Happy with test of home made extractor.

**Acebird** · 10-10-2011, 07:52 AM

When I first showed pictures of this extractor almost a year ago forum members expressed a concern for the motor in the bottom getting covered with honey. To guard against that I put a plastic baggie over the motor before installing the PVC spindle. At first the bag was too long and wrapped around the stationary shaft supporting the motor and that is what you see at the end of the video. The motor slowed down to a stall. Because of the motor design this doesn’t hurt it for short periods. On the next set of frames I cut the baggie shorter and never had this problem again.

I only made enough metal brackets for two frames to be spun before I made this trial run. I will now make more brackets so I can load in 4 frames at a time.

Future improvements:

I will make an elevated base so I can get a pan underneath the barrel for drawing out the honey. I might weight the base because when the extractor is empty it shakes around for the first few frames. Once the weight of the honey gets to the bottom it is much less.

Right now the motor cord is hard wired. I will put a connector in the line so the motor can be taken out and separated from the switch control. This will make it easier to get the last little bit honey out of the barrel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozw11zJ88Yw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wArqLtXjak

**Charlie B** · 10-13-2011, 10:00 AM

Ace,

Not bad. Is there anyway you can mount the motor on top? I know you took steps to keep the honey out of it but it seems to me that placing plastic on top would suffocate the motor causing it to overheat. Just a thought.

**Acebird** · 10-13-2011, 12:22 PM

Is there a way? Yes. Would I ever do it? NO. Here is why:

1 Any attempt to mount the motor on top will result in frictional losses that will slow the spinning down.
2 Mounting the motor on top will make the extractor top heavy and limit access to loading and unloading of the frames. The motor in the bottom actually results in system stability. The motor is mounted on a wooden x brace that is NOT fastened to the plastic barrel. The x brace is tapered on the ends so it wedges into the sides of the barrel's taper near the bottom. It takes less than 30 seconds to remove the motor and x brace for cleaning the barrel. I know the location of the motor is contrary to what people perceive is the right location but I can assure you it isn't.
3 You would think that the plastic bag would suffocate the motor but it doesn't. The motor is very low horse power, that means it radiates very little heat. Secondly, four or even two frames spinning in a barrel is in itself a huge fan circulating much more cooling air than the dimples on the fan motor itself. The motor never got warm at all, I checked. And finally, now that I know that the system works to satisfaction I will go ahead and make a spinner disc that mounts to the motor which will prevent any possibility of a drip of honey getting on the motor itself. I already pulled a couple stainless pot covers, and a pizza tray out of the dumpster as possible candidates for the disc.

This is part of the process of taking something that is prototype and making it production ready.

**Oldtimer** · 10-13-2011, 12:48 PM

Well checked you video Ace, must say with the motor in the bottom in a plasic bag floating in honey I've never seen anything quite like it!

But hey, at least you did it! More than many would do.

**Acebird** · 10-13-2011, 01:31 PM

With only 12 frames of honey extracted the level of honey was a long way from the motor. I think I would have to gut both hives of every drop of honey to even come close to the motor. That is not my intent though. On my next extraction I will be letting the honey out as fast as I extract that way the time it takes to filter will be used up during the extraction cycle. I made some stainless funnel screens from some fine mesh I had squirreled away in the basement. It is possible I could fill the jars from the extractor without having to do all the transferring.