Cheap easy/Passive recovery/closed loop/lil terp/open blasting

[Chonkski]

Time to step it up to a Closed loop!

Haha, I'm sure you guys are thinking "wtf does chonkski have to sell".

Well a friend of mine wanted to build his own passive system, so I showed him how using the 'lil terp' as an idea thanks to GreyWolf for the design and FlatSlabs for the concentric reducer idea.

I figure since I went through the work of putting the price list together, might as well post it up here too just in case one of you could find purpose off of it in the future. Hence the name being made of keywords.

This isn't much different from the lil terp page on skunkpharm, so part of me feels like posting this is pointless.. But what the hay! Who doesn't like an updated price!

The total came out to about 500$ because the last couple parts vary in price.

This is the BARE but COMPLETE essentials to do smaller scale runs and recover your butane passively.

Any questions and I can gladly help.

 

[flatslabs]

Im thinking people running these small systems are going to be getting their gas from cans so I would suggest adding a can tapper to the list.

And this may be a given for most, but you are going to need a vacuum pump too. I think tamisium gets around the vacuum requirement by using co2

 

[cyphaman]

Chonkski thanks brother this is great. I have 2 questions, is there welding required for the lil Terp ? I thought there was for some reason this is basically the only thing stopping me from grabbing the parts.

Is the passive recovery to the refrigerant tank? I was hoping to add a second 6" spool and do the recovery to this so that I could also distill the butane for ex. multiple times before recovering to storage tank, not sure if lil terp can accommodate this.

Cheers !

 

[flatslabs]

Also, the reducing end cap from glacier is a 1.5" ferrule.

So you have that custom reducing adapter with the 1/4NPT thread, it goes from 1.5" to 1".
The clamps are interchangeable, but the gaskets are different. You need to add a normal 1.5" to 1" concentric reducer to go back from the custom part to the column, and we also have a valve on ours for soaks.

so it hooks together like this in our configuration:
6" -> 1.5" Reducing endcap
1.5" PTFE Gasket
1.5" to 1" Concentric Reducer w/ 1/4 NPT Thread
1" PTFE Gasket
1" Ball Valve
1" PTFE Gasket
1.5" to 1" Concentric Reducer
1.5" Screened PTFE Gasket.
Column

 

[Chonkski]

Also, the reducing end cap from glacier is a 1.5" ferrule.

So you have that custom reducing adapter with the 1/4NPT thread, it goes from 1.5" to 1".
The clamps are interchangeable, but the gaskets are different. You need to add a normal 1.5" to 1" concentric reducer to go back from the custom part to the column, and we also have a valve on ours for soaks.

so it hooks together like this in our configuration:
6" -> 1.5" Reducing endcap
1.5" PTFE Gasket
1.5" to 1" Concentric Reducer w/ 1/4 NPT Thread
1" PTFE Gasket
1" Ball Valve
1" PTFE Gasket
1.5" to 1" Concentric Reducer
1.5" Screened PTFE Gasket.
Column

Yeah, I apologize. I planned on adding the 'optional' upgrades' list that I was going to make for him and another forum I engage in. and why you should want any of these upgrades. I have just been having a busy day and rushed the post.

When it comes to gasket size, I use a 1-1/2" instead of a 1" because I buy them by the box of 25.. Never had a problem using 1 1/2" on a 1" flow diameter.. But perhaps I should have listed it otherwise.

I explained to him why a valve would be useful if he wanted to do several runs and etc. he is a guy who seldom runs a 1/2 oz to an oz for personal. So he just wanted the cheapest bare essentials list so he knew what to plan towards.

Thank you flatslabs!

 

[Chonkski]

Chonkski thanks brother this is great. I have 2 questions, is there welding required for the lil Terp ? I thought there was for some reason this is basically the only thing stopping me from grabbing the parts.

Is the passive recovery to the refrigerant tank? I was hoping to add a second 6" spool and do the recovery to this so that I could also distill the butane for ex. multiple times before recovering to storage tank, not sure if lil terp can accommodate this.

Cheers !

No! Luckily now that glacier tanks makes the concentric reducer with an male NPT nipple' welded on.. There is not need for welding with this design! Forgot to mention that this is the best part about the update! Thank flatslabs for the idea.

And you can absolutely add another 6" to your collection.

 

[Loc Dog]

The best cans I found, were Capital n-Butane. 95% n-butane, 5% iso-butane. N boils at 31 degree's F, and iso at 11 degree's F, so the iso, can easily be boiled off, outside of course.

 

[flatslabs]

When it comes to gasket size, I use a 1-1/2" instead of a 1" because I buy them by the box of 25.. Never had a problem using 1 1/2" on a 1" flow diameter.. But perhaps I should have listed it otherwise.

Im sure they are interchangeable but if you have ever seen the real 1" gasket it goes all the way to the edge of the hole. I can't say it makes any difference, because I really don't know, but I like to have all the right stuff when playing with dangerous stuff... I mean there is a reason they make both size gaskets right?

