3
$\begingroup$

I have a Graham condenser and tested it out by distilling water from salt water then I washed it and now I can't get either the coils or the jacket completely dry.

Any advice? If there isn't a better way I was thinking of popping it in the oven for a while to see if that'd dry it out the rest of the way.

$\endgroup$
5
  • $\begingroup$ If you are referring to the area where the cooling water goes, I wouldn't worry about it. It will eventually dry, but why do you need it dry since you are only going to have water in that area. If you are talking about inside the coils, then water clinging to the glass would indicate that the glass is dirty. I would flush it with soapy water, rinse with water and then ethanol to clean it. $\endgroup$
    – LDC3
    Commented May 17, 2014 at 21:18
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks. I didn't know about flushing it with ethanol, I just washed and dried it. How would water inside indicate that it was dirty though? $\endgroup$ Commented May 17, 2014 at 23:21
  • $\begingroup$ Also, why did you comment instead of answering? $\endgroup$ Commented May 17, 2014 at 23:22
  • $\begingroup$ Water doesn't stick to clean glass, it will roll off the glass. $\endgroup$
    – LDC3
    Commented May 17, 2014 at 23:28
  • $\begingroup$ Well, in this case the water doesn't have anywhere else to go, since it's in the coils. I guess I wouldn't have this problem if I dried my condenser vertically then. $\endgroup$ Commented May 17, 2014 at 23:42

1 Answer 1

3
$\begingroup$

There are two ways I can think of to get rid of the remaining water:

  1. As per LDC3's answer, flush the system with ethanol which will hopefully not have the problem of slow dry time.
  2. Put the glassware in an oven, which will also nicely sterilize the system.
$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.