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OfflineBad Kitty
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Double door steam sterilizer
    #18994455 - 10/18/13 08:05 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

First I want to thank RR for leading the way with his 55 gallon drum boiler design.
I use a simple 55 gallon drum boiler, its stainless steel with a sight glass and a 1/2 inch pipe fitted with a ball valve to add water as needed through the cook.  There is a 5 psi release and a pressure gauge.  Right now I'm using a propane burner underneath, but plan on switching it to an electric heater like AV. All black iron leading to the sterilizer.

I wanted my sterilizer to open up strait into my clean room, and I wanted to be able to wheel all my sub in on carts, like a real autoclave.  Plus I required a much larger space than a 100 gallon drum.  so I used commercial kitchen hot boxes.  They are both insulated, and the interior is stainless steel, with a gasketed door.  I had to cut the back wall off of each one and attach them back to back, then I had a door on both ends.  I used the pneumatic snips (I just got a air compressor, for my heart environmental foggers- which are awesome!) and angle grinder to get the work done.  I sealed the two together with flashing and high temp caulk,  it can be welded in the future.  Fit one side into the clean room.  The steam is pumped up and through the top of the unit. 
   
I can fit 72 6lb sub bags on a sheet pan rack, and two racks at a time in the unit.  Thats maxing out at 846 lbs of sub in one run.  $16 for the propane to run it, I could probably use a little less but saving two or three dollars and risking the batch doesn't sound right to me.


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OfflineBad Kitty
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: Bad Kitty]
    #18994471 - 10/18/13 08:12 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

View from inside my lab, the walls are foil backed insulation sheets.


Outside view, with the insulated boiler.


One sheet pan rack in the sauna!


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Invisibledutchfunkle
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: Bad Kitty]
    #18994524 - 10/18/13 08:38 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Go big or go home,I like it! Good job Kitty!!! What species are you gonna be growing? Cant wait to see the results :moneyeyes:


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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: dutchfunkle]
    #18994841 - 10/18/13 10:23 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

That is great! Giving me a lot of ideas. thanks for sharing!


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Offlinedrake89
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: nanncee]
    #18997455 - 10/18/13 08:47 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

That's a great idea, you know they make em that open on both sides right?  You seem handy with the metal work!  Great idea for when we try and expand.  You put 8 on a perforated sheet pan?


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Offlinet3chnobily
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: drake89]
    #18997606 - 10/18/13 09:25 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

that is sweet.  Where did you source the warmers?  Also look into an electric hot water heater for the boiler.  I use one and it requires almost no fabrication.


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OfflineBad Kitty
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: drake89]
    #18998605 - 10/19/13 06:15 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

drake89 said:
That's a great idea, you know they make em that open on both sides right?  You seem handy with the metal work!  Great idea for when we try and expand.  You put 8 on a perforated sheet pan?




I know they make them with double doors, but I wanted one vessel that could hold two pan racks.  Yep, I'm using perforated pans and I get eight on there.


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OfflineRogerRabbitM
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: Bad Kitty]
    #18998609 - 10/19/13 06:17 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Bad Kitty said:

Outside view, with the insulated boiler.






You can make that boiler much more efficient by wrapping it with firebricks all the way to the top.  Put the bricks 1" away from the drum so the heat from your fire can travel up the sides, exiting from the top rather than losing all that heat out the bottom.  After that, wrap the bricks with steel flashing and put the insulation over that.  You'll use half or less the propane per run.

Also, if you're using a gate valve to add water, reduce the pipe down to 1/8" or so to control volume and make sure you're putting the water in below the steam line.  If you add even a little too much water it will turn the pressure into a vacuum rapidly and compress the boiler like squeezing a beer can in your hands.
RR


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OfflineBad Kitty
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: t3chnobily]
    #18998613 - 10/19/13 06:22 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

t3chnobily said:
that is sweet.  Where did you source the warmers?  Also look into an electric hot water heater for the boiler.  I use one and it requires almost no fabrication.




Thanks.  I got them at a used restaurant supply place.  Now I shop at them like its a thrift store for my farm!  I payed $800 for the two units, $200 for the SS drum, less than $1300 all in.  I am looking forward to switching over to an electric heater, it will be nice to set and forget!


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OfflineBad Kitty
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #18998619 - 10/19/13 06:27 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

I agree that I should lower the water inlet.  On my latest run, I added it a bit to fast and it made a scary noise.  I worried that it would implode, thankfully the SS drum must be a little stronger than a regular one.

And the fire brick is a great idea.  When I used to heat my water for straw pasteurization I was trying to figure a good way to harness all that heat that was lost up the sides.  I figured the corrugated metal roofing might work, like a jet boiler.


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OfflineRogerRabbitM
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Re: Double door steam sterilizer [Re: Bad Kitty]
    #19001783 - 10/19/13 10:03 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

With firebrick on a concrete floor, you don't need to use mortar.  Just stack it up with the bricks interlocked as you wrap them around the boiler.  You might look into a water feed valve. This is the one I use, the 247-2 with low water cutoff switch. It feeds really slowly so it never shock cools.
RR


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"I've never had a failed experiment.  I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work."
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