Page 36 - Beverage MasterOct Nov 2020

Craft Distillery

• Do you have 24/7 personnel available for ser- Another consideration is the floor strength in
vice? the distillery. Older buildings may require custom
• What makes your boiler, support equipment and installation because of inadequate floor strength,
company different from others? building materials or availability of utilities.
• Why should we purchase this design boiler ver- Baughman said that the best placement of a boiler
sus a different one? is in a separate boiler room because the boiler is a
When to Upgrade a Current Boiler pressure vessel that is hot and typically has a water
For existing distilleries that have been in operation level sight glass, gaskets and other parts that can
for a while, the time may come when you need to leak or blow.
consider replacing or upgrading your current boiler. “By definition, wherever the boiler is placed
Common reasons to upgrade are a boiler that’s too becomes a boiler room,” he said. “Because of this,
noisy in public areas, high utility bills resulting from the boiler room has certain code requirements
energy inefficiency and inconsistent steam pres- that must be met. From an environmental stand-
sure. It may also be time to replace your boiler if it point, a boiler likes to operate where there is not
can’t produce steam quickly and on-demand. a lot of moisture. A separate boiler room affords
Maintenance Considerations this environment typically, whereas, if the boiler is
out in the distillery, it may be subject to moisture
No one likes to think about a brand-new boiler from the wash down of the floors and cleaning of
breaking down, but maintenance should always be the equipment. So, from a safety and operational
part of the decision-making process when making a standpoint, a separate boiler room is the best.”
significant distillery investment. Fortunately, many Boiler Accessories
modern boilers require minimal maintenance and
need to be blown down at the end of the day to New boilers come with accessories that need to
flush out the sediment that settles at the bottom. be added to the budget and stocked for repairs and
The blowing down process should be quick and maintenance. For example, CRT and VRT return
help prevent damage to drains and plumbing lines. tanks are used to collect condensate from the sys-

Routine maintenance should also involve checking tem and recycle it back to the boiler. Copper coils
chemistry levels to ensure the pH is ideal for steel. are used to make potable hot water for sterilization
There are mandatory state inspections to adhere to and keg wash-down. There’s also the blow-down
as well. For ease of operation, consider installing an separator used to flush out sediment and keep
alarm system to tell if the feed tank is running low. everything working well.
Some boiler systems can be easily maintained by Choosing the Right Boiler
distillery staff; however, older models may require for Your Distillery
an expert maintenance specialist to come onsite for Like grains, extracted juices and sugars, boiler
repairs. steam is an essential ingredient in many spirits. The
Boiler Placement right boiler will meet your steam demands at pro-

Concerning placement, it’s vital to keep boilers duction time without waiting hours for it to provide
away from other equipment and isolated with a steam. It should be able to handle multiple pro-
vapor barrier. Place the boiler at least six feet from cesses simultaneously for greater efficiency and be
still parts that are 18 inches or less from the floor. capable of adjusting the steam supply on demand
Also, place the boiler at a minimum of two feet to save fuel costs and reduce energy waste. Other
from still parts above that 18-inch mark. things to think about when choosing a boiler is
proper roof venting for boiler operation, and
Most boiler experts recommend placing boilers as whether to hire a licensed steam boiler technician
close to the still and fermenters as possible to min- to install the boiler and service it in the future.
imize the distance that cold water and steam have
to travel to and from the equipment. This place- No matter what you’re looking for in a boiler, ask
ment helps control heating and cooling loss, as well a lot of questions. There is a lot more that goes into
as piping costs. Boilers are often located in a sepa- this piece of distillery equipment than you might
rate room from other distilling equipment, but not think. And, as Baughman said, the only bad ques-
every distillery separates their boiler in this way. tion is the one that doesn’t get asked.

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