Which heat pad for my warming cabinet?

[Beecat]

Interesting! If I'd known that I might not have bothered buying a heater.

Well at least it saves you the trouble of replacing bulbs. And if you get one with thermostatic control it will be a big improvement, much more stable temperature.

You'll also have a much safer unit. Incandescent bulbs run pretty hot and can ignite things.

 

[Millet]

Interesting! If I'd known that I might not have bothered buying a heater.

A tube heater has a lot less chance of blowing like a like bulb.

 

[oliver90owner]

Thanks for your explanation and I'll stand corrected.
.
Got to say though, you do sound like a patronising old git.

I think you need to start with a nursey nurse as your teacher. Go away and learn something for yourself is my advice. I do have a word for your type - starts with ‘I’ and ends with ‘T’. You clearly know nothing, so better to keep your mouth shut.

 

[WoodenBeam]

I use an old fridge with a STC1000 and a 60W light bulb, but I want to sack the lightbulb and replace with a heater pad for better efficiency.
It needs to be 240V and the fridge is a typical small counter-height model.


I'm seeing 5W, 7W, 14W reptile heaters on ebay and guessing something like that would do.

Any suggestions about the power (W) or links to suitable ones?

Alfazer, many thanks for posting your question - I've benefitted from your query for future plans of my own.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thanks for your explanation and I'll stand corrected.
.
Got to say though, you do sound like a patronising old git.

I'm reading this thread late in the game but if Rab hadn't given you comprehensive and factual details I would have been tempted to say something along the same lines. Others read the threads and correcting fallacies should be applauded not sniped at.

 

[Beecat]

I think you need to start with a nursey nurse as your teacher. Go away and learn something for yourself is my advice. I do have a word for your type - starts with ‘I’ and ends with ‘T’. You clearly know nothing, so better to keep your mouth shut.

You do realize that you just proved Alfazer completely and undeniably correct?

 

[Apiarisnt]

A tube heater has a lot less chance of blowing like a like bulb.

Just bought a couple of these: https://www.solwayfeeders.com/clearance-sale/stainless-steel-incubator-heating-element-125watt-/

 

[citrus]

I have put two in my standard size fridge.. it warms up twice as quick so it turns of quicker and the fridge holds the heat for a long time before it cools down... using one tube means it is on for a lot longer when the temperature drops till the required temperature rises again and if one breaks for some reason you still have back up from the second tube..

@millet .. so I have a dead fridge and invested in a couple of these tubes ... so when it gets too hot they cut off happens and so you don't ruin the honey is that right ?

or do I need to have some thermal measure thingy to go with it all ?

 

[enrico]

You will do much better to add a separate thermostat and use the tube ones as a back up. If you overheat the honey it is as good as useless so try and do the job properly. A small fan is a good way to distribute the heat!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You will do much better to add a separate thermostat and use the tube ones as a back up. If you overheat the honey it is as good as useless so try and do the job properly. A small fan is a good way to distribute the heat!
E

much better to get a bog standard tube heater with a higher temperature cutoff and rig a separate heat controler like the STC 1000

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Recently built a warming cabinet box using 5mm ply with 20mm foam stuck to it. It was used packaging. Plus a 2 ft 120W tubular heater, computer fan and an STC1000 and it struggles to get to 40degC. Fine, it's not going to spoil any honey but might need higher temperatures.

Using a temperature probe the heater doesn't seem to get beyond 50degC though the advert suggests it has a cut off at 90degC. Am going to try adding Reflectix to inside of box but tempted by one of these heating elements from Solway Feeders.

Does it get to higher temperatures if you use an old fridge with better insulation?

. . . . Ben

 

[Poly Hive]

My stc and tubular heater get up to 47. Why would you want to go higher? I have a duvet covering the lid and hanging down roughly a foot around the chest. The set up is in an unheated garage so ambient at the moment is 4-6C and I have a thermometer outside but with the probe in the honey as a double check.

PH

 

[Parsonage Bees]

My stc and tubular heater get up to 47. Why would you want to go higher? I have a duvet covering the lid and hanging down roughly a foot around the chest. The set up is in an unheated garage so ambient at the moment is 4-6C and I have a thermometer outside but with the probe in the honey as a double check.

PH

I've only done some soft set (35deg for 3 days) so far but the Sheffield BKA website mentions heating more quickly to 47degC for bottling. Would just be quicker. When I said it struggles to get to 40degC I meant it fails to get to 40degC even after many hours.

Ambient temperature was about 12degC in an unheated room. I've been comparing the temperatures between the STC1000, a cooking/meat thermometer, an inside/outside climate thermometer and a temperature probe on a multimeter. They more or less agree.

I'll try the duvet blanket, thanks.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There's heaters and there's heaters - even though you don't want to go over the high forties, you need a heater with enough guts to go much higher so that it isn't always struggling to work at its highest operating temperature
I have this one - the 12" 60 watt one happily keeps my cabinet at the right temperature from mid 30's to high 40's in the shed - even in freezing weather, and it can easily go to over 60 degrees if needed

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hausen-E...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Either the insulation is too poor or there's something wrong with my tubular heater then.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Either the insulation is too poor or there's something wrong with my tubular heater then.

some of them have a lower thermal cutout - the ones I had before, same cabinet, used to struggle to get over 30 degrees
What sort of insulation are you using?

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Not sure. It's foam and it's about 20mm thick but I was given it. It came as packaging around some expensive laminate sheets. The foam is glued to 5mm ply.

I've seen a Thorne's warming cabinet and the foam is thinner but probably proper insulation. It also used a wire heater cable which gets to a higher temperature.

 

[drex]

Same set up and comments as JBM. Mine has a fan and is inside an old fridge and can easily get up to 60, as I found out one day when I left the temp probe outside of the fridge. Whoops

 

[nantmoel]

I've looked on the Thorne's website, their warming cabinet is £220 and their kit to make your own is £360! Just does not make sense! BTW I've made my own.

 

[Anduril]

I've looked on the Thorne's website, their warming cabinet is £220 and their kit to make your own is £360! Just does not make sense! BTW I've made my own.

£92 for honey warming kit that would fit into the Thorne warming cabinet on the 2nd page.