Clean Your Volcano! How Often?
How often you take apart and clean your Volcano depends on frequency of use, and personal preference.
One often overlooked fact is that the parts dirty at different rates. For example the bottom screen of the filling chamber takes a long time to clog up, because the air is blowing through, not the vaporized plant material. Knowing this you can spread out some of your cleaning tasks to make it less of a burden.
For me, the first part to always go is the top screen of the filling chamber. I clean it once a week by itself. If it’s left dirty it seriously impairs the effectiveness of the herbal extraction.
The second part is the solid valve itself. If allowed to get too gummy, it requires a lot of pressure to take a hit, and it may not properly seal the vapors in the bag. I clean this and replace the bag with a freshie every 2 weeks.
Then every third week I’ll clean the bottom of the filling chamber.
Whenever the vacuum is in the same room, I vacuum the screen at the top where the hot air comes out of the base.
Here’s a link to photo illustrated instructions to take apart and clean your Volcano.
Dude, to keep the top screen from getting clogged so quickly, grab the plunger thing as soon as you have run your last bag (use tissue or something, it will be hot) and bang the nut on a hard surface 3 times. That will remove most of the debris, but while it’s still hot, get a mini flat-headed screwdriver and scrape the remaining dust off. Wipe the screwdriver head regularly or you will just be mashing the dust in between the holes. Do it while it’s hot, though (not the time you want to, I know) – it makes it so much easier.
Also a heat gun or blow dryer will make it alot easier to work with.
to recapture the residue left on the volcano bag, or any ofther part of the filling chamber/valve assembly just soak it in isopropyl alcohol.
1. fill a container with alcohol.
2. place item to be cleaned inside container.
3. put on lid.
after a while just remove the item and wash it in hot water. eventually you will have a resin filled dip tank.
Scrape it off with a knife? how??? the bag only tears when i tried to do it even with a butter knife.
Try using a credit card or one of those plastic scrapers used for cleaning baking sheets.
It’s true, the oily film left on the volcano bag is fine stuff. It’s a challenge for me to use one bag for a long period so I get as much oil as I can. When your bag is nice and greasy inside, it’s ready. I don’t use alcohol as I’m too impatient-I simply cut the bag into strips, heat gently over flame (gently), then use a dull blade to scrape that oil off. There’s no other apparatus I know of that yields such a fine and valuable product-insted of cruddy resin, you get pure pure oils. Try it!
Sounds like a very nice idea, WhereYouAt85. Considering what has been accomplished cooking with other forms of alcohol in the culinary arts, I’m not inclined to dismiss this arbitrarily. Like these other doubters.
Hey junkie jenni, that junkie residue harvesting shit is most likely pure active ingredients. Thanx for playing though.
@WhereYouAt85 WOAH! that sounds a little too junkie for me lol….
LOL at the previous comment!
Take your used volcano bag…the longer the better for this project.
Pour in a couple ounces of 99% isopropyl alcohol.
Crimp or do what you need to do to seal the bag.
Shake all the color off the sides and into the alcohol.
Pour it into a glass pan.
Evaporate the alcohol. (I set the pan ON TOP of a toaster oven set to 350 degrees near an open kitchen window…the top of the oven gets hot and eventually you can see little clouds of vapor drifting off the top of the alcohol…be careful!)
You will be left with a red/amber oil. It is awesome. I got a gram from a well used bag.
Scrape it off the pan with a razor blade.