What should I change, bad results!

It does have that reading I just hadn’t ever read it during a run. I insulate the flask with foil on the bottom for solid contact and pack around the sides, but considered wrapping up the mantle where the head connects aswell with this insulation rope I have, I hate using it because it never holds tight. I have no issue with my condensor clogging as the distillate seems to be very hot and runs very quickly. I have had the issue before when my condensor was too cold though and used a blow dryer to get her going before it got clogged.

There’s a thread here called “I make terrible distillate” I bet your answer is in there. Almost seems like you are having the same problem. But I also think you should be winterizing it further, as well.

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Hmmm i have looked up a welch 1400
IT s cfm is rated at 0.9 that for starters is way way to low on a 5 liter SPD
Try to get your hands on a 20 cfm pump or higher asap secondhand Will do
You really Need a vac gauge in microns asap makes our guidens way more complete even a secondhand hvac gauge Will do we don t have bullseye overhere
I am content with yellow jacket brand
Whenever You see smoke stop all procedures

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Ok You have a very complex pre distillation sop sorry to say
So dissolve crude in ethanol
Then make smaller batches for winterization say jugs of 1 gallon A size that your filter (Buchner ?) can handel in 10 min on a 25 micron medium
Put these jugs in dry ice for at least 2 hours to 3 hours
They are on temp once a piece of dry ice When put in the oil /etho doesnt start to boil violantly yust Some action or sinks
Freeze up your filter and filter media
By dropping Some dry ice in 10 minites before starting filtration or in a plastic bag inside your dry ice Cool box
Once every thing is cold start filtration on the 100 mesh size put back in same jug and back in dry ice untill all is filtered
Swap filtermedium to 25 microns and start all over everything has to be cold
Once done You can do your Carbon and fullers earth scubs as You seem fit
I would implement citric acid and bi carbonate in your Brine washes
Check @futere in the pesticide redemiation teck for details
make sure You start with the acid wash
So all is out When You finish ( isomerization)
Then decarb in oven as stated is fine see all small bubbles seize
Then to SPD
The more compounds You get out before SPD the smoother the ride in the SPD less volitilles etc etc
Have a read on your new micron meter If at heads You have 350 microns or less You are good to go
About the new vacuum pump 1x10 4 is the best to get iT has to be 2 stage !!!
And more bigger more better

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sounds like your distillation is running really fast, liquid from your boiling flask is most likely creeping up the head. You head temps seem normal, do you reactivate your fullers earth and charcol before adding? I usually heat the powders im going to use to 250c in a rbf and pull a hard vacuum on them. watch for dust getting into your pumps, you need a particulate filter infront of the pump.Are you doing multiple passes on the spd? First pass is extremely hard to get a good smelling and light colored product.

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@JohnGrow: looks like you’ve gotten sound advice already :slight_smile:

To paraphrase: Better vacuum and a gauge to prove it.

Then following through the (three now?) community coached SPD threads.

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This may be off topic, but why doesn’t anyone utilize bumping stones/boiling chips to stop the aggressive foaming from thca? I have yet to hear about them or see them utilized in this industry and would like to know the reason

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that’s what the stir bar is for…

if you’ve got one, it is far more effective than boiling chips.

using boiling chips in your mantle so you can keep going once you’ve degaussed the magnet in there is certainly an option :wink:

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:grinning::grinning::grinning::grinning::grinning::grinning:

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I really like learning about this stuff

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From what I’ve read in organic chem books, they don’t work under vacuum.

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boiling stones will not work under vacuum, the stir bar is used to prevent superheating of the liquid.The takeaway lesson here is even heating vs nuculation sites.

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Really cool information on pressure vs curvature and the way those nucleation sites work. I didn’t know it was trapped air doing all the work! I originally thought the stirp bar was just to avoid hot spots, but now i know more of its uses, thank you @cyclopath and @Soxhlet

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I havnt been heating the fullers or charcoal other than what the ethanol is heated to. My Welch pump has recently been unable to pull past 28.9hg. I tried messing with all the seals on the glass and hoses. All I’m using is high temp vac grease. Possibly the pump needs a rebuild or oil change? It does seem like my reaction is too strong. As if it’s climbs up the vigereux and pours through the condensor. I havnt done any second passes yet. I’ve been saving all my first pass to get it down pat to run all my second pass.

Does anyones distillate it volume go from black starting material into anything better than an orange clarity in 1000ml jar roughly finished?

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You should be changing that every time you run that setup. Get flushing fluid and some grade 19 pump oil and you should be able pull deeper, hopefully.

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Could you explain a bit on what procedure to use to clean out the oil after draining and before refilling? What to clean it with?

I can only picture my pump in front of me. I have one across my facility and I will go look in a little bit. I’m in the middle of recovery.

But there’s a drain port on the side. Run pump closed off for half hour - hour, until its hot. Open drain port into large jar or bucket (keep elevated on table or bricks). On the top there’s a couple spots to open. I Can’t remember which one. But, open em to vent and allow the oil to drain easier (like putting a whole in a water jug to drain). It’ll get low and tilt her to get all the oil out.

If you bought flushing oil, you would close the drain, pour some in (don’t fill it, though), swish it around and then drain it. Top off with fresh grade 19. Run till hot and repeat again with flushing fluid and refill. After the second time you hopefully will see improvements.

I say to flush her twice because you may not have flushed her before and she’s probably not very stoked. After each run you should change the oil. Depending on how you run. After you do your heads, change the oil and then do main body and second pass. And change again. Have that be your routine and you can extend her life drastically.

Your oil is going to smell disgusting.

You can get both the flushing fluid and grade 19 here.

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Are you sure you can use that oil and flushing fluid with his pump. He has a Welch 1400. I thought these pumps require specific Welch pump oil??

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