I read on here that methanol evaperates at around 150 degrees. I also read on another website that you are to heat the oil up to 205 degrees? Maybe someone can set this straight. If I heat it up to 205 degrees then what? Shut off everything? Or is there a time that it should be at 150 degrees?

 

Methanol will boil @ 150, but increasing the heat will increase the rate of boiling. 205 keeps it under the boiling point of water, which would contaminate the methanol if you are trying to recover it. I recover at 190, only because my pump drips once I get above 170, and it drips faster as temp goes up... tryng to find a better pump... Anyway I run it until the Methanol distillation slows to a slow drip...

 

Exactly right! Good info, and rep sent

 

Thanks Don! (I think this was something you had said in an early post actually, so was just passing it on.)

This last batch I ran today I followed your recommendation of not running the pump and just heating it in the processor. You were right, not much of a difference in Methanol ouput, maybe a smidge slower if any, and I didn't have to to deal with leakage...

 

I have found that methonal starts flowing off the copper still coil when tank reaches about 160 deg F and will raise to about 175 deg F and stay at that temp for several hours ( i use three 30 gallon steel drum stills i built) once the glycerin hits 190 deg F you need to watch it cause its almost done...in my case i use 1/4-3/8' copper line for the condenser and if glycerin starts to get into the alcohol (turns brown) i shut it down as the glycerin will get real thick once cooled in the coil and plug it up.

And on a side note here recovering methanol is very dangerous. I was getting a build up of methanol in my system from the lil bit of fumes i was breathing. Drink a lil wine before and after your around this stuff, the ethyl alcohol in the wine with attract the methanol in your blood and kidneys and help eliminate it out of your system...I almost died from it so take my word for it, wear a carbon filter mask or use a fresh air hood like for auto body painting. Also wear rubber gloves, Methanol soaks through the skin. Methanol is hard for the body to eliminate and being I am not a drinker i was getting a huge build up of it in my bloodstream. Also can make you go blind.