top feeder caulking

[Bill Ruble]

I am makine some feeders and want to use aquarium sealant. It should take the syrup well because it is used in the aquariums but the man at the lumber yard told me that it would give off toxins. I don't really believe him because fish are so touchy about that kind of thing. Just want some openions on it.

These are all wood top feeders so I need to seal the seams well, and want them to last for years.

[pgg]

Bill, I've used fiberglass resin to coat the inside of my 2 miller feeders and it works great. Just let them air out for a couple of days before using them.

Patrick

[Michael Bush]

I think the aquairum sealer will work fine for the corners, but I like to put something inside on the wood first like the Camcote expoxy paint so it won't soak up so much water.

[Bill Ruble]

I am using plywood on the bottom but on the inside on top of the plywood I am glueing down some bathroom ballboard. Not sure what you call it, but it is waterproof so should not have a problem with that soaking up.

[Keith Benson]

The silicone will peel from the wood. You can line the thing with a thick coat of parrafin or beeswax. And here is a trick, brush it on, and hit iwth with a heat gun of a blwo dryer. Keep adding until it is no longer absorbed.

Works a treat.

Keith

[Michael Bush]

The problem would be getting it to stick, but it sticks ok to glass, so I suppose it should work. All the top feeders I get from Brushy Mt have silicon in the corners.

[tecumseh]

silcone as a sealant will quickly fail. I use to do a lot of repair to dry van bodies so I have some experience with this. just about the only commercial sealant that will not fail is np 1 from sonnoborne. it is commonly available from concrete supply houses and is commonly used as a crack filler in concrete and as the sealant between double pained glass.

like kg benson I use beeswax and parrifin on my top feeders.

[Kris^]

I use lots of glue to seal the joints, then coat the syrup bins with a few coats of shellac.

[Dave W]

Bill Ruble . . .

IMO, the #1 rule in beekeeping should be; Is it food-grade and will it harm my bees.

"Aquarium sealant, fiberglass resin, bathroom ballboard" and "NP1", are they approved for "food contact".

Camcote expoxy paint is sold for coating INSIDE extracors, Ill bet its "approved".

[tecumseh]

excellent points dave w. don't know if beeswax is approved or not?

[Kieck]

I had some cracks in one of the plastic inserts for a hive top feeder. About the same time, I was working for a guy building and remodeling Subway sandwich shops. We had some left-over, "food grade," silicone sealant that I used to fill the cracks. So far, it's held up well (more than two seasons' use on it so far). It stuck fine, although I roughed the surfaces around the cracks with some sandpaper to help give it some "tooth."

I'm not sure what makes that particular stuff "food grade." It was 100% silicone. So is the aquarium sealant.

You might want to check out the plastic inserts from Mann Lake, Bill. They are one-piece inserts, have worked well for me, and don't leak (unless you happen to crack them). They might be easier if not less expensive than trying to seal joints in woodenware.

[Dave W]

Just because its "silicone" does NOT mean its "food grade", just read the info on tube.

[Kieck]

I can't really disagree with Dave W, but I'm curious as to where the difference lies. The "food grade" silicone sealant was "100% silicone." The aquarium sealant is "100% silicone." Some other sealants are "100% silicone." Are there actually other contaminants or ingredients in some of them? Are some really NOT 100% silicone? Are multiple, similar products all called "silicone?"

[tarheit]

Of course neither the food grade or other sealer is really 100.00000000% silicone out of the tube. You probably couldn't get it out of the tube if it was.

Reminds me of a topic brought up a couple years ago concerning epoxy coatings. The beekeeper asked the dealer why there was such a big price difference between the food grade and normal epoxy. The answer was that the expoxy was the same, it was just the paperwork, liability and EPA approvals that were different.

For my bees I woudn't hesitate to use normally 100% silicone, though I would spring for the food grade stuff if I were patching a hole in a honey tank or extractor.

-Tim

[Dave W]

At Lowes, I can NOT find a tube of silicone that is marked "food grade", Ive looked. Every tube (different mfg) says its NOT food grade.

Kieck - Why? Thats a good question smile.gif

[Michael Bush]

Fish are very sensitive to chemicals. I'd guess the aquarium sealer is pretty safe for the bees.

[Bill Ruble]

I agree with you Michael. I raised fish for many years and still have some and it is true that they are very sensitive to any chemicals.