Terpenation at Terpene Station

[Young Bull]

The evaporation chamber doesn't do a final purge. The puddle surface has to be liquid for that to occur readily, so some heat is required.

So if I had a hot plate or a water bath holding it around 85f in the evaporator chamber? Or is there still something else I'm missing from my process?

Thanks for all your quick responses by the way. From me and the community.

 

[Nickypno]

A leak anywhere in the column system would lower the butane level. I would pressurize it with air and set it in a barrel of water to see if there are any bubbles, before rebuilding the lower valve.

The only adjustment is to make sure the four bolts holding the valve together are tight, and that the packing gland under the handle is tight. The packing gland is the most common source of leaks. Just tighten it down until it is firmly tight. If the valve still leaks, you need a rebuild kit.

I pressurized the system initially and used the submerging in water technique as well as wiping soapy water over the taller parts I couldn't submerge to find leaks. After I found them all and it held pressure, I did a vacuum test and it held vacuum for 24 hours without losing any.

The butane level in the sight glass dropping has been occurring since the first time I operated it after those tests, and I do a vacuum test for half an hour at least before I use it every time to make sure the column is not leaking after I took it apart to pack the plant material in. That's why I think it's the column dump valve.

I tightened the 4 bolts and it made it very difficult to throttle the valve open and closed, and the leaking didn't stop. I can't figure out how to tighten the packing gland. I looked up diagrams of encapsulated ball valves to see how to tighten the packing gland and it looks like I'm supposed to remove the nut holding the valve handle, and then tighten the packing gland. I can't for the life of me get that nut off that secures the valve handle. It's on there so tight, it won't even budge without feeling like I'm going to break something. I'm considering contacting glacier tanks and telling them this ball valve has been giving me issues since day 1.

 

[Nickypno]

nvm, I got it off and tightened the packing gland. There was some play and it wasn't too hard to tighten, so that may have been the issue. Thanks GW

 

[Permacultuure]

I forgot to add that I'm also curious if anybody has a solution to heating the 12" x 12" collection pot. There's no soup warmers I can find that it would fit in, nor one that I would think could support the massive weight of the mkV. I found electric wrap around heating blankets for refrigerant recovery tanks that would work, but the lowest temp they are set to is 120F, and I'd prefer to keep my oil in carboxylic acid form.

32 quart steamer works, or bigger. Holds a single column mkV just fine. You can put a valve on the bottom and just cycle warm water instead of using a griddle. But they also sit on a large griddle pretty good too.

 

[HighStateToke]

Has anyone made use of PTFE gaskets? I know they require a higher pressure to seal properly but how about the 1 1/2 variety? With single-hinged? With high-pressure clamps?

 

[Gray Wolf]

So if I had a hot plate or a water bath holding it around 85f in the evaporator chamber? Or is there still something else I'm missing from my process?

Thanks for all your quick responses by the way. From me and the community.

Yup, that would work.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Has anyone made use of PTFE gaskets? I know they require a higher pressure to seal properly but how about the 1 1/2 variety? With single-hinged? With high-pressure clamps?

Hard to get a reliable seal without the high pressure clamps.

 

[PenZenMaster]

PTFE Gaskets

PTFE Gaskets

Has anyone made use of PTFE gaskets? I know they require a higher pressure to seal properly but how about the 1 1/2 variety? With single-hinged? With high-pressure clamps?

All my 1 1/2" gaskets are PTFE and they work just fine. I've been running my MkIII for over a year and not had an issue.

I added a sight glass and replaced the silicone gaskets that come with the sight glass with PTFE.

I use the plain old single hinge clamps as well.

I like the PTFE because they clean up better and last longer.

 

[hounddogg]

I run my mkiiia with a sight glass on top. Lately I've noticed when I dump the column, the butane in the sight glass turns yellow again and doesn't seem to dump. It looks like the butane stays up in the column and evaporates off leaving oil in the column which in turn has lowered my yield. Anyone else notice this? Is there something I am doing wrong?

 

[Gray Wolf]

All my 1 1/2" gaskets are PTFE and they work just fine. I've been running my MkIII for over a year and not had an issue.

I added a sight glass and replaced the silicone gaskets that come with the sight glass with PTFE.

I use the plain old single hinge clamps as well.

I like the PTFE because they clean up better and last longer.

You may be stronger than us'ns in our dotage. We successfully used PTFE, but sealing was unreliable, so went to softer Viton, with we clean with ethanol.

 

[Gray Wolf]

I run my mkiiia with a sight glass on top. Lately I've noticed when I dump the column, the butane in the sight glass turns yellow again and doesn't seem to dump. It looks like the butane stays up in the column and evaporates off leaving oil in the column which in turn has lowered my yield. Anyone else notice this? Is there something I am doing wrong?

Is your vent valve open?

How deep is the puddle in the tank when you dump?

 

[hounddogg]

My vent valve is open. Usually my tank is half full or more. Yesterday I tried adding another 6 inch spool on the bottom to make it 12 inches tall. The bottom spool was probably 3/4 full.

 

[hounddogg]

Also I run with no heat.

 

[Backyard Farmer]

You need to vapor off more butane , it's too cold to get the butane to go to vapor. You're running dry. You don't have to set the spool in the soup pot, but it helps to dip it for literally a second, to keep things moving.

 

[hounddogg]

So, should I vapor off until say an inch of liquid in the bottom or more than that

 

[Backyard Farmer]

Are you trying to pour out ? what's your goal? The reason the butane stopped cycling is because your bottom pot was too full, if gently assist vaporization it will continue to reclaim the column

 

[hounddogg]

Okay makes sense and no I don't pour off.

 

[HighStateToke]

If one was aiming to pour out, where should the cycle be ended to avoid solidifying the extract?

 

[hounddogg]

I used to end it when there was about 1/2 inch or so of ice on the bottom of the pot.

 

[PenZenMaster]

Does your MKIII vomit oil?

Does your MKIII vomit oil?

I run my mkiiia with a sight glass on top. Lately I've noticed when I dump the column, the butane in the sight glass turns yellow again and doesn't seem to dump. It looks like the butane stays up in the column and evaporates off leaving oil in the column which in turn has lowered my yield. Anyone else notice this? Is there something I am doing wrong?

Are you dumping the column when the collection chamber is at a vacuum? I can get my column to vomit oil back into my sight glass if I open the dump valve with the chamber under some pressure or if I heat the collection pot with the dump valve open. It works the other way with the vent valve. I've had the contents of my collection pot "pumped" up the vent line and into the sight glass.

Normally, no.