# Need some advice on bottling...



## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

Not sure about the


> "standard" yellow honey gate


 but I bottle directly out of the buckets without a problem. How warm is your honey in your bucket?


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

What size neck are you trying to hit?

Edited- I see you ask in another thread about muths. Is that what you have? I have no experience with muths but don't they make a honey spout?


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honey-Gate-...55-Gallon-Water-Barrel-Drum-Jug-/321114091725


I see several wine bottling spouts but they may not be big enough for a good flow.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Spend the $$ and buy a a bottling tank. I like Maxant valve best. Or you could do I like did and make your own tank.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

I broke down and bought the dispensing valve from Mann Lake. Cost around $150. but best money I have ever spent. It cuts the flow off cleanly with no after dribble between bottles and is easy to throttle. I have used the Syracuse valves but they have a lot of friction. The shut off positive but not nice for accurately filling a lot of bottles.

The little honey gates are a drippy mess!


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I just but a bowl under where it will catch drips, cut it off when you are almost to your fill line ( timing comes with practice as it will change with head pressure) and pull the jar between drips and insert next. No issues, goes quickly, I can bottle faster than the wife and kids can get lids and labels on..... kids love licking the bowl clean that catches the drips


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I just bought a Maxant. Setting it up this afternoon.


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

If you saw "The Bee Movie", you'd know you need a "Krelman" to get that final drip. 

Could just drag the jar lip across the underside of the valve to get the last drop.

I've used 2 types of bucket valves. One has a thin yellow "door" and is held in place with 2 wing nuts. It's terrible for drips, leaks, etc. Didn't use it for long.

The other type is white and has a "door" that's probably 3/8" thick and uses a nylon thumb screw. I used it for many many years with no issues. I even use it fill those tiny 2 oz. bears with no issues.

Not sure the door thickness or fastener has anything to do with performance - just a way to describe the different types.

Of course, the best way to go is a heated bottling tank with the brass no-drip valve. Once you get one, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.


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## Mike01876 (Jul 14, 2015)

We used to do the whole bucket brigade thing, it worked acceptably well if the honey was warm, but as our volume increased substantially my wife and kids pressured me into buying a Maxant Model 600-3 (25 Gallon) bottling tank with the no drip valve. Best purchase I have ever made, seriously. 

In fact, as we are fortunate to produce some varietal honey(when not in a drought), a few weeks ago I ordered another two Maxant bottling tanks and still have on order from earlier this summer another 1400PL extractor. In full disclosure, Maxant is just a twenty minute ride from my house so I can pickup product to avoid freight costs, but honestly even if they were cross country I would still buy from them. 

Mike


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## davel (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks for the tips. The honey gate we use is the cheap yellow one with a screw on one side and the wing nut on the other. Honey drips from everywhere and it a mess. Looks like we need to buy a bottling tank if we are going to do a lot of this. In the meantime I may buy a better valve for my 5 gallon bucket.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Before I got a bottling tank, I used this value and found it to work pretty well.

https://www.dadant.com/catalog/m00579-1-1-2-plastic-gate


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## ritan1 (Nov 10, 2015)

AstroBee said:


> Before I got a bottling tank, I used this value and found it to work pretty well.
> 
> https://www.dadant.com/catalog/m00579-1-1-2-plastic-gate


+1 on this honey gate. Much better than the rest.


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## ShrekVa (Jan 13, 2011)

You could try adjusting the tension on the hinge screw, possibly the open side also to keep from honey leaking everywhere. Newspaper is great to put down while bottling then just toss it, also keep a moist towel and a dry towel to clean up quickly. Its not ideal but it works for me.


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

AstroBee said:


> Before I got a bottling tank, I used this value and found it to work pretty well.
> 
> https://www.dadant.com/catalog/m00579-1-1-2-plastic-gate



Yep -- that's the good one.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Have gotten to where I just open it up and fill. Same yellow valve on 5-gallon bucket. 
Filling 12 ounce bears. Have to set 16 (a gallon's worth) on a table then fill continuously. It's tricky and I have to pay attention but I can swap bottles without even stopping the flow. Wife wipes off the little drop that hits the rim and caps each bottle. 
Teamwork. 

It does drip but I keep a rag handy and clean it up. Those gates have a tendency to force honey around the back and down the sides. 
Eventually I'll upgrade and get a dispensing valve.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I used the 5 gallon bucket with the yellow gate for years. Keep the honey warm and it helps with bottling. I did that by putting it in a chest freezer I converted into a warmer. If the honey is cold or room temp it's a PITA. I got 2 Maxant 16 gallon bottling tanks thinking I'd use them for varietal. Turns out I only use one for bottling and the other for wax melting. I still do varietal but I can do it out of one tank I can't recommend the Maxant bottling tank with the no drip valve enough! Huge Maxant fan though to be fair I've not tried others. I still slide the filled container across the bottom of the valve to catch any drips and it's much faster than the bucket and yellow gate set up.


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