# Extracting set-up



## Broke-T (Jul 9, 2008)

We will be increasing to 200 hives this year and need to get away from the bucket brigade. I have 8' Kelly uncapping tank and 21 frame Kelly extractor. Hope to find used milk tank for bulk holding tank. I want water jacketed, baffled sump connected to 1" pump run by float switch to move honey. Uncapping tank and extractor will both dump into sump. Plan on filter cloth at bulk tank. I currently run extractor 15 minutes. 

With medium frames this is around 6 gal honey plus whats draining from cappings every 20 min.

Now the questions.

With hot room can I cut extractor run time down to 10 minutes?
How warm does hot room need to be?
How hot do I run sump and how big does it need to be for honey to stay long enought to increase temp to say 100 deg?
Is that hot enough to help with wax seperation in the sump?

Thanks, Johnny


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I worked for a couple who instead of baffles in their sump they had a series of screens. Large mesh at in intake and it got progressively smaller , the smallest being near the pump ens. It was pretty good for a smaller outfit. They had about 200 hives and might have gotten 30 000 pounds in a good year.

Baffles work but you'll still end up with a lot of wax in your storage tank. It's not entirely a temperature thing, although hotter facilitates the process, but it also requires time. Pretty much all the impurities and wax will float to the top in 48 hours. That's why the sump has it's limitations. Even with baffles sometimes the pumps get jammed up with pieces of broken frames, nails , wires. Sometimes the honey comes so fast the pump can't keep up and the sump gets really full and lots of debris floats over to the pump.

You might consider keeping your storage tank in the hot room. Keep the hot room around 90 to 100 F. Your honey will spin out in 10 minutes no problem at those temperatures. After 2 days the honey will be pretty clean and can probably be bottled directly.

Consider getting a second extractor that way you can load one extractor while the other one is spinning. You won't have to double handle the uncapped frames of honey. They can go straight into the extractor.

Jean-MArc


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## James Kellie (Oct 30, 2010)

Another way is to make sure your pump sucks from the bottom of the tank. Set your float switch so that is shuts off before the top slum reaches the pump and turns on when the tank is fairly full. You will be able to adjust as you get your rythim of extracting. I also agree you need another extractor. I run to 50's and a Cowen uncapper.


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## Broke-T (Jul 9, 2008)

Then is a heated sump worth the extra cost over a non-heated one?

Johnny


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

I run 2 80 frame extracters with wax spinners and everything goes into a 30 gal. sump. I just skim the wax off the 300 gal. holding tank the next morning before I emply it. No heat in my operation, but all honey is extracted in season (finished before Oct.) 81 ton in 10 weeks.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Methinks you are spending too much time trying to figure how to get your honey filtered in the extracting room. First off I kind of doubt that a hot room is going to gain you much in Miss. unless you expect to be extracting this time of year, honey brought in on a nice warm summer day is perfect for extracting. Too much heat may soften the combs and cause them to blow out. We have a heated floor and dont even turn it on until September. I have a heated baffled in-floor sump and the heat does little in helping settle out honey as you are extracting what it is great for, though, is keeping the honey warm overnight when the weather gets cool. The baffle plate and low pump intake and proper float setting however does greatly reduce the amount of wax that gets in your tank. A cloth to screen your honey flowing into the tank sounds like a real pita to me, take Paul's advice and just let it settle overnight and skim it in the morning you will have much clearer honey. Filters constantly need cleaned and will tend to aerate and drizzle honey In other words dont attempt to get perfectly clean honey the same day you are extracting.


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## Broke-T (Jul 9, 2008)

Thanks. Johnny


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

jean-marc said:


> Consider getting a second extractor that way you can load one extractor while the other one is spinning. Jean-MArc


I tried a second extractor. My uncapper couldn't keep up. I ended up selling one extractor. Now I uncap while the frames are spun out. When I have 20 frames uncapped, the extractor is finished.

Works for me. Hope you get things worked out.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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