First Extraction Too Stable To Purge With Out Losing Terps?

[Patches42090]

I recently aquired a closed column extractor to proccess my first harvest. My first few trim runs came out fantastic and purged in my chamber no problem at 100-110 with a few flips. Now my og kush nug run i have to take it up to 125 before it even becomes viscous enough to release the gas bubbles. Im also seeing alot of smaller bubbles under full vac witch i beleive are decarb bubbles becasuse of the increased heat. Im deffinatly losing terps witch sucks. My question is is it normal to have to take the temp this high? Its in a vac chamber in a water bath temping the oil with a ir thermometer. Heres a picture at 124 degrees and one when i pulled it from the vac at 115. It solidified so much the bubbles wond not drop.

 

[Patches42090]

The trim run came out lighter i beleive because both the tube and cans of tane were on dry ice. Then i got a tank and i had to heat the tank to facilitate solvent flow into the column witch was still on dry ice. I cant see that causing my problem though. I plan on closing the system and running it passivly with a condensing coil to chill the solvent before it hits the material.

 

[Graywolf]

Are you measuring through the lid, or pulling the lid off before measuring temperature. Suggest you run a dummy load and check for actual offset between outside and inside.

 

[Patches42090]

Are you measuring through the lid, or pulling the lid off before measuring temperature. Suggest you run a dummy load and check for actual offset between outside and inside.

Im tracking the water temprature with a probe thermometer and using the ir not through the lid. I lift the lid just enough to fit my hand through and measure an inch from the oils surface. Ive also pulled a vac on a prob thermometer and different hights to mesure temps loss as you raise off the chamber bottom. There seems to be enough of an "oven" area for the first inch as long as the water level is right.

 

[Patches42090]

Hi greywolf! Thanks for all the help you have already been through making your knowledge readily avalibe. I lift the lid just enough to stick the ir through and measure an inch from the oils surface. I also moniter that relitive to the water temp with a 12 degree variance. I will be getting an oven and closed system as soon as my funds are right. On that note is there any problem with using a large colection base with a small material column? I just know ill need the bigger one soon enough.

 

[Graywolf]

Hi greywolf! Thanks for all the help you have already been through making your knowledge readily avalibe. I lift the lid just enough to stick the ir through and measure an inch from the oils surface. I also moniter that relitive to the water temp with a 12 degree variance. I will be getting an oven and closed system as soon as my funds are right. On that note is there any problem with using a large colection base with a small material column? I just know ill need the bigger one soon enough.

Most IR thermometers have a focal length, usually somewhere around a foot. Mine has twin lasers that focus to one dot at the correct standoff.

You can also shoot through thin layers sitting on surfaces hotter than they are with infrared.

We used an immersion thermocouple to measure the puddle inside recovery pots sitting in hot water baths. The temperature delta changes relative to the bath, as the solvents leave, no longer providing refrigeration by evaporating, and the boiling point of the puddle rises.

12F delta is in the ball park. Some solvent bubbles are small, but at 125F you should be liquid enough for the bubbles to escape. I suspect you are getting erroneous temperature readings.

No problems using a small column and large pot. We often run 4" X 12" columns on a Mk IVC/VC, when extracting kif. It makes them faster because of less solvent to reclaim.