocouple I have attached at the center of the bottom of the distiller vessel reads from 192F to about 217F during distillation. I limit that to 205F, then 202F, then 200F, and then 198F during the final distillations.

In the instructions it becomes clear what’s going on with their controller, it doesn’t limit wattage, it limits at a set temperature. So, the full 750 watts is applied to the heater element, the solution heats up to the set limit, and the power cuts off, the temp drops below the set limit and the power turns back on, over and over. The result is described as the flow of alcohol stopping and starting with a higher temp set point. Even with the temp set point set lower, what’s going on with the boil in the pot is a variable distillation temp, up and down, over and over as the thermostat clicks the full 750 watts on and off to maintain the set temp.

What I’ve done and have suggested is dialing down the heater wattage so you have a steady boil that isn’t excessive and is steady. And then if you want you can limit the set point.

Here’s the other thread I posted in about using a water distiller for alcohol distillation,

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