Almost Boiled it away in the Distiller....

OMG

Trying to help someone by making some oil (first time)

Was following Jeff Ditchfields method (video online for Medical Cannabis)

Got so far as the distilling stage (after soaking in Everclear) - so I bought a water distiller and proceeded to pour about 400ml in and switch it on and wait for it to switch off when it got to a certain temperature..

Did it hell - almost burnt the whole lot as a lot of it went up in smoke (and up my nose) when I took the top off to inspect after 10 minutes - leaving only a small amount of recoverable oil....

What am I doing wrong ???

Your still sounds too hot.

Never open any still while hot. A water distiller is way too hot. You want 170 -210 max. Problem with stills is they are hard to heat evenly, and get good reading of internal temps. Using a double boiler with cooking oil works, but makes disgusting messes that take forever to clean up if it gets too hot.

You could try running an outdoor thermometer to the inside bottom, and get dimmer that plugs into an outlet, then plug your distiller into it, and figure out the setting to get around 195F. With the alcohol still I have, it could take 8 hours to distill off a quart.

Between ruining extracts, and the cost of everclear, it has been such a pain in the ass getting it right, that I am going to have to spend a few grand on a closed loop extractor for outdoor use.

Also, do not run something like that inside, especially since it was not designed for alcohol. Keep a hose nearby, with water turned on.

Loc Dog said:

Never open any still while hot. A water distiller is way too hot. You want 170 -210 max. Problem with stills is they are hard to heat evenly, and get good reading of internal temps. Using a double boiler with cooking oil works, but makes disgusting messes that take forever to clean up if it gets too hot.

You could try running an outdoor thermometer to the inside bottom, and get dimmer that plugs into an outlet, then plug your distiller into it, and figure out the setting to get around 195F. With the alcohol still I have, it could take 8 hours to distill off a quart.

Between ruining extracts, and the cost of everclear, it has been such a pain in the ass getting it right, that I am going to have to spend a few grand on a closed loop extractor for outdoor use.

Click to expand...

Yeah
I paid silly money for the herbs and silly money for the Everclear, and to see it going up in smoke was frightening

I see from the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z58FiH87-6w

that he uses ceramic beads in the bottom of his still to even out the heat ?

PS
I reckon he was using this still which has been modified for alcohol
https://www.nutriteam.com/megahome-still-for-alcohol-essential-oil-making.html
Jeez

leachim said:

Yeah
I paid silly money for the herbs and silly money for the Everclear, and to see it going up in smoke was frightening

I see from the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z58FiH87-6w

that he uses ceramic beads in the bottom of his still to even out the heat ?

Click to expand...

Using beads or broken glass to reduce bumping (explosive bursts of vaporization), is common to ethanol distillation.

Unless you increase the pressure above ambient, the maximum temperature you can reach boiling any liquid, is its boiling point. More heat just boils it faster.

Once enough alcohol has exited for the azeotropic mixtures boiling point to rise, it can rise to the next lowest boiling point.

What you can do is limit the heat input, which slows things down, but will never take the mixture above that point.

leachim said:

Yeah
I paid silly money for the herbs and silly money for the Everclear, and to see it going up in smoke was frightening

I see from the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z58FiH87-6w

that he uses ceramic beads in the bottom of his still to even out the heat ?

Click to expand...

leachim said:

PS
I reckon he was using this still which has been modified for alcohol
https://www.nutriteam.com/megahome-still-for-alcohol-essential-oil-making.html
Jeez

Click to expand...

Thanks, I bought a cheap water distiller form eBay with the intention of dialing down the wattage with a Variac, or adding a PID controller to limit the temperature.

$65

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4L-Stainles...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

SkyHighLer said:

Thanks, I bought a cheap water distiller form eBay with the intention of dialing down the wattage with a Variac, or adding a PID controller to limit the temperature.

$65

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4L-Stainle...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Click to expand...

Home Depot has a dimmer for appliance/light plugged into it for about $9.00. It is made by Leviton TBL 03. It is rated for 150 watt lamp.

http://www.leviton.com/en/products/tbl03-10w

My current problem is that when I put still on hotplate, the bottom goes from flat to curved.

I gave up on still, and took your advice and just boiled the last 500 ml off.

Wouldn't the ISO-4 work, or does it take too long?

Did you see skunkpharm new website?? They did a nice job.

Loc Dog said:

Home Depot has a dimmer for appliance/light plugged into it for about $9.00. It is made by Leviton TBL 03. It is rated for 150 watt lamp.

https://www.leviton.com/en/products/tbl03-10w

My current problem is that when I put still on hotplate, the bottom goes from flat to curved.

I gave up on still, and took your advice and just boiled the last 500 ml off.

Wouldn't the ISO-4 work, or does it take too long?

Did you see skunkpharm new website?? They did a nice job.

Click to expand...

The ISO-4 will work. We'll be publishing test results soon.

Loc Dog said:

Home Depot has a dimmer for appliance/light plugged into it for about $9.00. It is made by Leviton TBL 03. It is rated for 150 watt lamp.

https://www.leviton.com/en/products/tbl03-10w

My current problem is that when I put still on hotplate, the bottom goes from flat to curved.

