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Recovery Unit, Butane Tank for Lil' Terp Style System

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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Here's my system, Almost finished. I had my guy put a tripod feet configuration on the collection tank, so i can put a carbiner hook system so i don't have to hold it upside down for 5 mins so it will drain down the column.

rather than use a soup warmer, I'll be using a large stock pot on a corning 10x10 magentic stirrer hot plate, to keep the warm water consistent and moving around the oil recovery tank.

Nice job! Purdy welds!

Does the gauge tolerate hot water?

Looks like you are about ready for the maiden voyage!
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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I don't think it will. but when the tank is submurged in the water, it won't be touching the gauge. just enough to touch the coupling it is attached too.

I attach my gauge via a refrigeration hose, so it is at the top of the column.
 

GreenGeek

Member
Hey GreyWolf,

can you provide me with a proper part #, or proper part name for the male flare fittings for the refrigeration hoses to attach to the SS ball valve? this is the one part I'm trying to find and am slightly at a loss in finding it.

Thanks!
 

Gray Wolf

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Hey GreyWolf,

can you provide me with a proper part #, or proper part name for the male flare fittings for the refrigeration hoses to attach to the SS ball valve? this is the one part I'm trying to find and am slightly at a loss in finding it.

Thanks!

I have no part number, but it is called a 1/4" Male NPT to 1/4" male flare fitting.

It is also available with a Schrader valve installed, from refrigeration supply houses like RSD, and their part number is JB A31484, in packs of five, for $8.38. I just take the Schrader valves out for this application
 

A6 Grower

Member
Veteran
Did my first cleaning run, going to do one more just to be sure its nice and clean. Everything went great! For the moment i put 8lbs(18 300ml cans of Vector) of butane in my 50 lb tank until airgas gets back to me on when i'll be getting some N-Butane. But i think just using the cleaned vector should be a lot better than what i've been using before.

So when i was filling my tank with butane using the can tapper my recovery tank got coated in a oily goop, what was all that?? It was just butane i was filling the tank with is there really that much crap in canned butane?? it was pretty gross i have to say, can't wait to get 99% n-butane, Do you think having canned butane in the tank will leave any residue?? I'm bummed i didn't have my phone to take a picture of the grossness.

Other then that, just need to go to the store to get some more ISO for cleaning. Ill be getting some 190 proof soon so i can start winterizing. I've got lots to run and i'll be starting tomorrow at 6am, i'll post some pictures once i get some oil pictures ready
 

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Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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Did my first cleaning run, going to do one more just to be sure its nice and clean. Everything went great! For the moment i put 8lbs(18 300ml cans of Vector) of butane in my 50 lb tank until airgas gets back to me on when i'll be getting some N-Butane. But i think just using the cleaned vector should be a lot better than what i've been using before.

So when i was filling my tank with butane using the can tapper my recovery tank got coated in a oily goop, what was all that?? It was just butane i was filling the tank with is there really that much crap in canned butane?? it was pretty gross i have to say, can't wait to get 99% n-butane, Do you think having canned butane in the tank will leave any residue?? I'm bummed i didn't have my phone to take a picture of the grossness.

Other then that, just need to go to the store to get some more ISO for cleaning. Ill be getting some 190 proof soon so i can start winterizing. I've got lots to run and i'll be starting tomorrow at 6am, i'll post some pictures once i get some oil pictures ready

Not sure where the oily goop came from. Where did the oil coating show up on the tank?
 

A6 Grower

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The bottom, just like if i ran it with the butane running through the column and material. It went can taper, hose, recovery tank, recovery hose with filter, recovery pump, 50# tank. I would run 6 cans into the recovery tank before moving it to the 50#, didn't open up the recovery tank till i was done. Was clean before i started, then covered it an oily mess after. Not just a little either, like if it was BHO, it would have been a gram.
 

A6 Grower

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Anyone have any tips for unpacking these tubes? I'm use to the glass ones where its easy to push out with a metal hanger or something when its still a little cold. Thought i let my first tube warm up to much and that was the reason it wasn't pushing out with the packing stick, so the second tube as soon as i reached 29HG on the last run i took the tube off to unpack and it also didn't budge. So now i'm sitting and poking them out with a hanger, slowly lol.

