It’s not about pulling a fraction it at 110 microns it’s about how long can you maintain 110 microns? and are you talking first pass or second pass?
What is your end game? Topical oil would probably be ok distilled at 110 microns but if you’re about to make vapes you want to get as low as possible. Between 1-10 microns would be a good range to try to stay within
110 might be ok for your first pass but you will likely make it worse if u run a second pass on the same pump. If you can’t get any lower than 110 microns you probably have a leak or your pump isn’t doing its job. Do you have the little screw on fittings to pull vacuum through? Those can be tough to get to work properly if you are not experienced.
When im running a smaller pump like an Alcatel 2015 or 2021 I will decarb with a different pump for roughing or even start distilling the heads fraction and soak the first pump and switch to a clean dry pump to take it through the main body.
I have had pumps that when blanked off got down to under 10 microns but were trashed. I have also had pumps that get down to under 10 microns a blanked off and work great. It’s more about how long it takes to get down there.
If it’s a good pump and it’s blanked off it will get to 10 microns in like 30 seconds and maybe take a few minutes to get to ultimate vac
I’d like to know which new pump under $1000 can adequately distill thc. In all the years I’ve been around cannabis, the only way to get an adequate pump under $1000 was to buy used.
You got a funny way of asking for help on future4200.
When I first started distilling THC (it’s been a while now) I tried using a vacuum pump made for the AC industry and it did not work for me so then I got a belt driven vacuum pump that I think I got for somewhere around 5 or $600 (like I said it’s been a while and I don’t really remember the exact price) and on my 2 l setup it worked fine… Fine enough for me at the time but toward the end of the run I was bumping into 200°C or even slightly more, which nowadays I believe is a bit too hot. Afterwards I switch to a Edwards RV3 I think it was and it worked much better and I was able to distill I think it was at about 178° C or so, finishing up a run I think it was right around 185° C then I switch to a 10 l setup and the RV3 was not holding up as well and my distillation temperatures went up so I switched to a used Edwards I think it was a 28 or 30 I don’t remember and my distillation temperatures went down to around 175°C when I switch to a 22 l setup the temperature went up I think it was a couple of degrees and then I bought a brand new Edwards 30 I think it was and and the temperature went back down to about 170°C (all these temperatures are head temperature, not boiling flask temperature. Boiling flask temperature is slightly higher). Point I’m trying to make is yes you can use a cheaper pump but you got to make sure that it will work with your setup and regardless if you get a “decent” pump (one as an “absolute psychopath” such as me might be bold enough as to tell you about, it could work better) you would likely get get better results and a pump that will last you longer and when you’re done with it you might actually find somebody willing to purchase it off of you (the market for a used Edwards is much better then the markets for a used Harbor Freight AC pump). An Edwards 28 - 30 is definitely an overkill for a 2L setup and you can find a decent Edwards that would be good with your 2L setup for 500 (or less)… But then again what the hell do I know, I’m just an absolute psychopath.
