# Filtering honey



## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

I always stack mine, works fine. Nobody told me not to. When the coarsest one clogs I clean it and put it back. I seldom use the finest 200 micron as well.


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## Planner (Apr 3, 2016)

I have processed hundreds of gallons with using both the 400 and 600 together. I don't use he smallest one. If they are getting full slow down and wait for them to drain and clean out the top filter if necessary?


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

mlmihlfried said:


> I am going to be extracting honey for the first time in about 2 weeks I have a 2 frame extractor and have ordered this filter and bucket from brushy mountain.
> 
> The instructions say to filter using one filter at a time, but I was wondering about stacking the filters one on top of the other starting with the coarse filter. If it works it would save alot of steps what do you think?


I think you will find the stacking a problem as you will have to back flush the finer filters often as the flow slows to just about zero. Having two sets of filters is a big improvement as you can alternate them. You will be flushing so dont make the mistake of using water hot enough to melt the wax into the mesh of the fine filter.
I used the bag filters that fit a 5 gallon pail and they are a huge improvement as their much larger area makes for a whole lot faster filtering. Mann Lake also has the filter cloth by the yard and you can make your own bag filters if you have a seamstress in the house. Make one for your cappings vessel too!


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I bought a few yards of nylon tricot to strain melted wax but am finding it works admirably for straining honey. It is the fabric old timers may remember was used in ladies petticoats. I bought a couple yards on line and it makes a lot of filters. 

Since I have not yet mfg any thing to support them over a bucket, i leave an inch or two of sag and tightly duct tape the fabric under the rim of the bucket. Tight i said!

A light just went off and I will be purchasing an embroidery hoop of the proper size tomorrow for trial.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Vance I have made a number of different hoops and perforated pails etc to hold the bag screens. What I came up with this year with the bag filters is to elastisize the top and roll it out over the rim of a pail and extract into the bag. Like you say the bag has to be tight if it does not bottom out in the pail. That is why I custom made deeper bags.

Anyways at about 3/4 full gather the top of the bag and tie it off. Now you have a bag full of unfiltered honey in a clean pail. Use bungee or shock cord with lots of gentle stretch tied to something overhead, pull it down and fasten to the gathered topnot of the bag. The bag gets slowly pulled up leavomg behind the filtered honey in the clean pail and the handful of debrus is neatly inside the bag! Takes about half hour tops and no danger of anything overflowing or plugging up.

I dont know if it was original thinking or I read of it somewhere but it sure works slick. Dont hold the bag and pour the honey through it: pull the bag up through the honey leaving clean honey behind and the wax or whatever neatly inside the tied off bag. I have not made up quick and neat attachment methods but that would be no trick to do.

The bags are easy to turn inside out and hose the wax off with a water spray inside the bag.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

The filters work great. If extracting crystallized honey you'll need to clean the fine screen frequently. Otherwise my screens stay pretty clean, probably clean them every 25 gallons. Like when spinning, you'll want warm honey for quick filtering. Never had an issue stacking them. You do want to make sure the breather tube molded into the side of the screen plastic stays clear for best filter flow.


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## mlmihlfried (Apr 17, 2014)

Thanks for all the ideas guys!


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Burns375; are you hot knife uncapping? I am finally getting most frames fattened up so need little capping scratching. When was doing almost all scratching I found screens were getting pretty restricted after half a pail.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

I notices no difference between the 400 and 600 and very little difference with the 200. 

When using two or more of these filter at the same time only slows things down. They stacks too high and when full crushes the rim of the bottom filter.

I use one per bucket and have all three on different buckets going at a time, one for capping and one for each extractor. 

Any wax that gets through just floats to the top with the bubbles anyways.


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

I initially bought a 200, 400 and a 600. I strain mine as it is coming out of the extractor. The smaller mesh was too slow. I settled on the middle one the 400 and have been using it ever since with good results. If something better and faster comes around I will try it. I like simple , fast, cost effective and effective with not a lot of clean up.


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