[ApricotApiaries]

I am a small commercial beekeeper. Trying to get by with some small investments until we can build a proper warehouse. Currently we extract in one shipping container (20ft) and have another 40 ft container for bottling and inventory. It works OK, and could work a lot better if we can open up some bottlenecks.
I am planning on building a small (very small) outbuilding to use as a hot room. About 5ft x 10ft footprint. I will not be doing a concrete floor (or even a foundation). Actually I was thinking I would build it on skids so I can move it if needed. Or possibly sell somewhere down the line. Just big enough to warm 3-4 pallets at a time (108-156 supers depending how tall). I am wondering If anyone has done something similar and what heat source you decided to utilize.

Any experience with something like this, paired with a thermostat, and setting a pallet on top?

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Or a farrowing pad placed under a pallet?

Heat Mats & Thermostats | Kane Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Kane Heat Mats are designed for all types of farrowing: farrowing crates, free stall, comfort stall, etc. Our heat mats put the heat under the baby pig, where it belongs. They act as a draft barrier on slatted flooring, woven wire, and any type of coated wire or plastic flooring.

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Or I could build a radiant coil like this under a wood or vinyl floor?

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Or just use a space heater, a couple fans and a thermostat?

Thanks

 

[Roland]

What is your budget?

Crazy Roland

 

[ApricotApiaries]

What is your budget?

Crazy Roland

Just hunting ideas. I am open to a range.

I want something that works well. At the same time, this is temporary. I am not sure if it'll be one year temporary or 5 year temporary, but it is a stepping stone until I have a better place developed to build. i would rather spend more money and have something that another enterprising sideliner might buy, than something cheap that I have to take apart.

If I thought that the cheapest option worked the best, I would do that. But in the case of heating, it is often not so simple, and the cheapest initial cost might cost the most to run, or be most prone to failure. My experience using space heaters is that the bottom supers will be cold. A fan will help. I don't have experience with heating pads. Is there any reason they wouldn't support a 1000 lb pallet?

 

[grozzie2]

Our building, 12x20

The 'warm closet'

The main room

The warm closet is 4x12 partitioned off from the main room on the end with the door and an 8 foot ceiling. It's actually just a bit wider than 4 feet on center, it's set up with 49 inches clear space inside, that's two supers with room for fingers. It's set up to hold 2 rows of 5 supers and still able to open both the outside and inside doors. The intent was we can put in 50 medium supers stacked 5 high, ie not over shoulder hight, for an extraction run. For winter storage, we can go 10 high with empty supers. The building has a single 110v 15amp feed, we heat the warm closet by simply plugging in a small space heater. There is an inside door between the warm room and the main room. Water supply is a pipe in ground that comes up near the house and we can just hook a hose between an outside tap on the house to the end of that pipe. The other end of the pipe is a tap on the wall in the honey shed. The sink that you see in the first photo is now set up inside.

All of the construction is 2x4 studs, so for the warm room we put in bats of fiberglass insulation between the studs, then stapled reflectex over that to keep the insulation contained, and duct tape to seal up the cracks between reflectex sheets. That portion of the building has a ceiling, also well insulated. Above the warm room we have a lot of storage space. We had done windows in the house shortly after we purchased it, so we had the old ones kicking around, saved for this project.

Over time we have slowly been adding equipment and facilities for dealing with the bees/ honey as the honey sales revenue can support it. The next purchase will be a proper capping table, and at that point I think the facility will be essentially finished for us.

 

[Roland]

So give me a price range...

Crazy Roland

 

[dgl1948]

The floor of a hot room should be heated. By far the best way to ensure heat threw out the supers. A ceiling fan should be used to help move the heat down and threw the frames and supers. You may also want to use a dehumidifier with the hot room.

 

[SWM]

My extracting room is 12 x 28 and I use a ventless propane wall heater and keep the temperature at 85 - 90 degrees.
I've also used this portable electric heater that worked well.

Cadet The Hot One 5000-Watt 240-Volt Electric Garage Portable Heater-RCP502S - The Home Depot

Provide your garage or workshop with powerful warmth on cold days by using this Cadet Portable Garage Heater. Features double-pole thermostatic control.

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