[mpjourdan]

1. Do no-drip valves work equally well on room temp honey verses warm honey? How about when the honey is starting to thicken? Is there time when a cheap gate valve outperforms a no-drip valve for bottling honey? How about filling buckets?

2. Are they easy to take apart to clean? A cheap gate valve is pretty easy to clean, I'm not sure about a n-d valve.

3. It looks like alot of the manufactures machine 1 inch stainless "T" fittings as the body of the valve, but the new Maxant valve looks different, appearance wise it looks alot better. Anybody have any thoughts on the different valves out there?

 

[sqkcrk]

Well, there certainly is a difference between a valve and a gate. So I don't know how to compare the two to each other. Are you trying to do the same thing w/ each of them?

Often the No Drip valves are called by those who love them, "One Drip Valves". I hear that the new Maxant Valve is different.

I have two Maxant Bottling Tanks. On the older one I have to have pretty warm honey before I can get the gate to open. I haven't tried just warming the valve. With the newer one, which isn't the newest that Maxant makes and sells, the valve opens at room temperature.

 

[MAXANT]

We stopped using the cheap (standard plumbing supply) bronze T fittings as they are mass produced from China. Therefore when assembling and machining them, they were never the same, the quality was awful. ( They used to be made well back in the 70/80/90s-thanks China)
We are now taking solid tubes of T303 SS and machining them down for the new SS body. It was completely redesigned. Its very simple to take apart and clean now vs. the old style.
We generally dont have any issues when bottling from our heated honey tanks, however if the honey is cold, it will not flow very well.
The opening port is 5/8 which is perfect for filling bears/jars. If you plan on filling buckets or 1 gallon bottles, I would use a 1 inch ball valve.
Hope this helps!
J

 

[bermybee]

1. Do no-drip valves work equally well on room temp honey verses warm honey? How about when the honey is starting to thicken?

Filled from non heated 300 gallon holding tanks for the last 10 years not a problem.

Is there time when a cheap gate valve outperforms a no-drip valve for bottling honey? How about filling buckets?
That depends more on the coupling or nipple size the valve is screwed into (tank opening). If it is a 1 inch coupling or nipple and you compare the NDV to a 1'' or even a 2" ball or gate valve, there will be only a very slight improvement using the ball or gate valves, if any, on hot or cold honey.Now if the opening is 2'' and gets bushing-ed down to 1'' to put the NDV on then yes you will see a huge difference.



2. Are they easy to take apart to clean? A cheap gate valve is pretty easy to clean, I'm not sure about a n-d valve.
They all can be taken apart and cleaned, Easy inch:now that's another story. I haven't taken apart my new Maxant one yet but with the 4 Allan key bolts um sure it's the essayist one to take apart & clean. Running HOT water and some soap through it, without taking it off or apart works for me.

3. It looks like alot of the manufactures machine 1 inch stainless "T" fittings as the body of the valve, but the new Maxant valve looks different, appearance wise it looks alot better. Anybody have any thoughts on the different valves out there?
One of my earlier quotes. The stainless Maxant no drip valve (option) will very very slowly leak but all the ones that return shout properly will in my experience (unlike the Dadant one I have) The L shaped piece of metal that holds the stainless leaver wouldn't bend if you wanted it to (unlike Kelley's). Did I mention it looks great.