This thing runs quick! Starts to slow down on third pass as the column freezes but i have a heat pad thats the same size so i'm going to try and duck tape it on to help with that. Other than that it runs great.

How long after the final pass and closing valve 4(recovery pump valve) do you let the pump run? My out hose going to the vapor port on the 50# tank had a lot of butane left in it, i'm just trying to minimize this. I didn't have my tank on ice this morning so that might have been why. Do you open the out port to evacuate the butane in the pump after done running? I did as it made sense to not have a pump with butane sitting around, hopefully that was correct.

To minimize the butane in the liquid supply line from the tank when i dumped the column(Valve 3) i shut my liquid supply valve on the tank and opened up the butane supply valve(#4) to suck out the remaining liquid in the hose. I thought running the pump for about 10 seconds or so after i closed the recovery hose valve, and left the vapor port on the tank open, would have got most of it back it but i did lose about .1 lbs after all was done and i weighed my tank. Not that big of a deal, i think the tank not being on ice was the culprit as i don't think i had that issue with my first cleaning run.

Im sure ill figure it out here today, just gotta finished unpacking these tubes then get running some more.

Now i just need another 6" spool and end cap with clamp so i can run while cleaning the other spool and scraping up oil to really get the process flowing. I also love the idea of the fraction still, going to look into that as it would be very useful.
 

midwestHIGHS

Member
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Sound like the oleaginious waxes refered to as parrafin, which are a by product of petroleum refining being left behind by the canned lighter fuel. I was recently filling my torch with vector, some of it leaked and pooled on the bottom of my torch, then quikly evaporated leaving behind a slick, geasy feeling.

'To be honest I would have waited for the n-butane as to not taint the system and have to clean it again.
 

Hydrosun

I love my life
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I use the green plastic tomato stakes (also great for cannabis growing [sold at Walmart and Home Depot]). The plastic coated metal stakes are strong enough to work as a ram rod.

I hold the column in the air with one arm and ramrod with the stake using the other arm. Gravity helps as you twist and pound the stakes the used material falls out.

:joint:
 

A6 Grower

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I think this vector butane sucks lol. I can't find colbri or lucienne anywhere near me and N-butane is going to be a few weeks. Vector was my best option other than power 5x and Dodo 7x. The oil looks great and has a great color but has a oily film on top kinda and doesn't have the best taste.

When "burping" the tank do it stop letting vapor out? I have the tank it Ice water for 8 hours and its about 30-32f I let out quite a bit a vapor but didn't want to waste butane so i only burped it a few times, but each time it was still going when i shut it off. Should i leave it open until it stops?

Is there anyway to clean the butane? Packing the tube with activated charcoal and doing a few passes? I hoping my 50# tank isn't contaminated, how would i go about cleaning that? I've wiped the whole unit down inside and out with 99% Iso and made sure its not coming from anywhere.

I tapped a butter knife on the handle end of a hammer and it works perfectly for clearing the tubes, takes a minute of two per tube.
 

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A6 Grower

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Sprayed some liquid from the tank into a glass, left an oily residue behind. So im going to go to walmart and grab some charcoal and see if i can't clean it up. If not, i'll be waiting until N-butane
 
Damn that sounds gross, you could try spraying a can or two into a clean pyrex and seeing what is left afterwards, to narrow down your problem to the unit or the Vector.
 

Chunkypigs

passing the gas
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have you tried cutting open the empty cans and looking for oil residue? might there have been a fitting in your build that was oily?
 

A6 Grower

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I tossed all the cans in the trash and garbage day was this morning or else i would check. Im sure its not an oily part in the build, I've cleaned every nook and crack on the thing. I'm hoping the charcoal will help tomorrow, i'll do a few passes. Really bummed on this oily issue, as everything else seems to be running perfectly, just need to figure out where this oil is coming from. I'm pretty sure its the butane as i sprayed some liquid out the liquid port on the 50# tank and there was some greasy oily residue left on the inside of the cup
 
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