Quick syrup mixer

[lebouche]

I have found stirring sugar in water to take a long time to dissolve.
Recently started buying 5 litre mineral waters from Tesco.
Fill it with sugar e.g. 3KG then add enough warm water to make it run. Shake it like a cocktail, then add more water.
Maybe the vita feed gold has been helping it dissolve too but I never found it this easy so figured I would share.

 

[IBeeHere]

You live in a hard water area so the water already has quite a lot of solids dissolved in it (you can check this with a TDS meter) using a water softener on your water supply can help by removing some of these, or you can use filtered (RO)water from an aquarist shop which should be cheeper than tesco water.
However if you boil the water before adding sugar it should still dissolve, you can use a honey creaming paddle or plaster mixer on a drill to make mixing easier.
If you apply heat to the syrup mix it can also speed things up BUT do not let the sugar caramalise in the pan as this can make it toxic for the bees.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

You live in a hard water area so the water already has quite a lot of solids dissolved in it (you can check this with a TDS meter) using a water softener on your water supply can help by removing some of these, or you can use filtered (RO)water from an aquarist shop which should be cheeper than tesco water.
However if you boil the water before adding sugar it should still dissolve, you can use a honey creaming paddle or plaster mixer on a drill to make mixing easier.
If you apply heat to the syrup mix it can also speed things up BUT do not let the sugar caramalise in the pan as this can make it toxic for the bees.

The most common water softeners are, I understand, the salt regeneration type which do not reduce the TDS, instead they exchange the calcium ions for sodium ions. Also beware that some bottled waters especially those sold as mineral type have high TDS.

 

[Beauhawk]

Do you heat the water ? Once I started to heat the water in a pan it was a lot easier to dissolve the sugar quickly.

Pour sugar in while stirring, I don't like it to settle at the bottom of the pan and it is easy. Let it cool and transfer into container.

 

[oliver90owner]

KISS Principle.

Add sugar.
Add near boiling water.
Stir.

Why try to make a simple operation difficult?

DON'T use PET bottles.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have a decent 10litre camping water bottle.
Fill with sugar...it will take 8kg...and mark the level.
Add boiling water to same level. Cap and agitate at intervals.
Easy.
Add HMs thymol or Hivealive plus I drop lemongrass oil just before leaving for apiary

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or just hang around a pub car park and acquire some ready mixed 'special stuff''

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's a good idea
Maybe my syrup making days are over

 

[victor meldrew]

KISS Principle.

Add sugar.
Add near boiling water.
Stir.

Why try to make a simple operation difficult?

DON'T use PET bottles.

Agreed, not rocket science is it!
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[IBeeHere]

The most common water softeners are, I understand, the salt regeneration type which do not reduce the TDS, instead they exchange the calcium ions for sodium ions. Also beware that some bottled waters especially those sold as mineral type have high TDS.

You are quite right the salt water softeners are often called ion exchange softeners and do not reduce TDS, I should have stated the carbon based softeners which again you can get at pond shops and sold for purifying pond water for koi ponds/fish tanks, these are much more suitable.
I have not had too much trouble in using the local tap water and now use a large "burco" type boiler and mix up a 25kg sugar sack at a time, much easier than the jam pan I had been using!

 

[Luminos]

This is what we use for our Koi and fishtank water (RO)
www.purityontap. com

 

[itma]

Agreed, not rocket science is it!
VM

I'm going to agree too.

The most common problem seems to be people trying to get too much sugar to dissolve.
There is a limit to how much sugar the water will hold.
That limit varies with temperature.
Beyond that limit, you can stir all you like but it won't dissolve. You can heat it and it some more will dissolve, but when you cool it, the crystals reappear.

At 18°C, 2:1 (metric) - a 66.67% solution - simply will not (quite) all stay dissolved.
http://sugartech.co.za/solubility/index.php

Its not rocket science, just basic physics and chemistry.
No need for water softeners or filters.
Just measure carefully, and don't try to dissolve more than the water will hold.
Its easy really.

 

[lebouche]

Well maybe I'm finding it a lot easier since using the mineral water. Last week I used filtered water, this week I forgot the filter so used te mineral water. It was taking half an hour to get the stuff to dissolve. This method takes five mins but maybe I didn't consider the other variables. The tap water tastes like its poisonous and the bees have never taken down much syrup before I switched to filtered.

 

[lebouche]

Ps what's a PET bottle?

 

[hiveabee]

Agreed, not rocket science is it!
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free

I whisk it in the liquidizer, take seconds and is dissolved completely.

 

[lebouche]

I also tried a whisk in a drill with hot water and it still took forever.... Honest!

 

[Arfermo]

I have found stirring sugar in water to take a long time to dissolve.
Recently started buying 5 litre mineral waters from Tesco.
Fill it with sugar e.g. 3KG then add enough warm water to make it run. Shake it like a cocktail, then add more water.
Maybe the vita feed gold has been helping it dissolve too but I never found it this easy so figured I would share.

I mix syrup using my wifes' magimix thingy with the balloon type whisk. Also use it for degassing wine at the end of fermentation. Works a treat. Very simple.

 

[iand]

Ps what's a PET bottle?

Its made from polyethylene terephthalate
google pet plastic

 

[REDWOOD]

That's a good idea
Maybe my syrup making days are over

Mine Are Although I did not have to hang around some car park only an old royal mail container

 

[REDWOOD]

Quick syrup mixer
Wooden spoon + hot water