Nitrogen Backfill on your Vac Oven to prevent Muffining

Pull the moisture out. How does that work exactly. I’d like to understand this concept :slight_smile:

1 Like

What about using this technology to control the muffin?

2 Likes

Would this work thru your trays in your oven or would you need one on each level? I wonder if it will work thru the glass. :thinking:

2 Likes

If you make it pull enough it should be able to go through this walls and glass

As long as there is some air left I there the sound should be able to travel

I spoke with @Sidco_Cat about this at CannaCon in Seattle around 2016, completely changed the way I purge. After introducing backfill procedures I was easily able to obtain 0ppm readings for all hydrocarbons between 36-48 hours oven time. Nitrogen also dramatically reduces the amount of nucleation we saw in shatter because all of that ambient relative moisture and oxidation no longer happen every-time you break vacuum to do flips or maintenance.

14 Likes

:kissing_heart:

1 Like

Had never heard of using N2 as a suppressant for nucleation, but that does make sense. A lot of people use n2 to blast through their material columns before running to help remove any excess moisture.

2 Likes

Its the only way. I waste a little nitrogen at first so i dont have babysit the muffins and it is the the only way I have been able to get consistent glassy slabs.

2 Likes

It’s not so much that it suppresses nucleation as it is actually mitigating a couple factors which do facilitate nucleation. When you use atmosphere to neutralize vacuum you introduce tiny particles, water and oxygen all of which degrade your concentrates and can be yet another starting point for nucleation.

3 Likes

Yes pardon my wording that is exactly what i was trying to say haha.
I just need an oven that can handle back flow pressure ughhhhhhhhhh

2 Likes

Cascades and Across international both perform wonderfully with nitrogen sweeping. And I’ve seen the cascade ovens used as large pressure vessels for “mining diamonds”. Though I’m not certain they’re designed for it…can you clarify that @Sidco_Cat

1 Like

Proceed with caution any time you are using a vacuum vessel for a pressure vessel or vice versa. The spring-loaded window acts as a pressure release above 2 PSI.

2 Likes
8 Likes

:raised_hands::raised_hands::raised_hands:

That’s my girl!

1 Like

Ive read a lot of issues with peoples door seals popping off or outward. So you guys are really only backfilling with like 5-15psi?

When I backfill it’s much more like a sweep. I never build any pressure with my nitrogen. I simply neutralize the vacuum with nitrogen. Even when actively sweeping with nitrogen to speed up solvent and moisture removal you don’t build any pressure, you simply flow through system. Just about Any pump you hook up to a vac oven is going to pull significantly faster than the 1-5 psi we like to use when purging. Hope that makes sense.

3 Likes

What kind of safety precautions are necessary for using the nitrogen backfill since N2 is an oxygen displacer? Does it have to be as ventilated as a room for butane (obviously not), but looking for sound advice so i can impliment this in my lab. Is an O2 sensor necessary?

Are you venting the pump on your vacuum oven directly into the room?

Stop doing that, and the extra N2 should be fine…

2 Likes