Alcohol distillation can be an exciting hobby, but it should never be left unattended or left without supervision, due to its heat source and potentially flammable ethanol vapors that pose the threat of fire or explosion. Therefore, keep a fire extinguisher nearby at all times!
Distilling accidents are less frequent than you might imagine; however, it’s essential that distillers understand the risks so they can take steps to limit any possible accidents when distilling spirits or wine. Safety must always come first!
Alcohol distillation presents many potential fire risks. These could come from heat source malfunction, leaky still or simply from flammable alcohol vapors being released into the atmosphere; these flammable vapors have the ability to ignite in air as well as other combustible materials like plastic fabrics or equipment that might also become ignited during production.
Electrocution is another potential risk. This could happen either through your electrical wiring or due to static electricity sparking stray vapors that get ignited from static electricity. To reduce this risk, make sure that any circuits powering your still are protected with RCD, RCBO, or GFCI devices.
Methanol poisoning is another serious risk. Methanol is formed when ethanol reacts with specific metals such as copper or lead during distillation. Therefore, only use inert materials when building your still, such as using an old car radiator as a vapor condenser (especially one soldered with lead solder), since this could release dangerous levels of methanol which could eventually leach out and poison you if any leakage occurs.
