The best botanicals for ethanol extraction are those with rich essential oils that provide aroma, flavor or medicinal properties. Contrarily, things with high concentrations of moisture and/or sugars aren’t suitable for extraction.  As a caution, some botanicals can become dangerous when concentrated and isolated with extraction so it is VERY important to know exactly what compounds will end up in the extraction and to make sure they are safe for consumption and contact.

Extraction preparation is easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Mix the solvent and botanical together.
2. Strain the botanical matter away and solvent, which makes a tincture.
3. Then load the tincture into the machine and start the unit.

Food-grade, high-proof ethanol is required.  It must be 190 (95%) or 200 (100%) proof.  Lower proof ethanol will not work in the machines.

Ethanol can be made from various materials but the most common is grain alcohol.

Both the Element One and Element Pro require about 3 hours to process their full capacity.

The button is the user interface to communicate with either the Element One or Element Pro. When illuminated, the green button indicates that the unit is turned on and ready for action.

ELEMENT ONE BUTTON: 1-flash indicates starting in normal mode and 2-flashes (slow) indicates starting in turbo mode.  3-flashes (quick) indicates the process has been stopped. The light will flash every 10-seconds to indicate processing is in progress.

The screw is a vacuum release valve. When it is screwed to the left, the valve is open and allows air into the vacuum chamber. When it is screwed to the right, the valve is closed and not allowing air to pass through. The screw should be turned all the way to the right when the ELMENT ONE extractor is running. When finished, unscrew to the left to release pressure to remove the lid.

When the ELEMENT ONE is in operation, the vacuum creates negative pressure on the inside of the containment holding the lid in place.

Our small vacuum pumps are small and mighty, doing A LOT of work.  So that means there is a bit of noise.  The good news is that during the majority of the processing time the pumps will not be running.  When first turned on the pumps, run until it reaches the required vacuum level. Then, the pumps only run occasionally for a brief time.

The ticking sound is normal and indicates changes with heat application.

Very little odor escapes the machines during operation as it is under vacuum and well-sealed. A negligible amount of odor will escape when the pumps are running and venting.  However, when the process is over and the machine is opened the end product will be very potent with a very strong odor.

The machines have been designed with safety as the primary concern. The processes run far below the ignition temperature of alcohol with the fumes contained within the closed loop system. There are many safety precautions built into the machines to make them as safe as possible. Handling highly flammable ethanol does require great caution and must be kept well away from any kind of flame or ignition source at all times.

Different levels of elevation, or “altitude” in terms of flight, have varying levels of ambient pressure.  When the ambient pressure differs from one level of elevation to another, the machine must apply different levels of vacuum to make it run the same anywhere.  The altitude setting allows the machine to have a reference for how much vacuum needs to be applied.

Element One: Push the green button once to start in Normal mode or hold the green button for 3 seconds to start in Turbo mode. The app can also be used to start Normal mode but Turbo mode can only be started using the green button. 

ELEMENT Pro: Set the temp selection dial to desired position and press the green button once.

Normal mode is a more gentle vacuum application that takes around four hours per run, while Turbo is more aggressive, with increased pump activity and a shorter three hour processing time. Both modes operate with the same operating temperature target. If an extraction is expected to be thicker and volatile, Normal mode should be used. Clean extractions should run on Element One to maximize the machine’s technology.

Element One: Pushing the green button once or using the app and pushing the “stop” button will stop the process and cause the green button to flash three times.

Element Pro: Push the button one time, and the green button will flash and stop the process.

Even when the process is stopped, the button on either machine will stay illuminated when receiving power.

Element One has an automatic two-hour shutoff feature. If it runs too long, the temperature will overshoot, and you must be careful of a hotter-than-normal crucible.

ELEMENT PRO is meant for more advanced and professional users, so it will keep running until it is manually turned off.

Element One:  The removable lid, seals, crucible, and collector can be hand-washed only. The base with the electronics must not be immersed in water at any time. To clean the base, gently wipe with a damp towel.

EtOH Pro: The kettle’s inside can be hand-washed but must not be immersed in water. The rest of the unit and components should only be wiped with a damp cloth.

ELEMENT One:  7” x 7” x 10”; 7 lb.11 oz.

ELEMENT Pro:  24” x 23” x 14”; 38 lb.