Heated extractor

[Bee Bumble]

Do any of you use an extractor heated by a retro-fitted cable like this one:

https://www.thorne.co.uk/honey-and-.../honey-warming-and-processing?product_id=4914

and what advantages have you found please? I am particularly interested to know if it reduces the water content of the honey by enough to make it worth doing. Also, will the honey flow sufficiently to enable the use of one of these:

http://tomaszlyson.com/strainers-st...r-50-l-with-vertical-sieve-2059766035960.html

 

[Finman]

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I have a small normal room heater under the extractor. £ 15.

 

[einsteinagogo]

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I have a small normal room heater under the extractor. £ 15.

ditto, I use a 3kw fan heater, which gets the room up to temperature, and the honey flows better.

I'm sure I've seen underfloor compost/plant heaters cheaper or vivarium etc

 

[fatshark]

I stack my supers on my conveniently-super-sized honey warming cabinet ahead of extracting, spin it out with the gate open directly through a filter into buckets. I can't understand how warming the extractor - as it says "slowly" on the info - would be any help. The honey needs to be warmed in the frames to extract easily.

I have stacked supers in a small heated room with a dehumidifier running and reduced the water content. Make sure you get good airflow. To reduce the water content you need a big surface area - in uncapped frames is surely better than occupying your extractor.

 

[Finman]

I can't understand how warming the extractor - as it says "slowly" on the info - would be any help. The honey needs to be warmed in the frames to extract easily.

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I heat my honey frames in cabinet in 35C.
Then extraction room is 25C.

Honey must be warm when sieving. Air and small rubbish rise quickly up in warm honey and honey goes better through the sieves.

Heated extractor is splended. I have two layers of paper around the extractor as an insulation. The room is 10C cooler than honey.
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[Finman]

ditto, I use a 3kw fan heater, which gets the room up to temperature, and the honey flows better.

I'm sure I've seen underfloor compost/plant heaters cheaper or vivarium etc

My heater is perhaps 500 W.

 

[oliver90owner]

I got one of those buried in a greenhouse bed. It is called a soil warming cable. Was expensive at the time (over 30 years ago). Cost about a tenner.

Big T is an expensive place to buy a heating cable! It will warm the honey, not reduce the water content. For that you need a large surface area and some means of removing the evaporated water from the proximity of the honey.

 

[local_beekeeper]

What about heated bottom and drum

http://tomaszlyson.com/parts-and-ad...-o-800-mm.html?search_query=heated&results=79