Advice on Using an Electric Extractor.

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I have been assembling the electric honey extractor I bought last year, in preparation for this coming season.
It’s a radial extractor with some wire frames that drop in to spin frames tangentially, if needed.

But I have a question that I hope someone can answer for me.

The motor that site on the top of the extractor, has a lever on the end, which when you move it from the vertical, start the drum rotating, slow at first but gets faster the further you move the lever down.

However, from that vertical stop lever position, if you move the lever in the other direction, say to the right instead of the left, the extractor drum rotates in the opposite direction.

So my question is, when you spin your honey frames radially, do you have to first spin them in one direction and then stop the extractor and then spin them in the other direction?

If the answer is no, you don’t have to do that, why does the extractor spin in both direction?

Brian.

 

[Ruary]

Consider the shape of each cell when the cage is spinning, when the cage is spining one side of the frame will be facing the direction of rotation. Theoretically some of the honey on this side will be forced to the bottom the each cell and so extraction will not be complete. On the opposite side of the frame all the honey will be emptied out.
So, yes, for complete extraction one should rotate in both directions when extracting radially.
For the same reason, it is advisable when extracting tangentially to have the frame oriented so the the bottom bars lead towards the direction of rotation.
Ruary

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Thanks for that Ruary.

One more question. When you run the extractor up, do you build the speed up all the way to the max?

Brian

 

[Ruary]

Thanks for that Ruary.

One more question. When you run the extractor up, do you build the speed up all the way to the max?

Brian

Hi Brian,

Start slowly and then up to full speed, If the frames are unbalanced in the cage the build up of speed will have to be slow to prevent excessive wobble. If you stand the extractor on castors the unbalance is minimised.
Ruary

 

[margob99]

Hi Brian,

Start slowly and then up to full speed, If the frames are unbalanced in the cage the build up of speed will have to be slow to prevent excessive wobble. If you stand the extractor on castors the unbalance is minimised.
Ruary

*Read that as "if you stand on the extractor" ... and spent a few bemused moments imagining a very dizzy beekeeper climbing off after going round and round ...

LOL

 

[oliver90owner]

My 'electrification' was with an early Th*rne motor which did not have a reverse control. It extracted completely.

As I see it the centripetal force on the frames and honey means the honey will move outwards wrt the frames and it (liquid) will clear with a single direction spin (some semi-solid product may benefit from spinning in the alternate direction).

I suspect that the main advantage of a choice of spin rotation is for tangential extraction, where the turning of the frames may be quicker, or easier, with a subsequent choice of cage rotation. I have never yet used my tangential screens in about ten years of use, so no experience.

Regards, RAB

 

[Hombre]

I too was a bit confused about the instability/stability comment. Is this Ruary the microscopist - it makes a lot of a difference?

To increase the stability, I have seen a rectangular 18mm plywood board bolted to the feet, so that they are unable to walk (independent foot vibration). The board might be 3ft x 4ft and facilitates standing on one edge of the board which does increase the stability somewhat. It also allows the back edge to be propped up on a three or four inch thick piece of timber to assist in draining the chamber when finished.

As regards speed; there is probably no need to go to full speed at all. You will quickly learn to increase the speed slowly so that most of the honey weight is out of the comb by the time you get faster. Increasing the speed beyond what is reasonable will lead to more out of balance vibrations, which you don't want and begins to increase the possibility of collapsing the comb, which is very much more likely if the combs contain pockets of granulation or if the frames being extracted are of a larger format than national shallows.

If you really want every last drop out of the comb, merely spin it longer and spin it in reverse too. Spin smart, not necessarily fast.

Last year I extracted my drone comb supers in such an arrangement, courtesy of my host, and they came out almost bone dry. not a lot for the bees to lick out afterwards.

= = =

If you have a frame blow out, there is likely to be a bit of a bang and depending on the weight of the frames and spin speed at the time, the extractor can become worryingly unbalanced. It happens, but there is no really good reason to encourage it to happen. It does take time to rewax frames after all.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I suspect that the main advantage of a choice of spin rotation is for tangential extraction, where the turning of the frames may be quicker, or easier, with a subsequent choice of cage rotation. I have never yet used my tangential screens in about ten years of use, so no experience.

Regards, RAB

Tangentals definitely benefit from reverse spinning

 

[Baggyone]

My extractor only spins one way and are pretty dry after the doings (radial).

For stability its bolted onto a old pallet which I stand on untill it has some weight in it. No problem after the first set of 4 frames.