So I have tried to read all topics on here on cleaning a WFE but so far have had no luck. We got a 2 inch pope WFE from a cbd company used and have had some problems, distillate was coming out nice and refining parameters but then got a few black spots in it. So we tried to clean the system with ethanol however next run more black spots came out assuming it was carbon that was cleaned off the wipers then sticking to the distillate. So then we took apart the wiper and scraped each part with a razor blade and ran ethanol, still no luck. Finally we ran ethanol then hot water then ethanol and STILL BLACK FLECKS. Does anyone know a good way to deep clean these I’m almost thinking we just need a new one at this point. Hard to do more so looking for help as we have to follow CCC guidelines and can only use so many solvents etc so any info will help please!
You should be cleaning things not just with ethanol. I see you used hot water - you can try some other items as well. Going with lab grade/food grade alkali and acidic cleaners should do the trick (please make sure they are compatible with your gaskets and seals.
I’d also check inside your pumps (I’m making an assumption that you are using some) I’ve had gunk end up there and rebuild/clean helped get rid of flecks.
For the hard to reach places - I’ve used ethanol with food grade salt in it, this gives a little mechanical abrasion to harder to reach surfaces.
The black flecks are probably not ethanol soluble or they would be coming off with your rinse. So try the cleaners I listed - they get off all kinds of things.
Use hot soapy water in a dip with a kitchen scrubby.
taking the time to find a solvent system that worked here, rather than using a razor blade, would have been a good idea. you’ve clearly established that what you’ve got is not soluble in ethanol. figuring out what it is soluble in will allow a thorough cleaning. the last wiper I saw come in the door may not have required complete disassembly to get clean, but taking it apart was extremely informative. we ended up using water + a sous vide in the still body, probably should have added some alconox… the black gunk we were seeing was mostly charred sugars based on it’s solubility…and that would be a decent guess for what you’re seeing (warm ethanol crude as input…).
To be fair, one time I took a Dremel with a wire bristle tip to some wiper blades because nothing else would take it off. My old manager even sprayed it with oven cleaner and that didn’t work. (Which I thought was a terrible idea.)
I kinda figured it was basically carbon.
yeah. once it’s ALL charred, and there are no water soluble bits holding it together, removing carbon seems like a physical task. which is why washing the still should be a scheduled (pro-active) procedure, not a reaction to black chunks in ones distillate.
100% this.^
Have checked the pump and will look into alconox and other salts just was thinking might mess with the wipers themselves but am not too knowledgeable on cleaning as I’ve only used heptane and ethanol but have very strict CCC guidelines on what to use in Massachusetts. Will look into it though truly appreciate the help!
Yes I wish I could see if it’s carbons or sugars but am new and was used from their previous CBD endeavors. I will look into alconox maybe do ethanol then alconox in water then ethanol? Anyone have thoughts or other ways as Again very strict guidelines on what solvents can be used by CCC here in Massachusetts. Thanks all the help!
Run hot vegetable oil through it
Post pics so we can see what you’re dealing with
I use this product it gets off most polar stuff in one pass.
he does…I’ve watched him remove the cannabis from therapeutic cement with it.
Run vegetable oil through it. No vac.
Then, run some ZEP orange concentrate.
Finally, run 1L of 200 proof (99.9%) ISO
If you need parameters, I can DM you the full SOP
Replace the wipers.
Would love to look at a SOP if possible thinking today we’re gonna do warm ethanol, ZEP, then water, then ethanol all at 80c on the column and 40c on the internal see how it works. Appreciate everyone’s help!
Check out this link I posted a couple years back. All it came out to, was some gunk that needed cleaned out.
The parameters work the same on the pope. Remember, no vac. And make sure your cold trap is cold before starting. I used xylene, but now I just go to home depot and grab a gallon of zep orange concentrate. The terps from the zep is why you should at least run 1L of ISO 200 proof to make sure its all out.