# Hot Box



## Barry Tolson (May 26, 2004)

I need to warm some honey in order get it to flow out of the bucket that it has been in for a while. So...I was thinking of building a small "hot box" with a light bulb inside for some gentle heat. My hang-up is scrounging a very inexpensive or free thermostatic device that I can wire into my heating devise to keep/maintain about 90 degrees. Anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

What size pail? Crock pot works great for 1 and 2 gallon size. Just place a couple pieces of wood on the bottom and make sure it doesn't touch the sides and it works excellent.


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

Go to a local hardware store- big box or others and look in the plumbing section. Small 120V electric water heaters use a SPST thermostat with 90°F as the lowest setting and they are very inexpensive (less than $10).

Mount the T-stat in the open air of the hot box, but well-shaded from the light (heat source). The temperature sensor is on the back side, so make sure it's not tight against any wall surfaces. Also make certain to cover the electrical fitting screw terminals with quality electrical tape or liquid elect. tape so no accidental personal contact can happen. Depending on the size of your box, don't get too crazy with lamp wattage. It doesn't take much to get the job done. You may also want to make certain the containers you're heating up are not in direct light contact. UV is very damaging to most plastic products over time. They should never not be in there long enough to be harmed, however. 

One of our hot boxes is an older side by side refrigerator with a lamp in each side's socket. The plastic sockets were replaced with porcelain bases to prevent fire hazard and melting potential. I followed the wiring diagram and wired the T-stat to activate the internal fan each time the T-stat called for heat to move warmed air around the interior. We also used a good hole saw and made several openings between the two sides for air flow. An indoor/outdoor thermometer with the 'outside' remote sensor placed inside the unit verifies if things are good inside, temperture-wise.


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

You may not need a thermostat just a thermometer. Start with a small wattage bulb and work your way up until you get the temp you want.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

> You may not need a thermostat just a thermometer. Start with a small wattage bulb and work your way up until you get the temp you want.


Or use a 100W bulb with a wall dimmer switch and a degital thermometer and adjust the temp to what you want but the temp can varry as much as 30 degrees from top to bottom of an old freg I corrected that with a small duct fan.


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## Barry Tolson (May 26, 2004)

Thanks All! Several good options!


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## wayacoyote (Nov 3, 2003)

There is one main reason I like a thermostat over the options of light bulbs and dimmer switches:

It saves energy (read that, money from your pocket, energy from your planet, "greening things up" or what ever you like). 

The other options given so far continue to use electricity. They are adjusted so the input of energy equals the outflow of energy to reach that constant temp. A well insulated box with a heat source (bulbs work but will have reduced life-spans from the on/off cycling) will maintain the heat well and reduce the energy you waste. Think of it like you're heating a house. You could run a power cable into a travel cooler through its drain for small applications, or set up a deep freezer or homemade box for larger applications.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

Here's Tim's Plans:

http://www.honeyrunapiaries.com/16.39.0.0.1.0.phtml


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

*Wayacoyote*

You are talking my language. I'm not a control freak, but a 'controls freak'. Equipment needs proper control methods to be efficient and perform as we want it to. Control your waste and a lot of expenses are reduced.

On a small scale, my sister in law uses a heating pad. She wraps it around a few containers and turns it on. They don't generally use too much electricity, are insulated somewhat and do a small job fairly well. I've used those flat metal heaters that go under desks to warm toes. I got one out of the trash, I mean recycle container and played with it some. The switch went bad is all that was wrong. PLaced it in a box with an insualting wrap. The built-in T-stat gave me the control I needed. It finally shorted in the heating element.

At delivered electrical rates of $0.10/kWh, a 60 watt bulb costs one about $4.32/month at 24/7 operation. Operating cost is at least half that if a control is used. A pet terrarium heater is less yet, because they convert kWh into heat at 99% efficiency rather than upper 70% that an incandescent lamp operates at. Lifetime is much longer, also. Add operating cost savings to replacement cost savings and it may not pencil out to be an earth shattering number... But it all adds up.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

sc-bee said:


> Here's Tim's Plans:
> 
> http://www.honeyrunapiaries.com/16.39.0.0.1.0.phtml


Great link thanks!


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

This $35 thermostat for plants can handle 1000 watts. 

http://www.qcsupply.com/Products/2461.aspx?ref=cs


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

http://www.antonline.com/p_HFH111TU-GP_348796.htm

Heater, fan and thermostat all in one, available at most major retailers! And it won't waste energy generating light I've got one in an old refrigerator, plus a cheap thermometer to check actual temps.


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

Nice heater, which reminds me... Those Paul Harvey Eden Pure, Sun Pure, I-Sun or what ever name they go by are rip offs. They do nothing better than a $20 heater of comparable wattage. Well, they look better, but not almost $400 better. Don't even get me started on those "Amish" fireplacesinch:

Only thing about this heater you're using is that it's like using a bazooka to kill a fly. You don't need 750 or 1500 watts to heat a compartment the size of a freezer or refrigerator. Without doing some heatloss/gain math, not that many Btus are needed in a small compartment. I agree about generating light which wastes some energy.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I just used what I had on hand


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## Barry Tolson (May 26, 2004)

*Solution*

OK, here's what I ended up doing. I have an old refridgerator that used to be in one of my rentals...the seals is bad at the bottom for a few inches. This little fridge is just big enough to stack two 60lb buckets in with a cheapo space heater next to them. I ran the cord through the bad part of the door seal and plugged it in. I took a guess at the setting and placed a thermometer inside. Only had to adjust it twice to get it set where I want it. Should be able to bottle tomorrow!!
Thanks to All for the input.
Barry


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

I'm thinking about using the heating pad I use on my back to heat some jars that have sugared. Anybody else tried that?


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## Sprig (Oct 31, 2007)

*Dehydrator method?*

I have a question for everyone. I use a dehydrator to make venison jerky (don’t worry, I only practice shoot and release hunting:thumbsup! I was reading this thread and had a thought (I know too much time spare time, don’t tell the boss:shhhh I could cut a piece of plywood or better yet a piece of insulation board of some type, to fit the base of a hive body (a deep and a medium will hold a five gallon bucket by my measurements:scratch. Fit a piece of plywood to the top of the boxes for holding the dehydrator unit. Set the dehydrator to what ever temp you chose and come back when the bucket is re liquefied. My Nesco American Harvest has 95 degree to 155 degree settings and at 155 degrees 3lb of venison turns into 1 lb of jerky in about 3 to 5 hours. I just asking because I have never heard anyone doing this method, I don’t have any honey left from 08 so I do not need to do this yet. But maybe some day I will?


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

Ross said:


> I'm thinking about using the heating pad I use on my back to heat some jars that have sugared. Anybody else tried that?



My sister in law does just that. Low heat, doesn't damage the flavor and the insulated blanket material makes the heat stay at the jars where it belongs instead of radiating thoughout the room being wasted.


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