# Better honey valve



## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

A brass valve will work smother. The plastic tend to stick more when you try to just crack them open.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

A regular plastic honey gate isn't much more expensive - $10.95 - and it will be easier to install, and it strikes the honey off when you close it so that there isn't very much drippage - Relatively speaking. I've been using one of these for three years with no problems yet. Maybe I'm not doing it right but it doesn't seem to be a mess for me.


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## Tom Brueggen (Aug 10, 2011)

My assumption was always that dripping was a concern, and that a gate valve mitigates that by making a mostly clean swipe when you close it. There's definitely still a little drip, but you can see how tie viscosity of honey could make it somewhat back up in the horizontal part of this valve and then continue to ooze out even though the valve is closed.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

NO! you will have a long dripping after each closing. It will make a plastic honey valve look immaculate.


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## Steve10 (Nov 19, 2008)

The standard plastic honey gate should work better. Make sure the honey gate's gasket is in good shape and the wing nut at the pivot point is snug.

Steve Burton


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## DC Bees (Sep 24, 2009)

I understand what are saying about the plastic honey gates. Mine drips from the side sometimes and will drip honey on the side of the honey containers which can be very frustrating.I ordered the gate from Brushy Mountain (http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/images/515perfectiongate.jpg) but this gate hangs down past the bottom edge of the bucket which can be a problem when you set the bucket down on a flat surface,plus it cost $60.00 with shipping and tax.


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## Steve10 (Nov 19, 2008)

Must be one of Murphy's Laws - when bottling honey, that drips always run down the outside of the jar!


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

I was hoping to find something better than the cheaper gate valves but trying not to spend 60.00 bucks just yet . I was looking at the new brushy mt. one but I am surprised it hangs down past the bottom of the bucket , that doesn't seem right , why can't someone make a decent valve for around 25.00 . Whats the story with brass ball valves and food , is it frowned on or would you still have the horizontal part that's going to continue to drip after closing the valve .


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

That gate, installed on my tank, does hang below the bottom edge. Of course, if you're putting it on a 5gal bucket, you could just drill the hole a little higher. I may be remembering wrong, but I think it cost me about $40, bought it during one of their free shipping sales.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

As David said buy a honey gate drill the right size whole in the side of the bucket. Done. Yes you will get a drip slow down you know it is coming. Or speed up and get a new bottle under it. Even with a good brass one I have a small drip. 
David veith


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

Anybody try this one , the gate wouldn't flex like the plastic version , more rigid , I hadn't seen these for under 50 to 60 .

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Stainless-Steel-Honey-Gate-1-1_2/productinfo/195/

I could try a brass ball valve at home depot and machine the outer thread portion down real close , if I could get it in my lathe . What size would be best , I've seen size's from 1 '' to 2'' .


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

laketrout,
how much honey do you have to bottle? How often do you bottle honey? How are you storing your honey before bottling?


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

If you want to stay with a plastic value, then I much prefer the dadant version: http://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=35_74&products_id=1388

Its not perfect, but its more rigid that the brushy valve, which helps prevent lots of dripping by providing a better seal. 

I recently upgraded to a no drip SS valve and really like it, but much more than $60.


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

Mark , I'm not processing much right now , only three hives might go to 4 and maybe a nuc or two,but the cheap plastic valve was a mess to use and I'd like to upgrade but not to the expense that you big guys go to .Just got done bottling up 50 pds from a dead out and the valve I'm using has to go.


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## Steve10 (Nov 19, 2008)

LT - sounds like something is wrong with the valve. I've got a plastic gate valve on a bucket that saw a lot of use before I graduated to a Maxant bottling tank with a dripless valve that....drips like the plastic one. I use to use it in the kitchen perched on the side of the sink and filled the bottles in the bowl of the sink. Any dripped honey was easily cleaned up with the vegetable sprayer. Still use the same system for bottling my small batches of creamed honey that way.......and still the last drop runs down the outside of the jar!!!!


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## Rob Hughes (Apr 23, 2012)

laketrout said:


> Whats the story with brass ball valves and food , is it frowned on or would you still have the horizontal part that's going to continue to drip after closing the valve .


Not sure officially, but I would guess that given the acidity of honey, you might get some leaching of metals, and corrosion on the inside of the valve if honey sits against it for any length of time.
Rob


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I'm not sure it is necessarily something wrong with the valve, as much as it is that each valve is different. The pivot bolt can make a big difference as to whether it leaks or not. The rubber gasket will also. 

I have more than 20, 5 gallon buckets fitted with the gate valves from two different companies. Of the 20 + no more than 5 or 6 will bottle without an occasional unwanted drip. But, some will work and never drip.

( Before someone asks why I have 20 + buckets with valves, it is because I don't sell bottled honey. I sell my honey in 5 gallon containers, and the customers bottle their own. Either for their own use, or for resale. If they don't have a bottler of their own, I make sure at least one 5 gallon bucket they purchase has a valve on it. Just a service I provide. Customers return the bucket bottlers when they are empty.) (No return on plain buckets) Sometimes they keep them all Winter. And yes, sometimes I don't get one back.

cchoganjr


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

A white one I got is terrible, honey dripping off the handle, the yellow one from Mann Lake is better. HH-606.


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## rjmeyer (Apr 6, 2012)

I have the yellow one from Mann lake and the ss one from BM..they are all going to drip alittle..i set mine so the permamant screw the gate pivots on is at 7 oclock and the thumb screw the gate hooks to at 1 oclock..this way the honey flow when opened doesn't reach high enough to get on the thumb screw side bump out and the drip coming off the swing screw side now drips into the jar rather than on the outside of the jar like it does when they are set at the 9 and 3 oclock positions which makes the gate valve wider than the jar opening. It helps.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

I use the Mann Lake one, and do as rjmeyer does, but also i fill the bottles skinny side forwards and catch the drip in the new bottle. As an earlier poster said the drip is predictable.


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

rjmeyer , was the ss one from brushy worth the price over the plastic ones , your talking about the one in the link I posted on page one correct.


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## rjmeyer (Apr 6, 2012)

laketrout..i like bulletproof but i have to say the yellow nylon one from Mann lake serves me well.,but i'm not doing thousands of pounds of honey each year,If i did i would maybe feel differently. Being in the plumbing trade for decades i've seen nylon pieces snap with tightening with the SS valve i would not worry about that and could make the seal to the tank tighter and avoid seepage at that connection point pre bottling during settling..and being a plumber i've given bottling valves alot of thought and i really dont feel you can do much better than whats available due to the nature of the honeys viscosity, if you heat the honey and get it to flow like water then maybe i would think differently. I dont heat at all even when uncapping but im a small backyard beek.


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## bbbthingmaker (Sep 26, 2010)

Maxant has a plastic honey gate that works very well. I think it was about $8, plus actual mailing cost, last year. It wasn't in their online catalog, I had to call them. Very nice and helpful people.


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