# SAF Natura 4 frame extractor honey gate O-rings



## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

You want the O ring to compress without distortion. You can adjust the amount of O ring pressure by backing or rotating the nut forward a quarter or half turn, also a bit of food grade silicone will help prevent bunching.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

McMaster-Carr

http://www.mcmaster.com/#o-rings/=12d0sul
http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-washers/=12d0tak


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

Deleted


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

Tenbears said:


> You want the O ring to compress without distortion. You can adjust the amount of O ring pressure by backing or rotating the nut forward a quarter or half turn, also a bit of food grade silicone will help prevent bunching.


 I appreciate the response but this extractor doesn't have a nut on the Honeygate you screw the Honeygate in to the threaded fitting and where it ends up is where it ends up . You end up one revolution short of compressing it which leaves the honey gate loose . Do you own this type of extractor . I just heard back from the manufacture and they said I can take the ring off altogether I want to try that today thanks for the response


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

zhiv9 said:


> McMaster-Carr
> 
> http://www.mcmaster.com/#o-rings/=12d0sul
> http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-washers/=12d0tak


this is awesome I got to figure out the right dimensions for this thing which there is a local store could go in there and fit this


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

The o-ring is there for when you are using the gate as a through tank bulk head fitting with a nut on the back. It sounds like the extractor as a threaded bung welded to it. In that case, you should use a food safe pipe sealant. Since there is no real head pressure and you aren't storing honey in the extractor for long periods of time, the manufacturer is probably right - just remove the o-ring.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I remove the O-ring but when I screw the honey gate in it doesn't end up in the correct position


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

vdotmatrix said:


> I remove the O-ring but when I screw the honey gate in it doesn't end up in the correct position


Use some thread sealant. You can vary the amount to change/tighten the fit so it finished up in the correct orientation.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Use teflon thread seal tape. Wind it clockwise onto the male threads and screw in. It is quite cushy and makes up gradually. You may not hit the right number of layers with the first try. Try again with more layers. Teflon is food safe. Any plumbing supply should have it.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

This is what I am looking at.

Here is what the company rep write back to me concerning this issue: Good morning,
On the picture attached you can see the right position for the gate.
But it’s not so important, because in any case the gate should be open to allow to the honey to exit.
Thank you and kind regards.

SAF NATURA SRL
Via Lago di Misurina, 26 - 36015 Schio (VI)
[email protected] – shop.safnatura.com

So I don't know about the rest of you but this is plain nonsense talk. I will go and do the teflon tape but I wish I could find the exact gasket to put there...

My response was the following: 

Well of course this is important.

Honey is food. 

How clean are the screws and nuts if the honey has to pass over them because your honey gate is not mounted on your product properly. 

Then the sticky mess on the handle and every where because the honey gate will not install as designed. 

How do we mount your honey gate so it will function as designed with the handle on the right and the drip tab on the bottom? 

Some one there must know about this product that I can be put in contact with? 

We have 3 of your extractors in our club that we check out to our members.

Can you send me the O-ring specifications for the gate itself as well as possible replacement gaskets for attachment to the tank....



crofter said:


> Use teflon thread seal tape. Wind it clockwise onto the male threads and screw in. It is quite cushy and makes up gradually. You may not hit the right number of layers with the first try. Try again with more layers. Teflon is food safe. Any plumbing supply should have it.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

As I mentioned earlier, they are using a commercially available honey gate that is designed to go in a through-hole with a nut on the back. Tightening the nut compresses the nut and makes the seal against the tank wall. The o-ring doesn't apply in your application and a rubber washer really isn't the best solution either. You are making a threaded connection and need to use a thread sealant, either food grade pipe sealant or teflon tape as mentioned by crofter. This common practice for all sorts of items (gauges, valves, etc) that make a threaded connection and have a desire orientation. If you buy a Maxant tank etc with threaded fittings they always include the teflon tape with it.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

Actually NO. There is no plastic NUT on the inside of the tank NOR is there enough thread to be able to put a nut there, it didn't come with one as you see installed on buckets with a honey gate installed. One has to remember this is FOOD. I tried the teflon tape thing and the last thing you want is minute threads of teflon floating around in your honey; is there a food grade teflon tape; I think not. I use the food grade thread sealant but nothing so far will fill the void of this manuf. gray zone for fitting the gate properly unless the stainless threaded portion was installed wrong so the threads are about 90 degrees off which I think is what has occurred. 

They screw the gate on mark the position, remove the gate, and then weld or otherwise install the threaded collar into the tank which they obvisouly did 90 degrees wrong. I am going to the hardware store to find an 0-ring that is 1/16th" thick and one that is 1/32" thick @ 1 7/8" x 1 5/8". I think it may be able to give me 90 degrees more rotation but I don't know how tight I can get it.....I THINK this extractor was built wrong as I described....

I need a gasket that is 1 7/8"(ID) x 2 1/8"(OD) x 3/16"(W) brobably not rubber that will squash. That mcMAster site might have something like that



zhiv9 said:


> As I mentioned earlier, they are using a commercially available honey gate that is designed to go in a through-hole with a nut on the back. Tightening the nut compresses the nut and makes the seal against the tank wall. The o-ring doesn't apply in your application and a rubber washer really isn't the best solution either. You are making a threaded connection and need to use a thread sealant, either food grade pipe sealant or teflon tape as mentioned by crofter. This common practice for all sorts of items (gauges, valves, etc) that make a threaded connection and have a desire orientation. If you buy a Maxant tank etc with threaded fittings they always include the teflon tape with it.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

I know there is no nut on the inside of the tank - I was explaining why there was an o-ring on it. Teflon is food-safe and is commonly used in potable water systems. What they did is fine - it is expected that you would use thread sealant tape, etc to install in the correct orientation. If you decided you wanted to use a ball valve instead, you would have to use tape/sealant to orient it as well.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

THEY told me I could remove the o-ring. Here is the o-ring I removed.







it squashed out and deforemed in order to get the gate to real world functionality. This is how I got it.
There is no amount of thread sealant or tape that will remedy this. I wrote this company and told them I think it was assembled wrong and i will wait to see what they say.


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Worse case you put a stainless steel ball valve on there with a elbow.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

Is the thread tapered? If so, there is no 'right' orientation....plumbers tape is the right stuff, and if applied correctly (so the tape is only on the threads) cannot get into the honey.


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