Home Made oxalic vaporiser

[dn170221]

Hi,
I have searched the forum but cannot find anything in detail! Does anyone have a guide/plan to make an oxalic vaporiser? Anyone got any comments on this say?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhS16zODIWA

 

[Nige.Coll]

You can make one out of a submersible travel kettle.
It won't fit through the entrance so either treat through the omf or put an eke over the frames and treat. Fix it to a piece of wood so it doesn't burn the frames if you treat that way.
They don't last that long but for about 3 quid what do you want.

The glow plug ones work fine and last longer than travel kettle ones.
Most glow plugs have a m10x1 thread if that helps some have m8x1 and the odd one has m12x1.25 (isuzu mainly).
Ali pan will be the hardest bit. Drill and dremel would do it. Be easier with a pillar drill i guess.
Handle could be all thread 6mm would do. Available from diy shops or engineering supplies.
glow plug and wiring from any car spares place.

 

[madasafish]

Mine: new glow plug, rest copper pipe. Cost £2.75. Surplus jump leads for leads. Works perfectly.

 

[wessexmario]

I wouldn't use a travel kettle heater. They're designed to...
1) heat water up to 100C.
Oxalic Acid needs a temperature of at least 157C to sublimate, any cooler it just won't work, any hotter than 189C and you run the risk of decomposing the OA into other products. Do you really want to risk that?
It might not even reach 157C, or do so intermittently.
2) be immersed in water in use.
Using them dry may produce hot spots across the element leading to its failure.
---

Glow plugs have the same problem in that you can't be sure of the operating temperature. Not a big problem but they do draw a lot of power, so if you need to do multiple hives, then it makes sense to use a device that will heat as much as you need to make it effective, but not too much more, so that your battery will last for the maximum number of treatments.


Much better is to use a 12V PTC heater which is temperature regulated to stay at exactly 170C or 180C.
These will provide the optimum operating temperature while being the most frugal with battery power. They can be quite cheaply obtained from the usual auction sites.

 

[madasafish]

Glow plugs have the same problem in that you can't be sure of the operating temperature. Not a big problem but they do draw a lot of power, so if you need to do multiple hives, then it makes sense to use a device that will heat as much as you need to make it effective, but not too much more, so that your battery will last for the maximum number of treatments.

.

I bought a secondhand 45AH battery which was two years old and had been used in a Rover 25. Charged it and used it for 8 sublimations. When I recharged it after use, it charged for 10 minutes and was then full (I use a smart charger which adjusts itself to battery condition).

My calculation was (roughly) that using 50% of the battery capacity was good for about 25 doses (2.5 minutes/dose).

 

[mbc]

Much better is to use a 12V PTC heater which is temperature regulated to stay at exactly 170C or 180C.
These will provide the optimum operating temperature while being the most frugal with battery power. They can be quite cheaply obtained from the usual auction sites.

Not sure if its better, but I've gone down the ptc route. You can find 150w 230c plates if you look. I've had success making a crucible with one of these inside a clip box and blowing the oav into the hives with a fan. It seems to work quite well but I'll hold fire on declaring it effective until I've done some sampling.

 

[mbc]

 

[mbc]

 

[Tom Bick]

Have you mentioned this somewhere else mbc as I have seen them mentioned elsewhere and thought that's clever with accurate temperature control and not to expensive. Although the person on the other site said they are a bit slower but not so bad with only a few hives. I think your delivery method was slightly different as they never mentioned blowing the gas into the hive.

 

[mbc]

I nicked the idea of using the ptc plates from an old thread on here.
What I've developed is the result of trying to make a mobile version of the lega unit (http://www.legaitaly.com/en/catalog...atore-professionale-ad-aria-calda-220v-detail) with a gas powered heat gun. Unfortunately the heat gun I bought didnt have enough heat to sublimate oxalic on its own but the fan is good for blowing vapor into a hive.

