Does anybody track their extraction efficiency?

[AdmiralAlpacha]

What does that mean and what do I do with this information? I have no idea. But posting about it on the internet seemed like the logical first step.

I don't expect to cure cancer or anything.... I just like playing with weed and spreadsheets.

Can't argue with that! I'll start at least semi regularly checking mine again and will definitely be hanging around to see if anything fun/useful does manage to come out of this.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

One interesting factoid that I've learned so far is that I was able to extract more "weight" from a .13g load (.05g leaving an ABV weight of .08g) than from what looked like a similar-sized load, but actually weighed in pre-vape at .19g (I only extracted .03g from that load).

i find several factors affect the effect (only talking about my vape): the herb must be very loosely loaded into the vial -- tearing off small pieces with tweezers, not grinding, i.e. lots of airspace around all the trichomes, and the trichomes stacked the height of the vial (1 3/8").

and although i know for certain the heater temperature is accurate and consistent, the average temperature of the oven is not ... it can be -2°F to +5°F different from the heater. i think this is due to how the interior of the cube heat saturates. so less dry herb will absorb the heat, retard heat saturation, and drop the temperature. the temperature always rises after 5 to 6 minutes.

i'm liking the most recent change that lets me jiggle the setpoint during a session without changing the remembered setpoint.

a higher heat definitely extracts more, in the form of milkier vapor. so it's a balance of taste, harshness and heat. i think some of the vapor at the end of the session -- say the last 60 seconds or so (i stop after 7.5 minutes unless it's the danky-dank) -- is extracting some plant component other than THC -- sap? bract?

i did a measurement by accumulating all the ABV until there was enough to register on my postal scale, and my typical load used to be .125g. i'm probably using .06g to .08g now and the effect is much more intense.

so, basically the technique that luchiano describes works really, really well with my vape.

 

[FLskwat]

I track my extraction efficiency for sure but not with my vapes...I do it with my yield ratio of my 'tane extractions...no moist biasing of the figures!

 

[Roger D]

.58 of not so dry material (just bought) > 6 MV bowls > .31 of vaped material

Now, doing it with really dry material.

 

[Stu]

I've noticed that the smaller the load, the higher the extraction %. This is purely anecdotal and I've only begun tracking these numbers, but as you can see by the chart below, the extraction % (defined for these purposes as pre-vape weight / post-vape weight shown below by the purple bar with a scale of grams) has a direct and inverse relation to the starting weight of the load. This tells me that I should keep my loads smaller for maximum extraction.

It also tells me that I have way too much time on my hands.

Edit: Current average extration % now running at 28.19%

 

[Hippie Dickie]

and the optimal load size is???

 

[vorrange]

and the optimal load size is???

From the graphic, between 0,1 and 0,15g. But i'll let Stu do the math.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

also, what temperature? i assume you used the same setting each time, but that's not the same as knowing the temperature.

 

[vorrange]

Another interesting fact is that the Solo has a 0,15g bowl. Maybe that accounts for the efficiency the Solo has in extracting while prolonging taste.

 

[Stu]

also, what temperature? i assume you used the same setting each time, but that's not the same as knowing the temperature.

To minimize variables (of which there are plenty), I've been using the same device at the same temperature setting (Cloud @ noon). Of course even that isn't overly helpful as my Cloud at noon may not be the same temperature as someone else's Cloud at noon. And what temperature is it actually? I dunno.

As far as load size optimization, I think more testing is in order. But early evidence points towards "smaller". I'm sure that's clear as mud now, no?

 

[Hippie Dickie]

and why does the herb get darker -- green to brown to black? is this carmelization of the plant sugars, or low grade oxidation, or are those the same thing? maybe a light meter / color meter would be helpful.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

and why does the herb get darker -- green to brown to black? is this carmelization of the plant sugars, or low grade oxidation, or are those the same thing? maybe a light meter / color meter would be helpful.

Chlorophyll!

 

[Hippie Dickie]

i don't understand ... chlorophyl is extracted? or does heat color it brown?

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Sorry, the green to brown to black is a result of heat on the chlorophyll.

 

[Roger D]

Natural pigments often degrades with heat

 

[Jeppy]

I need to start tracking this. However, I usually load a roasting tube full of ground flower, take one good long hit and dump. When the great flavor is tainted. I'm done. Next hit.

 

[Stu]

I've decided that I'm going to add a little bit of structure to my tracking. In .01g increments I'll test the entire spectrum from say .05 to .3g. Hell, maybe I'll do it two or three times (for scientific redundancy, of course. )

This in theory could tell me what the optimal load size is. Of course it is only optimal for one specific vaporizor at one specific temperature for one speecific strain at one specific dryness for one specific test subject..... But it's a start.

 

[Roger D]

.78 > 8 MV bowls > .48

38%

 

[upintheclouds]

I think checking extraction eff. is important to do this individually to make sure your vape works but I don't think its worth comparing, mainly because of the dozens of variables that are hard to control. The most important of which I think is the fact that different strains will inherently have more or less vaporizable material

 

[vorrange]

I think checking extraction eff. is important to do this individually to make sure your vape works but I don't think its worth comparing, mainly because of the dozens of variables that are hard to control. The most important of which I think is the fact that different strains will inherently have more or less vaporizable material

Still, the ballpark number is always the same 20-40%.. and you can use some measures to ensure a more proper experience like, by using 62% boveda packs to regulate moisture, use the same strain in different vaporizers, and all by the same person, and then do that with different strains again will problably give a very accurate average.

It just might not be the average that another person would get.. but the point is finding out whether it is or isn't.

 

[Frederick McGuire]

Fred did that a while ago, his findings reported a weight loss of 20-35% IIRC.

The table above shows the total weight of each load, The ABV that was left, and what was vaporized, along with the percentage vaporized.

Here are my actual numbers
Run Load Weight Finished Load Actual Use Efficiency
1 ----0.110 g -----0.075 g -------0.035 g ----31.818%
2 ----0.140 g -----0.090 g -------0.050 g ----35.714%
3 ----0.150 g -----0.110 g -------0.040 g ----26.667%
4 ----0.140 g -----0.115 g -------0.025 g ----17.857%
5 ----0.170 g -----0.115 g -------0.055 g ----32.353%
Total 0.710 g -----0.505 g -------0.205 g ----28.873%

I'm totally doing this again
Now I've just gotta figure out some way to macguyver up a way to use my 0.001g scale, instead of using my 0.01g scale

I'll mostly be doing LSV and Solo measurements

Hypothesis - Can different glassware affect extraction rates?
My Hunch - yes (due to more diffused pieces masking the BPT [Fuck it, we mention Burnt Popcorn Taste enough around here for it to warrant its own acronym ] a little bit deeper into the session...)
I might just have to track which piece of glass I'm using too

 

[Roger D]

.72 > 7 MV bowls > .39

46% Ratio

My extraction ratio is between 50% and 30%

 

[Frederick McGuire]

4 loads in the LSV
0.52g vaped, 0.35g ABV, 32.69% average extraction rate
(All done with herb from the same batch, all ground at the same time)

 

[Vapinghole]

Ok, I started tracking after Stu posted the thread.

My conclusion: I am very efficient at extracting my herb.

That is all.

 

[Stu]

Although still a work in progress, here are some preliminary results. As you can see there is a lot of work for me to do to fill in the gaps. So I'm goin' back in..... Cover me!