# Melting/Heating drums



## Bradley_Bee (May 21, 2008)

I'm in the same boat. Hey what was the price on the second link one. Couldn't find it..


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## Tomek (Aug 29, 2014)

The cheapest method is to build a cabinet for the barrel size from some insulation material (e.g. styrofoam). 
You put the barrel and a heater fun
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Optimus-600-Watt-Portable-Fan-Heater-with-Thermostat-H1322/205495248
into the cabinet and set the heater to 40-50 Celsius (100-120 F). The barrel cannot be on the floor there should be some space under its bottom.
Also, there are factory solutions:







In case of smaller buckets old fridge can be used as cabinet.
The Lega immersion heater also works fine. Never used blanket heater.


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## Makin' Honey (Sep 13, 2010)

I have been bottling honey on a small scale for about 30 years. For the 30 years I have heated the honey in 55g drums to around 150 degrees. I set the drum in a water bath tank with a 2400 watt water heater element. I built my own unit for about $50.00. I found a used 36" dia. tank about 24" tall, I cut two holes near the bottom on the side, one for a drain valve, the other hole for a flange and the 2400 watt water heater element. I have changed the element twice in 20 years. The drum of honey goes in at room temp, the water is cold out of the hose and I plug it up. In the winter when the honey around 40 degrees it takes around 6-7 hours to get the honey to the 150. In the summer when the honey is around 90 degrees it takes around 5 hours to get the honey to 150. I do stir it once or twice to speed up melting the crystals. I have only scorched two drums of honey when I got busy, forgot and left it in the hot water for 10 hours or so. I have tried the strap or band drum heaters only to scorch the honey at the strap area and in a hot box with an electric heater it takes too long and I darken the honey. Victor H


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

I built my own box using 4 inch thick foam insulation. It takes longer to warm than it does for Victor, but we are in no rush and our honey is generally 5 degrees in winter months as opposed to 40. I am in process of hooking up a REZNOR 30K BTU propane shop heater on it to warm it.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Another option is to get a simple heat tape from a big box store, that folks use to keep pipes from freezing. Wrap the barrel with the heat tape. Then get some batts of insulation, wrap barrel with the insulation, hold in place with a rope. Plug heat tape in, wait a couple of days, and the honey will be liquid. No overheating.
Regards,
Steven


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Steven is this how you uncrystalize your honey?


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## dgl1948 (Oct 5, 2005)

StevenG said:


> Another option is to get a simple heat tape from a big box store, that folks use to keep pipes from freezing. Wrap the barrel with the heat tape. Then get some batts of insulation, wrap barrel with the insulation, hold in place with a rope. Plug heat tape in, wait a couple of days, and the honey will be liquid. No overheating.
> Regards,
> Steven


Problem here is most heat tapes have a thermostat and will not turn on until temp. is close to freezing and shut off at to low of a heat temperature.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

I really want something that is thermostat controlled to keep temps around 100 or below. I have been leaning towards the blanket because it is smaller for storage. Space or lack thereof is always an issue here.


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Ranco Temp controllers range from -30 to 220F and you can set temp lag down to 1 degree! 70 bucks USD.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

BMAC yes I have done some honey that way.... the heat tape I used had some sort of internal control, but once plugged in it started heating. The barrels I liquefied were solid. Two days later great tasting liquid honey! woo hoo! Best part of this setup is it was cheap. I think I spent $20 for the insulation, had the heat tape laying around. Rope was left over from another project. I put a piece of plywood on the concrete floor to set the barrel on, to insulate the barrel from the concrete floor. 
Regards,
Steven


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## kingd (Oct 31, 2013)

I wondered about using heat tape on a settling/bottling tank to warm the honey to bottle. I'm gonna have to try it


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

There are some heat tape options here: http://www.mcmaster.com/#heat-cable/=tnv3ff

You would likely want the constant wattage type. I am still looking for something closed loop that limits the surface temperature the drum reaches. By the time you add a temperature sensor/temperature controller, you start getting into the same price range of purchased solutions.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Seems like the solution posted by Tomek in post #3 is the way to go. The Ranco temp controller that BMAC is a very useful tool to have around. Lots of place to buy it, but I got mine here: http://www.etcsupply.com/ranco-etc111000000-digital-temperature-controller-p-86.html

Seems to me that you good get such a system in place for less than $150.


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## sultan (Aug 9, 2014)

zhiv9 said:


> I really want something that is thermostat controlled to keep temps around 100 or below. I have been leaning towards the blanket because it is smaller for storage. Space or lack thereof is always an issue here.


I have been having a big problem to heat my honey in Ethiopia. I have just started a honey packing company in Ethiopia but, alas, I failed to heat the honey there. I bought a belt heater from Mann Lake in USA, but sadly its voltage is only 120 volts and 1500 watts while they have 230 volts in Ethiopia. I tried voltage regulator and transformer but all in vain. Now, for 3 days ago, I installed a heater with a thermostat from Germany (bought in Sweden) in a small room (1.50 x 1.20 meters) where the honey is in plastic containers (around 50 kg) and I set the thermostat at 50 degrees Celsius and I left it go. I am now in Somaliland and will be back tomorrow to Ethiopia to see if it is still working and the honey is melted. I hope it will work.

