How to Set Up the Perfect Home Bubble Hash Lab
Everyone’s seen the beautiful labs that get posted on Instagram of large commercial solventless operations – gleaming white fiberglass washdown-rated walls, multi Osprey hash washer arrays, massive walk-in freezers full of hundreds or thousands of pounds fresh frozen. What doesn’t get shown as much but is ultimately responsible for much of the best live rosin and full melt the world over is product coming out of the humble home hash lab. If you’re a caregiver or have a personal garden and are looking to make top tier solventless from it, this article is for you. You don’t have to make a massive investment to make primo rosin, but some preparation and key purchases can take you from amateur to lowkey pro in no time.
Selecting the Perfect Location for Your Home Hash Lab
Before you buy anything or even upgrade your existing home solventless hash lab, making sure your room is in the best place possible is critical. It’s a common misconception that you need a lot of space. In fact, many of the best ones we’ve seen are basically in essentially a closet or area with less than 100 sqft. You really do not need much more than that unless you’re planning to have a friend helping you out. Ceiling height is also worth thinking about ahead of time too since most home labs need to have the wash vessel situated on a table or counter for drainage purposes. Here are our top tips for selecting the right space in your house to start washing out of.
Water Management Considerations
Washing where you have access to a wastewater drain is crucial, so setting up shop either in a garage or ideally a basement with a floor drain is strongly suggested. Many basements also have sump pumps depending on where you’re located, but make sure if you’re planning to eject spent wash water with a sump that it goes into the sewer, and not your yard. You’ll also want to make sure you have easy access to a water spigot as well.
Water quality varies enormously from place to place and RO water filtration systems, while also strongly suggested, can get expensive quickly for home hashmakers. If you have especially suboptimal tap or hard water however, even a cheap pre filter can go a long way to making a better end product. Washing fire fresh frozen material in low quality water is a sure fire way to end up with mids.
Wash Room Temperature
Basements or rooms that are already air conditioned tend to be the easiest places to make nice and cold, which is another factor that will dramatically increase your end quality. When ice water hash or rosin that hasn’t been post processed sits at room temperature, it loses volatile terpenes quickly. One particularly useful addon for air conditioners if you have the funds or HVAC knowhow is to install a Coolbot, which basically hacks your AC to bring its temps way below what it typically allows you to do out of the box. Even picking a room in your house that’s not directly south facing or in the sun all day can make a difference if you don’t live in a colder environment or have access to a basement or garage. Electrical Availability
Although water and temperatures are your most important factors, having access to at least one outlet cluster with a dedicated 20 amp circuit is a game changer when it comes to freeze drying. You can get away with less amperage, but it’s always better to size up there if possible. As we’ll discuss later in the article, unless you’re an air drying expert with a perfectly environmentally controlled space, freeze drying your hash is typically the number one way to go from bush league production to higher quality bubble hash. Depending on your budget either at least a small or medium Harvest Right Pharmaceutical freeze dryer is worth the investment multiple times over. It’s also important to note that electrical safety in the home lab environment is paramount – never wash near your outlets, or if you have no choice, make sure they have water proof covers installed.
Cleanliness is Key
If you’re limited on options for where you can set up your lab or the best location based on the previous criteria is in an unfinished or dirty location, taking the trouble to clean it as much as possible before installing equipment or washing anything is worth the effort. The washable fiberglass paneling you see in labs is actually pretty inexpensive, and runs around $40 for 4’x8’ non-insulated sheets, but it goes up from there for insulated varieties (which in our opinion are worth the extra cost in the long run). Even installing thick plastic poly lining around your room or using a large grow tent can make your life significantly better in this department if paneling or more involved custom space makeovers aren’t realistic. A clean lab means better hash and is one of the most underrated tips out there.
Hash Washing and Rosin Pressing Equipment: How to Scale
The old saying tends to be true: a poor craftsman blames his tools. If you want to make the best ice water hash possible at home though, you need at least a few basic pieces of equipment to get the job done. That includes a vessel to wash in, sieving bags, a rosin press, and some other basic accessories. If you’re just making solventless for yourself, simplicity can be the best option, but if you’re a caregiver or a heavy consumer that likes to share with friends, a couple investments are worth their weight in hash gold.
The typical order of operations we suggest to scale up your home water hash lab looks something like this, but skip down the list if you’re already at one of these stages.
Upgrade #1: Get past the Home Depot bucket and get a high quality 32 gallon trash can, wash paddle, and decent wash bags.
Total cost: around $300.
Upgrade #2: Grab a Lowtemp V2 rosin press and go beyond the janky bottle jack setting to make the most of the hash you’re already taking the time to produce.
Total cost: $2,000 - $3,000.
Upgrade #3: Drop your room temperatures with a portable air conditioner and matching Coolbot system, then scoop a RO water filter that matches your water needs. Less expensive filters can run less than a few hundred dollars but will filter slowly, so getting your water ready ahead of time is advisable.
Total cost: $1,000 - $2,000.
Upgrade #4: Scoop a Medium Harvest Right Pharmaceutical freeze dryer and make sure your hash gets dried perfectly each and every time. Like we mentioned before, this is usually the best bang for your buck purchase before getting into the home major leagues.
Total cost: $3,295.
Upgrade #5: Step into the future and make the ultimate investment in your home solventless hash lab with our 30 gallon Mini Osprey washer and the matching Nest Water Recycling Kit. The Mini Osprey uses the same technology that the best commercial hashmakers in the world trust, just in a smaller package that fits on a table. If you want to go pro, this is the way.
Total cost: $5,995 - $8,790.
We’ve found that if you’re going from ground zero to the best quality home lab decked out with Lowtemp gear, including room setup, you’re looking at a pretty modest investment from start to finish. If your patients or customers are eager to buy better rosin, a well built room pays for itself quicker than you’d expect. Most people take it in stages and upgrade over time to defray expenses, so take your time if need be.
Making Better Hash at Home Isn’t Hard
Thankfully it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put a great bubble hash and rosin making setup together, and at Lowtemp Industries we’re dedicated to helping hashmakers of every size put out their best. If you’re not sure where to start or which upgrade makes the most sense, contact one of our experts today to get straight advice from our team on which way makes the most sense for your unique situation.
Once you've made it through all of these upgrades it's time to give us a call and start talking about a commercial set up and full size Osprey! Patients and Customers are eager to buy better rosin, and you are eager to grow your business, a well built room pays for itself quicker than you'd expect.