I gave up on still, and took your advice and just boiled the last 500 ml off.

Wouldn't the ISO-4 work, or does it take too long?

Did you see skunkpharm new website?? They did a nice job.

Click to expand...

600 watt dimmer, the cheapest you can get at Home Depot, single pole, push on/off, maybe $6. Cut one lead of an extension cord and insert it, it comes with wire nuts to secure the connections.

https://www.leviton.com/en/products/6681-iw


Instead of a hotplate under your still, how about using a digital heat mat? These have a PID controller, an adhesive back, and standoff feet. They're good for up to 400F, 200F shouldn't be any problem if properly attached to the bottom of the vessel so you don't get hot spots.

https://www.bestvaluevacs.com/categories/digital-heatpads.html


I haven't unpacked the ISO-3 yet, I intend on comparing the adapted water distiller to it using solvents with boiling points just above room temp to ???


If you use a fan blowing gently on a Pyrex evaporating dish you can evaporate off solvents like alcohol with minimal heat. A rectangular digital heat mat attached to the bottom of the Pyrex dish is slick, BVV used to sell them, but I assume that ended due to BHOturds suggesting they intended on using them with butane. Maybe you can find something on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_od...cone+heaters+with+digital+controller&_sacat=0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/600W-110V-...512999?hash=item3f45887f27:g:gusAAOSwPcVVp62x


Skunk Pharm's new face is fine, I was put off at first as it appeared the Comments weren't going to be transferred, I went back yesterday, and see them coming back, thanks, GW answered so many questions in Comments that the blogs aren't complete without them.

SkyHighLer said:

Skunk Pharm's new face is fine, I was put off at first as it appeared the Comments weren't going to be transferred, I went back yesterday, and see them coming back, thanks, GW answered so many questions in Comments that the blogs aren't complete without them.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input brother Sky! It appears a number of brothers and sisters were put off, based on the site statistics.

We'uns Pharmers didn't get a chance to review and comment on the new site first, but we've conveyed our constructive comments to SPR's new management team.

If you will PM me with your constructive comments, I'll pass those on too.

Something you may want to try is a powermeter. I bought one on e-bay. Floureon model ts-1500. I bought since I-power ballasts are burning timers and circuits. It is about $12.

Loc Dog said:

Something you may want to try is a powermeter. I bought one on e-bay. Floureon model ts-1500. I bought since I-power ballasts are burning timers and circuits. It is about $12.

Click to expand...

I agree, I have the original Kill A Watt P-3.

https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Ele...TF8&qid=1498859175&sr=8-1&keywords=watt+meter


I bought a $65 750 watt water distiller,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4L-Stainle...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649


I took it apart, seems ok, it's distilling a gallon of water now at the full wattage.


Power meter > Variac > water distiller


110V/20A $85 Variac,

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_od...0+amp+variac.TRS0&_nkw=20+amp+variac&_sacat=0


To electrically isolate the top of the distiller (fan) from the bottom (heater) without cutting the connecting cord all you need is an extra appliance cord,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I63XJW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Here's a distiller like mine with a built in controller,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4L-1Gal-DI...537703&hash=item25d19ed433:g:qUgAAOSwdGFYx7NR


The original Megahome water distiller is 580 watts,

https://www.steamdistiller.com/mh943tws-water-distiller-glass-collection/

The Megahome alcohol distiller is 320 watts,

https://www.steamdistiller.com/megahome-still-for-alcohol-essential-oil-making/


I read regulating the temperature of these isn't the way to go,

"This countertop still can store out in the open and is easy to operate, just plug it in. If you haven’t operated a still/distiller before, the main concept is this. Water boils around 212 degrees and alcohol boils at 172 degrees. If you have water with alcohol in it, the alcohol will boil out first. The key is to cook it slow and collect the alcohol before the water boils. This distiller has been modified to run on reduced wattage that allows the boiling process to maximize the production of alcohol. Regular water distillers cook at a much higher temperature and will not work for alcohol distillation. You will end up with low % of alcohol or a boiled over mess. Once the unit slowly heats to produce the alcohol vapors, the cooling coil on top of the unit condenses the vapor back to liquid alcohol and drips down into your collection jar.

This unit does not limit the boiler temperature. I have modified distillers with this modification in the past and the reduced temperatures do not allow the boiler to build enough head pressure to fully collect your alcohol. This unit has a modified heating element to control how fast the boiler heats, allowing the alcohol to fully separate itself from the water and be collected fully without the water diluting the final product."

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Easy-Elect...103416&hash=item46358ca910:g:qPUAAOxyNDxRYM3i


Two contact parts of these water distillers are silicone, the lid gasket and a piece of tubing on the very end of the condenser. The short piece of tubing is easily replaced without taking the device apart, and the silicone gasket might be replaceable with a large thick o-ring. Silicone's ok with ethanol, and isopropyl, ethyl acetate, etc., but not acetone or hydrocarbons like pentane.