Vac Chamber purging heat source

JointOperation said:

hey.. what about using water? water bath can hold constant temps better then a griddle.. i have a electric pan.. im going to try to use to keep constant temps. but i got the laser thermometer to make sure the oil gets to the correct temp.. and a water temp gauge to see what i need to get the water to .. to get the oil hot enough.. its good to keep a note pad.. and write down exactly wat u do every run. if u try different things.. especially.. if ur doing the same technique.. just right down temps and times..

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Sirdabsalot46n2 said:

Hehe .. Sky.... Always learning a lil something from your posts, again; thank you.

@The OP
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This^ is about the cheapest way to obtain a very consistent & even source of heat.
This setup allows me to nail 115° F perfectly.. I can slightly adjust the rheostat in very small rotations and control the temp in 1° increments.

It holds temp with zero spikes or drops in temps.

The griddle= 16$ Walmart... Rival, Deep Dish model
50 lb bag of All Purpose Sand = 3.50$ Home Depot.
Infrared Point and Shoot Temp Gun = 30$ Home Depot
A nice Digital food thermometer = 20$ish

This setup is strictly for the final vac Purge, LONG after the liquid solvent has dissipated.

As pointed out by SKH ... The heating system does spark when the element is heated.

I simply first empty a generous mound of sand directly into the griddle, then even the sand out flat then nestle the chamber into the sand.. Then I pour more sand around the side wall of the chamber.

I like at least 2.5”-3” layer of sand..this buffers the uneven poorly conducted heat from a cheaply made griddle, it essentially turns a very cheap griddle into a dependable precise source of low heat.

The food thermometer is placed into the sand in a fashion where the probe is touching the bottom of the chamber and the surface of the sand.

For me; the food thermometer allows me to monitor the oil temp without having to stop the vac process open the chamber and verify oil surface temps.

Food thermometer reads 138° F

Oil surface consistently reads 115° after many verification temp checks.
Hope this helps.
Happy oil making.

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