[Billy Joe Adair]

Do any of you commercial guys use water jacketed bottling tanks to melt cappings? I am looking at the Dadant 70 gallon multi-purpose tank that is on page 93 in 2014 catalog. I was thinking that way I can dump an entire barrel of cappings into bottling tank at once. Any advice is appreciated.

If you guys got a better way, I am all ears.............

 

[My-smokepole]

I know householder said that he does..

 

[The Honey Householder]

We melted down over 140 barrels of cappings this last year in a Maxant bottling tank. Right now it heats all of our syrup for feeding. Is there a better way, sure if you have $11K to put out. But remember it's made only to melt wax. We use our tanks for honey, wax , and to mix and heat syrup. Some of my bottling tanks are just for honey, but they just sit with honey in them until I need to heat and bottle. Really if it isn't running, your not making money from that equipment.:thumbsup:

 

[BEESERIOUS]

Do you use their regular honey bottling tanks or do you do any modification to them? And would you care to elaborate on the process of melting the cappings, like, how do you get the slum gum out of the tank, through the bottom or the top.

 

[The Honey Householder]

Only modification is we have a SS screen basket made to put in front of the outlet to hold the slum back so the honey and wax can drain. After pouring each morning we let the tank cool for about an hour or so, then shovel the slum out into the barrel. Avg. days pour is 225 lbs. We remelt the slum later in water and then press the last of the wax out. We might get another 75-90 lbs out of a barrel.

 

[BMAC]

What do you use for a press?

 

[BEESERIOUS]

how big are the tanks.

 

[The Honey Householder]

I use an old steam wax press the family bought from an old beekeeper. No longer use the steam. It sits in front of the fire box and is keep warm by the fire box.

The tanks I use are Maxant's 500#/42 gallon.

 

[BEESERIOUS]

Thanks THH

 

[Rick55]

If you use tank for wax how do you clean it to bottle honey

 

[MAXANT]

If you use tank for wax how do you clean it to bottle honey

Fill with water, bring to a boil, drain and wipe down.

 

[The Honey Householder]

Really, it is that easy to clean the tanks up.:thumbsup:

 

[sqkcrk]

Fill with water, bring to a boil, drain and wipe down.

So that's why the dial goes up to such a high temp. Huh. Or, maybe I should say, "DUH".

 

[MAXANT]

60-250!

So that's why the dial goes up to such a high temp. Huh. Or, maybe I should say, "DUH".

 

[sqkcrk]

I unplugged one of my tanks a cpl days ago and the thermometer hasn't dropped to room temperature yet. Makes me wonder if it doesn't show the actual temp on the high end. Confused.

 

[MAXANT]

The thermometer on the front of the tank is telling you the temperature inside the tank.

 

[sqkcrk]

There is nothing in the tank and it's unplugged. I'll have to look again, but I think it reads well above 65 degrees which is what the room temperature approximately is.