Water jacketed bottling tank maintenance

**The Honey Householder** · 03-02-2013, 06:35 PM

Mark, It probably doesn't help if you over fill the tank and the honey goes in the fill spout.

I think my newer tank is 22 years old.
I have one of my Dad's tanks that we used to melt up over 11 tons of beeswax in 2012. Used that same tank the last two months to heat 18 tons of syrup for spraying into frames for 2013 new hives. Just finished processing 2 1/2 tons of honey today to ship out next week. Start melting wax again next week.

Really if the tanks aren't heating something, your not making money with them.

I don't know if Maxant would recommend this for there tanks, but I'm looking to add a second 220 element to my main tank to get more output.

**adamant** · 03-03-2013, 01:14 PM

distilled water and emptied out of the end of the season

**EastSideBuzz** · 03-03-2013, 01:26 PM

How about the stuff they put in hot tubs that does not corrode the pipes. Cant remember what that is. But, I have well water so it is probably going to go bad quicker then the tap stuff that has chlorine in it (bleach).

**danno** · 03-03-2013, 02:03 PM

Fill your bottling tank with veg oil instead of water or RV antifreeze. It lasts forever and is obviously food grade

**sqkcrk** · 03-03-2013, 04:41 PM

And when it goes rancid? What then? Maybe you forgot the smily face? I believe they were designed w/ water in mind. That's why they are called Water Jacketed Bottling Tanks. Vegetable Oil? No tanks. :0

**Broke-T** · 03-03-2013, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by adamant

distilled water and emptied out of the end of the season

Ours will never be empty, we bottle year round. We have a 25 gallon Maxant for light spring honey, an 80 gallon Kelly for summer honey and a 25 gallon Maxant for fall honey. We bottle as needed. When they get low we refill and let set for several days for they wax and air to rise, then skim it off. They are inside a heated room and set to 100 degrees. So once they are up to temp they won't have to run much.

Johnny

**EastSideBuzz** · 03-03-2013, 06:21 PM

And you can have french fries any time you want with it.

**danno** · 03-04-2013, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by sqkcrk

And when it goes rancid? What then? Maybe you forgot the smily face? I believe they were designed w/ water in mind. That's why they are called Water Jacketed Bottling Tanks. Vegetable Oil? No tanks. :0

I'm not saying empty your deep frier. Oil keeps forever if you dont cook food in it. It will not go rancid. I got the idea a few years ago from guys in the dakotas. They have had there tanks filled in unheated areas for years without changing the oil

**Lino** · 04-17-2013, 02:08 AM

Use nothing but plain tap water (no oil, clorax or other ideas). No need for distiled.
You'll have swimming monsters (even if filled with distiled) if you don't switch on for some longer period of time. Heaters do the magic.
So, empty the tank if you know it will be off more than a month or two.

I know because we make tanks too: www.matuka.com/en/processing/HA/
It is a bit too far to buy but the best distance for advice