The cost savings is quite good, actually. 1 liter of 99.9% IPA is between $10-15, and I have cleaned about 5 liters in this run. Power is not as bad as a thought for a 350W hot plate, so at maximum, it probably only costs $1 for about a 5 hour run, and that is overestimated.
The extra glass purchased was probably about ~$300 but I have a nice selection of distillation and reflux tubes now. (My full collection of glass is probaby about $800) The heated stir plate was about $40, but I have a proper heating mantle arriving today which was $200.
I use 5 liters at a time for my resin print washing and I am guessing there is about a 250ml-500ml loss due to evaporation or spillage. There is about a 200ml loss due to waste product after distillation since I want an easy cleanup. With other random losses, let’s round down to 4 liters of clean IPA after is all is said and done.
So if I give myself a realistic buffer for random costs, I save about $30 per 5 liter run. $20 after topping off my supply with a new bottle of IPA.
My motivation was is due to the waste, not the cost. Trashing that much IPA just doesn’t appeal to me and I use a lot more of it than most hobbyists. From 3D printing to bulk drying things and even general purpose cleaning, I can easily generate a few liters of waste IPA at a time.
Even with the risks involved, it’s within my personal tolerance if only at the cusp of that, TBH. Working with other nasty things like fuming nitric acid or mercury is something I won’t touch. (I have been tempted to work with high temperature mercury before, but I that is insane, even by my standards.)
How much $ you saving (or any other motivations)?
Don’t have frames of reference so perhaps what proportion less are you paying by doing this?
Assuming it’s no small sum/% given risks called out by you and a couple others. Glad you got a discussion going so you can give it all more thought!
The cost savings is quite good, actually. 1 liter of 99.9% IPA is between $10-15, and I have cleaned about 5 liters in this run. Power is not as bad as a thought for a 350W hot plate, so at maximum, it probably only costs $1 for about a 5 hour run, and that is overestimated.
The extra glass purchased was probably about ~$300 but I have a nice selection of distillation and reflux tubes now. (My full collection of glass is probaby about $800) The heated stir plate was about $40, but I have a proper heating mantle arriving today which was $200.
I use 5 liters at a time for my resin print washing and I am guessing there is about a 250ml-500ml loss due to evaporation or spillage. There is about a 200ml loss due to waste product after distillation since I want an easy cleanup. With other random losses, let’s round down to 4 liters of clean IPA after is all is said and done.
So if I give myself a realistic buffer for random costs, I save about $30 per 5 liter run. $20 after topping off my supply with a new bottle of IPA.
My motivation was is due to the waste, not the cost. Trashing that much IPA just doesn’t appeal to me and I use a lot more of it than most hobbyists. From 3D printing to bulk drying things and even general purpose cleaning, I can easily generate a few liters of waste IPA at a time.
Even with the risks involved, it’s within my personal tolerance if only at the cusp of that, TBH. Working with other nasty things like fuming nitric acid or mercury is something I won’t touch. (I have been tempted to work with high temperature mercury before, but I that is insane, even by my standards.)