 

[Chonkski]

Im sure they are interchangeable but if you have ever seen the real 1" gasket it goes all the way to the edge of the hole. I can't say it makes any difference, because I really don't know, but I like to have all the right stuff when playing with dangerous stuff... I mean there is a reason they make both size gaskets right?

I completely agree, when I first started using these spools I always bought and used the exact sizes. I'm sure they are intended for a reason. After I made a trip to skunkpharm I seemed to have gained a lot of confidence. Because it was at the safety meeting when I skimmed across the same question, and all I received was a dull shrug and a stare like "who cares?" From ES. Lol. Ever since I have just ordered boxes of 25, from the resource given to me by ES as well.

I do apologize for not including it into this list, I should have been more specific.

 

[Gray Wolf]

I completely agree, when I first started using these spools I always bought and used the exact sizes. I'm sure they are intended for a reason. After I made a trip to skunkpharm I seemed to have gained a lot of confidence. Because it was at the safety meeting when I skimmed across the same question, and all I received was a dull shrug and a stare like "who cares?" From ES. Lol. Ever since I have just ordered boxes of 25, from the resource given to me by ES as well.

I do apologize for not including it into this list, I should have been more specific.

The 1" connections on the Mk III use a 1 1/2" gasket, because they have 1 1/2" flanges, despite the 1" hole.

 

[Chonkski]

Thank you GW. This is exactly what I have been telling myself the past few months. Although I do have very bad OCD, so I can't help but run the thought through my mind a thousand times. Along with twenty other wonders and questions simultaneously, that always seem to slip away when I reach the keyboard..............

Heheh

 

[flatslabs]

The 1" connections on the Mk III use a 1 1/2" gasket, because they have 1 1/2" flanges, despite the 1" hole.

Gray Wolf: isn't that the case for all 1" and 1.5" tri-clamps though? We have always used them interchangeably in the brewery, the ferrules are all the same and use the same clamps but the gaskets for the 1" just extend all the way to the hole.

I know a few brewery owners who are very adamant about using the correct size gasket for their sanitary applications, I have never bothered to question their reasoning as they have been around longer than I.

I guess I was just a little uneasy leaving that air gap between the two metal pieces when clamping a 1" ball valve between 1" x 1.5" reducers so have always used 1" gaskets without exception. Assuming they are equally as safe to use: at least in our passive configuration, I would be worried about concentrates getting in those gaps during a run.

 

[soysoz]

Chonkski thanks brother this is great. I have 2 questions, is there welding required for the lil Terp ? I thought there was for some reason this is basically the only thing stopping me from grabbing the parts.

Is the passive recovery to the refrigerant tank? I was hoping to add a second 6" spool and do the recovery to this so that I could also distill the butane for ex. multiple times before recovering to storage tank, not sure if lil terp can accommodate this.

Cheers !

If you want to distill multiple times and be able to clean each respective tank in between runs, you will need the second spool.

 

[Chonkski]

If you want to distill multiple times and be able to clean each respective tank in between runs, you will need the second spool.

I kept telling my buddie the same thing, but he insisted on not needing anything extra, because he runs about a half oz to an oz every two weeks or so.

He just decided on a larger tube than he would ever really need so he never had to run multiple columns. Otherwise he's going to pack the remainder with coffee filters

 

[soysoz]

If/when you have time you might want to include some bushings and up-sized hoses for running subzero butane. I'd imagine passive flood with 1/4" lines and no gravity to do the work for you would be painstakingly slow.

 

[Chonkski]

If/when you have time you might want to include some bushings and up-sized hoses for running subzero butane. I'd imagine passive flood with 1/4" lines and no gravity to do the work for you would be painstakingly slow.

You would connect the hose to the vapor port, and flip the tank upside down so gravity can assist you.

When running passive with a recovery tank, there would be no need for using the liquid side with the dip tube.

 

[soysoz]

You would connect the hose to the vapor port, and flip the tank upside down so gravity can assist you.

When running passive with a recovery tank, there would be no need for using the liquid side with the dip tube.

I guess that's true if you're using a hot/cold differential to flood gas into the column. If you want to use a cold/colder differential to flood with sludgy butane, gravity isn't all that fast with that size hose.

edit: or am I missing something?

 

[Gray Wolf]

Gray Wolf: isn't that the case for all 1" and 1.5" tri-clamps though? We have always used them interchangeably in the brewery, the ferrules are all the same and use the same clamps but the gaskets for the 1" just extend all the way to the hole.

I know a few brewery owners who are very adamant about using the correct size gasket for their sanitary applications, I have never bothered to question their reasoning as they have been around longer than I.

I guess I was just a little uneasy leaving that air gap between the two metal pieces when clamping a 1" ball valve between 1" x 1.5" reducers so have always used 1" gaskets without exception. Assuming they are equally as safe to use: at least in our passive configuration, I would be worried about concentrates getting in those gaps during a run.

No doubt a stellar thing for processing foodstuffs that putrify.

 

[surfguitar]

Are the ptfe gaskets for sealing triclamps? Would you need them at every triclamp spot?

 

[Chonkski]

Are the ptfe gaskets for sealing triclamps? Would you need them at every triclamp spot?

Yes, ptfe or VITON