Best Vac Set-Up for the money?

[slowandeasy]

Been making oil for over a decade, but took some time off. I am looking for the best Vac set-up for the money? Maybe do a couple oz at a time. ThNks for the suggestions!

 

[Flying High]

I have a CPS VP6D which still works fine, but it now looses oil with every run; kinda smells like it is getting too hot.

I also have a JB Platinum 5cfm pump of the same age, which I use on my Terpenator; this JB pump certainly seems to be of higher quality than the CPS. I don't think of the CPS as inferior, but the JB certaainly seems worth the money if you plan on using it long term.
When I say long term, I'm talking about running the pumps non-stop for several days, every week.

I would also suggest buying a pressure vessel you can heat, with a size large enough to keep the layer of oil as thin as possible. My 9"diameter vessel is not large enough to purge even 14g of oil efficiently. Even in my 13" diameter vessel, it takes me well over 24hrs along with constant 110F oil temperature in order to purge even an ounce.

I now don't even try to purge more than an ounce at a time, I aim for a sub 1/8" layer of oil, with 1/16" being a much more efficient puddle thickness in order to fully purge in as little time as possible.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Been making oil for over a decade, but took some time off. I am looking for the best Vac set-up for the money? Maybe do a couple oz at a time. ThNks for the suggestions!

For a couple ounces, you might also consider a Rotovape. As already noted,you need to keep the film thin.

Running any pump long hours daily will wear it out, and extracting solvents through them dilutes their crankcases. A quality industrial pump will of course outlast a cheaper commercial pump, but they cost more up front.

Hee, hee, hee, in industry I designed a number of systems using Stokes vacuum pumps, with Rootes blowers on top. They would make short work of chambers that you could park a car in, but didn't like their crankcases dilluted either. We used argon with less than 5 ppm water content as ballast to keep absorbing the vapors coming off and taking them with it as it exit. A rather expensive, but effective solution.

You can buy diaphram vacuum pumps that don't suffer from that problem, but are more limited in performance and expensive.

You might consider limiting your vacuum pressure until most of the solvent is gone, and using a cold trap between the chamber and the pump, to recover the solvent, before it reaches the pump. When it is visably gone, you can drain the cold trap, turn on some heat, and crank the vacuum down as far as it will go to purge the remainder.

As for a chamber, we use thin films in a 6" Petri dishes in a large enough glass desicator to also hold a small labratory hotplate, so that we can vary temperature, as well as watch what is happening. Vaccum ovens are nicer, but more expensive.

 

[Kushed_]

For a couple ounces, you might also consider a Rotovape. As already noted,you need to keep the film thin.

Running any pump long hours daily will wear it out, and extracting solvents through them dilutes their crankcases. A quality industrial pump will of course outlast a cheaper commercial pump, but they cost more up front.

Hee, hee, hee, in industry I designed a number of systems using Stokes vacuum pumps, with Rootes blowers on top. They would make short work of chambers that you could park a car in, but didn't like their crankcases dilluted either. We used argon with less than 5 ppm water content as ballast to keep absorbing the vapors coming off and taking them with it as it exit. A rather expensive, but effective solution.

You can buy diaphram vacuum pumps that don't suffer from that problem, but are more limited in performance and expensive.

You might consider limiting your vacuum pressure until most of the solvent is gone, and using a cold trap between the chamber and the pump, to recover the solvent, before it reaches the pump. When it is visably gone, you can drain the cold trap, turn on some heat, and crank the vacuum down as far as it will go to purge the remainder.

As for a chamber, we use thin films in a 6" Petri dishes in a large enough glass desicator to also hold a small labratory hotplate, so that we can vary temperature, as well as watch what is happening. Vaccum ovens are nicer, but more expensive.

Rotovap and cold trap, nice tools. What are your Petri dishes made of? How do you get the power cord for the hotplate into the dessicator?

 

[Gray Wolf]

Rotovap and cold trap, nice tools. What are your Petri dishes made of? How do you get the power cord for the hotplate into the dessicator?

I use borosilicate Petri dishes that I scored off e-bay cheeep. They come with a top, that also works as a dish, so you get two for one.

I drilled a second hole in the neoprene stopper in the top of the chamber for the power cord. As it is tapered, it tightens as it is pumped down. I disconnected the cord on the hot plate end to feed through the hole, so I didn't have to cut the factory plug off.

 

[vertigo0007]

Look on ebay for a guy called p-vac. There are several ebayers that sell vacuum chamber/dessicator units and whole kits. The p-vac has the best quality seal, but all of the stock/cooking pot ones work juuuust fine. They sell them with or w/o pumps. VAC PURGE FTW!

 

[Gray Wolf]

You can also pick up 1 1/4" thick acrylic sheets from Tap Plastics, and make a clear vacuum lid for a heavy duty cooking pot as well. A pressure cooker or paint pot will also work, but you can't see what is going on.

 

[Silence Dogood]

In my chem lab, there is a small desiccator with a hand pump on it. It steadily holds a vacuum of about 26-27" Hg when it is empty, this means less than that when something is in it. My question is, is it enough to get a a good purge? Anyone have one of these units? We put a little hot pad in it to which is cool.

 

[vertigo0007]

In my chem lab, there is a small desiccator with a hand pump on it. It steadily holds a vacuum of about 26-27" Hg when it is empty, this means less than that when something is in it. My question is, is it enough to get a a good purge? Anyone have one of these units? We put a little hot pad in it to which is cool.

Yes it will work just fine

 

[Waxmasta Flex]

VAC OVEN FTW...IF UR SERIOUS N DONT WANNA FUCK AROUND...JUST DROP THE COIN N DO IT THE RIGHT WAY AS THE MAN SAYS...YOULL THANK ME LATER...
THINK ABOUT IT, THEN YOU DONT GOTTA DICK AROUND WITH SHIT...YOU JUST PUT IT IN AND BOOM...
I CAN ACTUALLY PURGE LARGE LARGE RUNS IN VERY QUICK TIME WITH THE OVEN...
JUST REFLECTING ON BRO SAYING IT TAKES HIM A DAY TO PURGE SOMETHING.....
BUT YEA, THEY CAN BE EXPENSIVE....BUT ITS LIKE THE MATRIX...IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH AND LONG ENOUGH ONE WILL FIND U... ;]

 

[pip313]

If your willing to spend the money I would go with the rotovap and a good vacuum pump. It has advantages over a vacuum oven due to the way it makes a thin film when purging. Oil can splatter in a oven when a bubble comes up.

I've made up to 3 ounces hash oil at once and purged in a round bottom flask and it worked fine but it took forever and fundementally its the same as a vacuum oven. I wish I had a rotovap you can literally set it and forget it if you buy a nice digital model.

I'm going to get a buchi r-205 eventually, when I step up my grow to over double what it is now. (around a year or so) Consider a heating bath not a water bath the difference is a heating bath can use oil also and go over 100c a water bath can't.

You honestly dont even need a vacuum to purge just get yourself a pyrex (borosilicate not pyrex brand) baking dish such as a 13x9 and heat slowly until your hash is really thick and no longer giving off any smell. I've done this also and it works fine. never use a flame to evaporate a flammable substance allways electric, just saying for those who dont know.