Sultan, www.somalihoney.com


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

The heat tape I used, and I've had it for years so I don't know exactly what I paid for it, does not get the barrel too hot to touch with a bare hand. All in all, the cost of the heat tape and the insulation was probably under $50.
Regards,
Steven


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I have some heat tape that sounds quite similar to what StevenG used . It is Eaton Unitherm 2504 self regulating heater tape, 4 watts/foot, 120 VAC. It has 2 parallel copper strands, with a carbon/plastic surrounding the wires. It comes on a spool. you cut off the wattage you need, and solder leads on one end. From memory, it self regulated to around 120 deg. F. I would guess about 20 feet would be enough to heat a 55 gallon drum.

Crazy Roland


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## sharpdog (Jun 6, 2012)

Roland said:


> I have some heat tape that sounds quite similar to what StevenG used . It is Eaton Unitherm 2504 self regulating heater tape, 4 watts/foot, 120 VAC. It has 2 parallel copper strands, with a carbon/plastic surrounding the wires. It comes on a spool. you cut off the wattage you need, and solder leads on one end. From memory, it self regulated to around 120 deg. F. I would guess about 20 feet would be enough to heat a 55 gallon drum.
> 
> Crazy Roland


Thats almost exactly what i use. Heat tape self regulates to 118 F. 25-30 feet liquifies a drum in 2-3 days.
Luke


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Actually I got my idea from Roland...true confession! :gh: Roland, didn't you have a home made version you used? How did that work? And how would a person make such a heat tape?
Regards,
Steven


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

My buddy used to work at Eaton, and when they closed his office,a length of heat tracing was in the give away pile. 

You can currently(no pun intended) buy a similar, but less precise, product at the local hardware store for use on the roof to prevent ice dams. They sell it by the foot, you cut off what you and and attach leads.

Hey StecenG, that's the last time I show you a gizmo I made.....(he he he)

Crazy Roland


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm looking forward to see the uncapping machine you're building at work!
Steven


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

So am I, Mister Loose Lips(sink ships).

Crazy Roland


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Hello Adam!

These drum heater units are popular in Germany. Most popular in Germany and especially the Dani Api is a good one. No scorching or burning can be found. In fact I use them to quickly melt a column of liquid honey into the center of a drum in an hour or two, use a stainless steel honey spade to chop the solid honey from the margins into the center, just to whirl it with a special stirrer called "Rapido". See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P47DBVEnt5Y The honey gets a nice creamy texture and not much work involved. (Quick and dirty.) The stirrer breaks down the bigger honey crystals rapidly, hence the name. Unlike other stirring devices this thing doesn't just stir, it bites into the crystals. You cream a drum in minutes.

Usually you wait overnight to get a smaller drum of 40 kg liquid again. Since the temperature doesn't go above a certain temperature, the honey cannot get burned. 

Another option would be the "Melitherm" device. See: http://www.spuergin.de/melitherm.php It is basicly a drum without bottom. Instead of a bottom it has a sieve. On the sieve sits a heating spiral. The whole thing is mounted on a bottling drum. The Melitherm is especially good, if you want to bottle the honey in smaller amounts and freshly. You simply use a spade to place the honey in the liquifier container, the honey gets heated and liquid, drops down through a sieve into the bottling bucket and cools down again. During the process some of the honey's moisture is removed, too. 1-2 % or so. Although it is heated with higher temperatures, the honey doesn't get affected. In fact, it has been found, that by this method of liquifying it has the least effect on the honey! Compared to all other methods of liquifying honey. (They tested the honey's enzymes which get affected by heating. And no, not the manufacturer did the test...) 

With the Melitherm you can bottle the honey as you sell it, which makes it fresh and nice. As said, I use a heater like the Dani Api and it is quick and dirty, too, if combined with that special stirrer. Different honey must be treated differently, though. 

Bernhard


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## sultan (Aug 9, 2014)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> Hello Adam!
> 
> These drum heater units are popular in Germany. Most popular in Germany and especially the Dani Api is a good one. No scorching or burning can be found. In fact I use them to quickly melt a column of liquid honey into the center of a drum in an hour or two, use a stainless steel honey spade to chop the solid honey from the margins into the center, just to whirl it with a special stirrer called "Rapido". See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P47DBVEnt5Y The honey gets a nice creamy texture and not much work involved. (Quick and dirty.) The stirrer breaks down the bigger honey crystals rapidly, hence the name. Unlike other stirring devices this thing doesn't just stir, it bites into the crystals. You cream a drum in minutes.
> 
> ...


Hi Bernhard,

Nice to read your extensively explanation. Thanks a lot again!
Adam


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