lowering water content?!

[thurrock bees]

Hi all
Ive got some honey in a 30lb bucket, ive tested the water content with a refractometer I have, it is currently at 22 %.
Does anyone have a idea to lower the water content

 

[thurrock bees]

Also does anyone know where to get the ''oil' from ??

 

[hedgehog66]

Did you stir the bucket of honey first before taking the reading ?

 

[Sean.]

A dehumidifier would help if you have a small room put it in there and put the dehumidifier on.

 

[Sean.]

The calibration oil you can get from Brunel microscopes or ebay

 

[alanf]

Most of the ideas for removing moisture are based on circulating warm dry air through the combs before it's extracted. That would be in a room or cabinet with, maybe a dehumidifier and/or a fan.

Once it's in a bucket that's a much smaller surface area. When I had some honey that was marginal I did a few searches and turned up some commercial devices based on a trough with rotating disks. Overkill for one bucket. I had little enough that I kept some in the freezer for my own use and made mead.

As a rough calibration you can use extra virgin olive oil. Should show as about 26.5% water, but it's a natural product so might vary a little. If you keep some olive oil aside for the purpose what you're really looking for is that it's the same reading each time and the refractometer hasn't been knocked or fiddled with before you use it next year.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Most of the ideas for removing moisture are based on circulating warm dry air through the combs before it's extracted. That would be in a room or cabinet with, maybe a dehumidifier and/or a fan.

Once it's in a bucket that's a much smaller surface area. When I had some honey that was marginal I did a few searches and turned up some commercial devices based on a trough with rotating disks. Overkill for one bucket. I had little enough that I kept some in the freezer for my own use and made mead.

Drying in the combs is a good way, as are the commercial disc driers.

Another simple way on a small scale is to use a thermostatically heated uncapping tray, set to a temperature so as to not spoil the honey, let the honey trickle slowly from a bucket fitted with honey gate, out onto the tray, and out into another bucket from the outlet, a fan can be directed at the thin stream of honey to assist moisture removal, one pass will usually remove about 2%+ moisture, depending on speed of flow, heat setting, and if using a fan as well.

There is also another method using a tube, a dish, and aquarium bubbler to reduce moisture content in the bucket or tank.

 

[itma]

...
As a rough calibration you can use extra virgin olive oil. Should show as about 26.5% water, but it's a natural product so might vary a little. If you keep some olive oil aside for the purpose what you're really looking for is that it's the same reading each time and the refractometer hasn't been knocked or fiddled with before you use it next year.

I'd say DON'T alter the factory calibration of a refractometer, assuming that olive oil is at all standard. It isn't.

But it can provide a sanity check for the original calibration. And as AlanF indicates, a specially stored sample can be used for consistency checking, before use. And the stored sample can be used for REcalibration back to the original setting, should you think it has somehow changed.


I'd agree with AlanF that removing water from honey while in a bucket is going to be absurdly slow, however Hivemaker's scheme indicates the sort of complexity that would be needed to do the job.

 

[Moggs]

Calibration is just that and requires a known good standard - otherwise, what's the point? Calibration oil and a block is the preferred method. Bear in mind too that single-point calibration is good for that specific value only but this is unlikely to be a problem in the very narrow band of honey moisture of 20%+/- a few.

I double check the calibration of my refractometer with oil, a block and.... a refractometer! Decent units can be bought from a supplier in China - via the internet. Mine cost 12 quid!

Take care that your bulk honey has not already started to ferment. It has a distinctive 'tang' to it and eventually throws a CO2 bubble surface. Sale of such honey is not allowed for obvious reasons (unless heavily diluted and rebranded as mead).

It's futile to try to suck moisture out of honey that is stored in such a quantity unless it can be exposed to air with sufficient surface area (this is what bees do). Honey tends to keep moisture tightly bound within and will try to suck in as much moisture as you are trying to pull out, unless you can 'open it up' to warm and very dry air.


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[thurrock bees]

Maybe i should just fed it back to the bees it came from. At least they can use it then. Thank you everyone

TB

 

[pargyle]

Maybe i should just fed it back to the bees it came from. At least they can use it then. Thank you everyone

TB

Best idea .. they will take it down and ripen it for you ... just be careful that you do it without spilling any or you will be feeding every wasp and bee in the vicinity at the expense of your hives !!