Closed Loop Extraction

Welllllll, hey gueys. This thread is for closed loop extractors and alike, since there is not much on the topic here on GC.

I am not very good at doing write ups and so on. Although, I have experience, knowledge, equipment/pictures, and the want to share/help. So just because I'm not good at it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be posted!


In this regard............ A picture says a million words. And so this thread/documentation will be based off of my pictures. I'm also better at answering questions than I am initially teaching a subject, so please ask away based on what I post.

So to start, I run active recovery through an mkiii system designed and manufactured by Gray Wolf himself at WolfWurx inc. Along with the lovely help from a safety meeting at the SkunkPharm. I also own an mkiV and several other pieces I have yet to put together. Once I have the money, I plan on joining the two to make my own "Mark iV Transformanator". This thread is where you will see this progress and documentation.

Let's get to the fun stuff. I just completely disassembled my mkIII last evening so I could clean and re Teflon the fittings for leak precautions..


It's a pain, tearing off all the old PTFE and cleaning the threads with IPA. But it's the only way to know the full system top bottom, and be sure that you have no leaks.

When one first buys the SS to build a DIY system, you should first clean all the parts in warm soapy water, then in IPA or Etoh.

Finally got it all apart and cleaned


Time for Teflon, if you have not worked with Teflon before, save yourself some time and look up some plumbing videos on how to properly Teflon threads. My first time I set this up I had to re Teflon and pressure test for about two days before I got it completely sealed and about to hold 29.9"HG and 100psi for 24hr each. That kind of extensive pressure testing isn't fully necessary, but when you have OCD it is..



Now that I have everything PTFE taped up, I'm ready to build from the ground up.

Thought I was kidding?


This is where I differ, it is not necessary to stack collection vessels or use a 6"x12" collection.. But if you are running multiple columns into one, it is a huge precautionary worth taking for me.


Throw the fittings together accordingly



These GyroLock compression fittings can be a hassle, but once you get it they are rated for at least triple the psi than what we are seeing. I've got some stories about how much hassle they can be though! That's for sure.

Onward!

And last but not least, the material column! (I also threw on the gauge)




And there you have it! The (not so)basic mkiii!!!

It got late last night and I didn't get to pressure test, so here we are.. I plan on pressure testing later today, I will also get my nice camera(instead of iphone pics) and take some nice close up pictures of the fittings and so on.

If you guys have any questions or request for photos in the meantime, please be my guest!

In my opinion, the Mark Terpanators are the most advanced and complicated CLSystems on the market. That being said, I have experience with both the bhogart and the tamisium extractors, so I can help anyone in need to the best of my ability.

Bon appetite fellow blades!!!

 

Thanks guys! That means a lot.


So! I have been gone all day, and finally got back to a PASS, when it comes to the negative pressure test!

Now it's time for positive psi, which is usually no problem if you can hold a vacuum for this long.. Skunkpharm suggests that you test it for ten minutes, so I think a few hours means an A+



Once I pass that, it's time to get to work!



Already put the tank on ice!

 

Sorry man, we must've posted at the same time earlier haha! I didn't see this till now.

If you asked me, I'd say get the pump! You definitely won't regret it..(says little devilish me on your shoulder)lol. When it comes to passive, like smokinjoe said, you have to raise the temps on the collection vessel pretty high.. Which will crush a lot of chances in getting lighter end product, and also the chances of getting shatter decrease dramatically as well. If you plan on winterizing, and you don't mind sap. I'd say go passive.

But if you're not just doing this for yourself, definitely get the pump and go active..

Basically what I'm trying to say is:
Personal use/hobby extractor ~ cost efficient passive.
Quantity/quality/career extractor ~ costly active system

Hope that helps!
Haha, I'm glad you like the "lab".. Lolol

Thank you guys for digging the thread too!

I just finished up with a cleaning run to get things started with the new place


I used some really old duff, just to clean and get my bearings at my new house..

Sad news though fellow friends, I got a couple leaky ball valves the must've gotten dinged up in the move. So unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to do a run for a week or so, until I see a ups truck show up with a box full of goodies for me.

On that note, time for some good news!

I will be ordering the parts to upgrade my terp do start doing 5lb runs, along with bidirectional flooding so can flood from the bottom, and then rinse from the top when I dump! Pictures pictures pictures, soon to come!

I also plan on getting a couple rebuild kits for my recovery pump, because I have a feeling the seals are getting ready to go after a few user errors from the owner before me. (Got the pump on ebay before I knew how fragile they were)

I'm sorry I didn't give the rundown on packing, loading up, and scraping afterwards. Today was a little to busy to take pics and all. And at the time I figured I'd have a chance tonight.. But of course, I went with the responsible decision of not running the system again until I get rid of the leaky valves.. So patience my good friends! I will not leave you hanging!

I'll leave off with a pic of the product in the oven, remember this is some from some really old duff.


Went in the oven about 20 min ago. I'll take some pics of it during the flip

 

I actually have yet to weigh it man, I have the r/c tank scale and everything, guess it just never crossed my mind!

I will have to run the process the whole time on a scale just for kicks when I get set up again

 

Yesssir, no atmosphere in the system. And also, without oxygen, butane is not explosive. Making it the most logical and safe way of doing butane extraction.

Also vac down the hoses as well, that's where these guys come in handy

 

Yeah, I've heard of that happening. And the more common CLSystems become, the more common horror stories of the sorts will be coming out.

It's like the people who open blast indoors and decide to light up a smoke, so to say(lol)

People think they can just put 5000 into extraction, without knowing anything about it. And make a fortune off of running it. When they have no proper knowledge or education on what they are even attempting in the first place, haha.

One way to be very careful of getting atmosphere into your tank, is by burping it every time it sets with no use for 24 hours.

There will be two main gasses in your tank after distilling, butane and propane.. Then, two main "contaminates" to avoid that can make their way into the tank which are oxygen and water. Since air will be the lightest out of all the compounds, it will be on top after setting for so long.. Putting the tank on ice and bringing the tank down to about 20f makes this much easier since you are well below butanes boiling point, therefor it is all in liquid form.. I know people who burp off all of their propane and leave nothing but n-tane, but then it's hard to run without the propellant(propane). With the ridiculously low BP that propane has, it's always in gas form through the process. Unless you're using d/I and Denatured alchy.

And to get rid of the water that may end up in the tank from a bad filter drier etc. is the same, only opposite. Water will be the heaviest in the mix, so literally just flip your R/C tank and set it upside down for 24hrs, then open the VAPOR port and see if any water comes out. If just butane then you're good! Just be sure to do this outdoors of course..

It's good to check for water once or twice a month if not more, because it can cause the inside of the tank to rust over time, and end up in your product with some nasty stuff to be dabbing.

 

I couldn't agree with you more, brother!

Here I am in my mid twenties, and before I know it I'm an engineer/technician of some pretty intense equipment. I was definitely nervous when I started using this system(as anyone should be their first time hands on). But I am getting very comfortable with it now, enough to start coming up with designs of my own.