 

[Stiffy]

Hi,

I have searched the forum but cannot find anything in detail! Does anyone have a guide/plan to make an oxalic vaporiser? Anyone got any comments on this say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhS16zODIWA

Plenty of YouTube videos on making vaporiser using a travel kettle heater. Pop a copper end plug into the end and it works. They do get very hot, even glow, so you will need to test timings before use. Not as easy to use as a varrox but works. Got a couple of spares somewhere, if you want one, pm me your address and I will dig out and send?
S


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[REDWOOD]

Some stuff here
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=518173#post518173

 

[Wimmels]

I use this. Add 2 grams, close cap and use a gas torch.

All you need is some copper plumbing pipe. And in this case a T-piece 22-15-22 mm with 2 end caps .

 

[Nige.Coll]

I wouldn't use a travel kettle heater. They're designed to...
1) heat water up to 100C.
Oxalic Acid needs a temperature of at least 157C to sublimate, any cooler it just won't work, any hotter than 189C and you run the risk of decomposing the OA into other products. Do you really want to risk that?
It might not even reach 157C, or do so intermittently.
2) be immersed in water in use.
Using them dry may produce hot spots across the element leading to its failure.
---

Glow plugs have the same problem in that you can't be sure of the operating temperature. Not a big problem but they do draw a lot of power, so if you need to do multiple hives, then it makes sense to use a device that will heat as much as you need to make it effective, but not too much more, so that your battery will last for the maximum number of treatments.


Much better is to use a 12V PTC heater which is temperature regulated to stay at exactly 170C or 180C.
These will provide the optimum operating temperature while being the most frugal with battery power. They can be quite cheaply obtained from the usual auction sites.

I have used a travel kettle and they work fine but don't last long. Nothing bad happened to the bees but the varroa died.
There is no need to over complicate things.
I haven't seen a vapouriser with a temperature control.
Varrox don't have a temp control. Just a 150w heating element.
In an open pan starting from cold it is impossible to heat the OA past the point of evaporation.
A copper pipe and blow lamp was the old school way and it worked fine.

As far as it decomposing it turns into water co2 and formic acid.
Maqs is formic acid. Co2 is used to put bees to sleep and water well it's water.

 

[Tom Bick]

.
In an open pan starting from cold it is impossible to heat the OA past the point of evaporation.

I hold my hands up as I have no experience with sublimation but it's got to be very easy to get to the right temperature in a pan. Just to add I realise you are referring to formic been formed and the popular vaporiser can reach 400*c so if not cooled between hives could overheat the oxalic.

As for overheating and CO2 and formic produced From remaining crystals the combination of chemicals could be a worry.

 

[Nige.Coll]

I hold my hands up as I have no experience with sublimation but it's got to be very easy to get to the right temperature in a pan. Just to add I realise you are referring to formic been formed and the popular vaporiser can reach 400*c so if not cooled between hives could overheat the oxalic.

As for overheating and CO2 and formic produced From remaining crystals the combination of chemicals could be a worry.

If the pan isn't cooled between uses it will result in serious injury or death.
That is the most dangerous time when filling the pan it MUST be cooled each time or you get a face full of acid vapour.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I use this. Add 2 grams, close cap and use a gas torch.

All you need is some copper plumbing pipe. And in this case a T-piece 22-15-22 mm with 2 end caps .

I wouldn't recommend that method to anyone - unless they have a deathwish

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If the pan isn't cooled between uses it will result in serious injury or death.
That is the most dangerous time when filling the pan it MUST be cooled each time or you get a face full of acid vapour.

 

[Wimmels]

I wouldn't recommend that method to anyone - unless they have a deathwish

How so?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How so?

you're faffing around with a bodged up bit of pipe with oxalic acid dihydrate in, then you are going to stand there with your nose almost against the hive playing a gas blowlamp over the pipe. Sublimated OA spewing out all over the place, as well as the possibility of the joints popping if there is any kind of blockage. Notwithstanding the dangers of breathing in oxalic vapours or desublimated crystals there's the matter of extremely hot metalwork and the possibility of overheating the oxalic and damaging the bees.
Well worth saving a couple of quid I reckon.