The Vespiary

The Hive => Chemicals & Equipment => Topic started by: SHORTY on May 04, 2003, 10:09:00 PM

Title: How to use your vacuum cleaner for vac filtration
Post by: SHORTY on May 04, 2003, 10:09:00 PM

Title: ...
Post by: Jetson on May 04, 2003, 10:32:00 PM

just a thought about safety.  bees might want to watch vac filtering any highly flamable liquids/vapors when using any type of electric vac devices.  one little well placed spark would be all it would take.  just a thought...

Title: All it would take for what?
Post by: SHORTY on May 05, 2003, 12:12:00 AM

Title: Famous Last Words...
Post by: Rhodium on May 05, 2003, 12:52:00 AM

The air moves through a vacuum cleaner much to fast for anything to iginite.

I would classify that statement as "Famous Last Words"... Go get a fridge compressor pump for free, or a water aspirator for $20. Both will generate a better suction than your accident waiting to happen, and will be infinitely safer.

Starting point for reading up on cheap vacuum:

Post 429241 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=6122.msg42924100#msg42924100)

(BillyBoy: "Refrigerator vacuum pump links", Chemicals & Equipment)

Title: water jet vac
Post by: beez_neez on May 05, 2003, 01:47:00 AM

Title: water jet vacuum pump = aspirator
Post by: Organikum on May 05, 2003, 04:48:00 AM

and "aspirator" brings you so many hits here you won´t get happy (as the half of them is scrap of people claiming their aspirator sucks below absolute zero pressure).
go Google, type "aspirator + nalgene", spend 5$ to 10$, done. (if you like to you can later post and claim your aspirator sucks below absolute zero - this is done by using the famous "inch of mercury" hypothesis - one of the outside the USA comlete nonunderstandable wonders of this big and proud country)

Title: Great Advice
Post by: SHORTY on May 05, 2003, 10:48:00 AM

Rhodium,
Thanks for the tip and it couldnt have come at a better time.  We just bought a new refrigerator a few days ago so i went out and pulled the compressor out of the old one.  It only took about 10 minutes to cut the lines and remove it.  I used it to vacuum distill hypo made from hypophosphite and hcl acid and it worked great.  I was able to distill at 50-55C, without vacuum the hypo would start to boil at around 105C.  According to the table on your website, i calculated that it was at about 100 torr.  However, i am not sure if i did the calculation correctly. 

On the other hand, the compressor doesn't work so good for filtering.  Just wasn't enough airflow to dry the filtrate quickly.  So for filtrations i will continue using the vacuum cleaner since it has worked fine for at least 100 filtrations without any problems.  Previous attempts using the vacuum cleaner to vacuum distill ended in complete failure.

Title: uuups! Drying not filtration....
Post by: Organikum on May 05, 2003, 05:31:00 PM

Shorty, as long as you are actually filtering what is the part when the funnel is full with solvent, the fridge compressor will actually work much better as there is minimal airflow. (the solvent in the funnel works as seal here).
What you refer to is actually the drying out of the filter cake what does not belong to the process of filtering by definition.
Enough nitpicking, solutions:
Vacuum filter with the fridge compressor, for drying the filter cake attach an hairdryer and blow/press air through the filter. Those flexible aluminium hoses  do a perfect job here, a bigger baloon cut open on both ends (use the cigar shaped ones) allows easy airtight sealing on filter and hose by using just a rubber band.
- minimized explosion risk
- possibilty to heat air for even faster drying
- hairdryer is smaller, cheaper and to use for evapourating enhancement

Title: Ok
Post by: SHORTY on May 05, 2003, 08:59:00 PM

Thanks Org, will give it a try.