So I’m fairly new to running a closed loop. On Friday I was running a couple strains. I think my column were -73 and my collection pot was 114deg. Anyways I’m wondering if I recovered too much butane from the mix and stalled nucleation. It poured out like warm honey. I covered it and let it sit for a day and it seems like it formed like a sugar layer on the bottom but thick sauce on top. Both strains did this. I’m used to like a large crystal layer on the bottom with sauce on top. I’m wondering if I should have pulled it earlier with more butane left in it to leave it more mobile. Should I ad some butane back into it and mix it around. Or should I ad heat and see if that helps?
A splash of butane can speed up stubborn pans.
It may be a lack of evaporation, rather than a mobility issue. Another possibility is that the material was already partially decarbed due to age/improper storage.
CBD strains stay runny and never crash (doesn’t sound like the case here, but good to keep in mind in the future).
Friday - Sunday isn’t crazy for a pan not to finish either. There’s a good chance it will finish on its own. Stirring can speed it up, but you’ll have smaller crystals in the end.
1 Like
I should have clarified a couple things. This is fresh frozen material. It’s pretty fresh material. I ran two 10lb socks for each strain. My buddy ran these same two strains same harvest and his crystallized hard l with in the same day. Not cbdd
Good info to include, pictures always help as well 
I know it’s not a CBD issue if you have a layer of sugar on the bottom, it’s just something to keep in mind.
Splash with butane if you need it to finish faster. What temp is your oven set to?
1 Like
Are you in an oven? Or is it just at ambient temp? What temp?
It was ambient temp while I let it sit for the first 24 hours. Then I had it in the oven for 24 hours at 86°. I just put it on a vacuum now and there’s a lot of activity. Do you think I should let it sit at ambient temperature for longer or will vacuum help the crystallization?
Leave it in the oven. No vac till the pan is fully crashed (this will preserve terps while ensuring the pan fully crashes, and allows for better crystal formation, rather than fine sugar). Give it a splash of butane if you want to speed things up.
Don’t stir the butane in too much, if you want nice crystal formation. Just poke a few holes. Don’t need much butane, or you’ll dissolve what you’ve got started. Look into Ostwald ripening (dissolving smaller crystals and allowing them to redeposit onto larger ones), for a better understanding of how you can manipulate crystal growth via thermal cycling/saturation level.
I see you’re local. Feel free to DM if you’ve got any questions 