Vacuum Filtration Apparatus Setup

[Peter_Ramish]

Getting a sizable air leak around the filter itself,

Humm bad luck, this must be a defective part on the China supplied item, as it ~should~ seal.

still getting a lot of condensation in the pump exhaust. I am thinking of putting a pipe back inside the pressure chamber so the air has to flow closer to the bottom of the tank where the desiccant is.

try a fish tank aerator stone, or several of them in parrallel, and yes, bury them at the base of the dessicant.

I am also thinking at a later point to add something between the filtration apparatus and the pressure chamber, something that could distill the vapors,

Well, of course, Refrigerator condensation systems is the standard / lab industrial way of dealing with the vapors. They are the ticket, but, of course, more complexity and maintenance and a bunch MORE MONEY! . They are available as turn key systems for that use, all you have to do is write the check !

[CAAB]

Had to take a few days away from this. Ended up breaking the filtration apparatus. I think I was using too much force pushing the filter element over the flask to form a seal. Teflon tape I think is not the way to go. Purchased another filtration apparatus and the lubri-film. Will give that a try instead of teflon tape, and much less force on the glass.

Set up the air stone underneath the desiccant. There was some hardware in the pressure canister that actually fit the aquarium hose nicely with a little silicone tape to secure. Once the new filtration apparatus arrives, will give this all another go and see how the air stone works.

[CAAB]

Alright, quick update here. I've really been struggling with the Harbor Freight vacuum pump. It was venting a lot of oil vapor, so I had to put a hose over it to vent outside so it didn't get all over the place. And forget about filtering VG in any reasonable length of time.

Anyway, I went further down the rabbit hole and got a oil-free vacuum pump from AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1000042 ... 4928voZsKV

Just tried it out this morning, night and day experience! It filtered VG/PGA extract down to 2.5 micron no problem!

I've really fallen behind with all the fiddling, but I think I am starting to get somewhere. It's going to be another few weeks to filter everything but hopefully I can make a final report on the filtration apparatus setup.

Whether or not the filtering down to 2.5 micron makes a difference with flavor and reducing coil killing, that's another matter. I think I'll have to save that test for next year.