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Hi
I found a source for discarded Hot Water Heaters.
I got lucky with this A.O. Smith 66 Gal vessel.

Often, these things will rust out at the bottom. I cant see why this was junked, the elecricals all tested fine. There are some pipethreads broken in the side ports. I dont need those, I plug-welded them closed.

First, I skin the thing and inpect it all,
Then I cut the bottom out. You only cut the outer layer above the weld and the dome will come out. Look at the blue interior coating, no rust. I think it's a powder coating, tough to grind thru with a softpad.(80grit emery)





I find center and make a 1" threadable port, in this case a simple cast coupling. I use 1" now for the bottom because, small pumps will run 1" to the suction side. HF, NT, blue pumps, ect.
The new port is welded and polished smooth inside the dome. There is no obstruction in draining.



Putting the dome back on after prepping is a major pain by myself. So I use some pursuasion.(sp)




Weld it, test it with water or diesel. The legs are just arbitrary leangth, the feet have .5" holes to anchor if I choose to.



Here it is. Brian's "E Z Miles 66 Gallon Ester Beater"


It's pretty easy and it takes a day to do. The hardest part is stripping the foam insulation.
This will get bubble foil just like the other one I did. (50 gallon cap.)

I think I will use the first, smaller processor as my glycerin pretreat, dewater, preheat tank. It has two element bungs welded in low side.

That, with seperate post-reaction settling drums, this vessel could stay clean for a long time.

I'm wondering if I should have made one more small port in the top dead center in case I want a condenser. I guess one of the existing ports will work.
Thanks for looking,
Brian