AutoVap15 Operating Manual | | v. 1.2
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8) Purge Residue Material
If you have the time, you can actually use the AutoVap15 Residue tank as a purging tank. After filling
your residue tank with "crude" (full is around the 3/4 mark), you can stop the feed and just pull very deep
vacuum on the system. You can purge your material for 15-30 minutes. This will leave you with a thicker
final product with less solvent left.
9) Feed Tank (feed from bottom)
We suggest using a feed tank that feeds from the bottom. A bottom fed tank uses gravity to help feed the
material which will eliminate any air pockets in the feed line. This will ensure you are not causing a large air
pocket with can cause cavitation at the pump and cause it to run dry.
A conical fermenter tank works well for this application.
10) Extra Pump
It is highly suggested you purchase either an extra pump or a rebuild kit. Pumps can fail from either
operator error or from natural deterioration over time. You can decrease downtime by having an extra pump
on hand instead of relying on TruSteel to have one in stock and have to rush delivery (expensive shipping
costs).
SECTION V: TROUBLESHOOTING
1)
Falling Film Heat Issues (Soupy Material)
ISSUE: The evaporator seems to not be evaporating efficiently and it is "raining down" solvent
filled residue into the residue collection tank.
POSSIBLE CAUSE: This is most likely due to a low flow rate from your water heater. Please
check the flow rate at your water heater. If it is at 5 gallons per minute or lower, you will want to
add more water into the closed loop system.
Check your water heater temperature. What is the temperature in? What is the temperature
out? In the electric water heater models you can check the diagnostics on the water heater
(Temp in, Temp out, Flow Rate)
After verifying the water heater is working properly and the flow rate is up over 5 gpm, run the
system again and see if your recovery has improved.
2) Feed Pressure Issue
ISSUE: I cannot get the feed pressure up to 42 PSI, it only reaches around 20 PSI and then
drops.
POSSIBLE CAUSE: You feed pump could be starting to fail. Pumps do deteriorate over time.
This is NOT covered under the TruSteel Warranty. We suggest to either have an extra pump on
hand, or purchase a pump rebuild kit.
3)
Checking for Vacuum Leaks
ISSUE: The AutoVap is not holding vacuum. The vacuum is dropping quickly.
POSSIBLE CAUSE: There could be a small leak in one of the connections (clamps) in the
system. With the system empty of processing material, you can perform a pressure test on all
clamp connections.
POSSIBLE CAUSE 2: Verify all all clamps are completely closed
4) AutoDischarge Not Discharging
ISSUE: AutoDischarge was discharging normally and now it is not discharging.
POSSIBLE CAUSE: The check valve after the solvent recovery pump could be stuck. Try
removing the check valve and performing a blow test to confirm that the check valve is working.
