Varrox Eddy

[polymath]

BeeCraft magazine did a review in October. It includes the dimension you are looking for:
Colonies treated for varroa in autumn can receive a follow-up treatment during a broodless period in mid-winter. The usual method is to use an oxalic acid product, either dissolved in sugar syrup and trickled between brood frames or by heating until it forms a vapour that wafts through the hive, a process called sublimation. Sublimation, uses less oxalic acid and has been found to be more effective at killing varroa.
A disadvantage of the sublimation method is that the oxalic acid has to be heated rapidly to a high temperature, requiring a power source such as a car battery or a generator. This problem has been cleverly solved with the new Varrox Eddy which uses a lightweight, rechargeable battery to power a compact, self-contained device.
The Varrox Eddy is very easy to use. The correct dose of oxalic acid product is placed in a removable metal crucible that sits in a rugged plastic wand. The wand is inserted into the entrance of a hive which is then further blocked with sponge or rags. Pressing one button on the battery pack switches the device on and another starts the process. A series of coloured lights indicates that sublimation has started and when it has finished, a sequence that takes about two minutes. This allows you to switch the device on and move a safe distance from the hive before any sublimate is produced and to stay clear until the treatment is finished. The appropriate personal protection equipment, as advised in the instruction booklet, must be worn.
I have used the device on several colonies in full-size hives and nuc boxes and found it to be easy, safe and remarkably efficient. I was very impressed by the build quality and it is a great improvement on the various vapourisers that I have used in the past.
Other than efficiency of use, one of the best features is the neatness of the equipment. I have in the past struggled to carry heavy batteries and unwieldy cables to out-of-the-way apiaries, but the Varrox Eddy comes in a compact, sturdy carrying case that contains everything you need. The whole package weights less than 2kg. The kit consists of the wand, two metal crucibles, a measuring spoon, charging cable and one rechargeable li-ion battery which, when fully charged, is sufficient to treat 15 colonies. Additional spare batteries are available.
The wand will fit into any standard hive entrance that is at least 15mm high and 80mm wide. This makes it tricky to use on nuc boxes with disc entrances, although I found the wand could be placed under the mesh floor of a nuc box using an easily made plywood shield to seal the floor around the vapourising crucible. Some of my nuc boxes are polystyrene, but since only the small dosing pan gets hot there is no danger of damaging the polystyrene.
The equipment is more costly than other devices aimed at hobbyists but it is considerably cheaper than some of those aimed at the commercial beekeeper. If you have quite a few hives in several apiaries, I would think

You can use a Leisure Battery like i do this works well but it is heavy and i run two sublination units at time.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You can use a Leisure Battery like i do this works well but it is heavy and i run two sublination units at time.

I run two varoxes on a battery designed for a quad bike, so far I've done a run of 16 hives with it with still juice to spare and it weighs hardly anything

 

[Arfermo]

How do you plan to use your Sublimox on your polyhive?

I bought one too last year but haven’t used it on my polyhives yet. I was thinking of adding a wooden eke with a hole drilled in the side & place this on top of the boxes to sublimate from the top. Means taking the crownboard off to put the eke on, but that’s easy to do if quick. Planned to slide in the varroa correx board in the slot below the OMF and plug any gaps with foam. I have Paradise boxes which have a small plastic slider entrance, unsuitable for the Sublimox.

How do you plan to use your Sublimox on your Polyhives?
Thanks
Elaine

All my hives have had mesh floors so I sublimate from underneath on surplus stainless steel sheeting used for kick plates that I cut to size (four of them) obtained from a skip after shopfitters had been at work. Just cut to size to fit in the correx groove and some foam to seal the rest of the space and bobs-yer-flippin! Once had a Sublimox but lost it when I sold up but when I restarted I got a similar much cheaper gadget from Wynne Jones that does the job just as well.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All my hives have had mesh floors so I sublimate from underneath on surplus stainless steel sheeting used for kick plates that I cut to size (four of them) obtained from a skip after shopfitters had been at work. Just cut to size to fit in the correx groove and some foam to seal the rest of the space and bobs-yer-flippin! Once had a Sublimox but lost it when I sold up but when I restarted I got a similar much cheaper gadget from Wynne Jones that does the job just as well.

you sure you're not talking about the varrox?

 

[user 819]

For pan vaping I use 3s/12v lion/lipo combos to vape, batteries are approx. 500g each. 6 -10 vapes per battery as I don't go to deep in discharging them.

 

[Bluebell1985]

No, but I am not buying the Eddy precisely because I have Abelo hives and I don't think it will fit them. They have a internal lip which the Eddy will catch on, I think, if it will even get in the entrance. I went for a Sublimox.

I got requested the dimensions of the Eddy's arm from Andermatt UK. I then made a replica of the same dimensions and have tested it by inserting it into the entrance. Even with the tilted floor it seems to fit nicely and doesn't come into direct contact with any frames.

Probably not useful information for you but potentially for others who are on the fence. I'll order myself one and make a little video for proof when it arrives. (unless I've messed up in which case I'll hide, embarrassed).

 

[user 819]

Over £300 is a lot for glorified pan device with a battery and some rudimentary electronics, but for those who are not ok with electronics etc I guess it is a price some feel worth paying.

 

[Arfermo]

you sure you're not talking about the varrox?

Correct - meant to say Varrox. Wife has alzheimers - evidently contagious!!

 

[E&MBees]

I run two varoxes on a battery designed for a quad bike, so far I've done a run of 16 hives with it with still juice to spare and it weighs hardly anything

Which battery do you use? Prices and power output vary considerably.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Which battery do you use? Prices and power output vary considerably.

It's a tradetec 36Ah, 330A battery