# bottling tank anti freeze



## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

Any see a problem if I fill the water jacket of my bottling tank with RV anti freeze?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

If it were me, I would just drain the water jacket and refill it if needed. I have tasted RV antifreeze and i wouldn't personally want it anywhere close to my honey. If you are confident that you can keep the two separated, I would do it and not brag about it.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

If your honey house is cold enough to freeze water, how do you work out there to bottle your honey?


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## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

My water supply is on a frost free hydrant. For those that dont know what these hydrant are, they are a faucet with the shut off valve 7 ft below. When the water is shut off it drains back and out the bottom. In summer I hook a hose from the hydrant to the water system. This feeds my water heaters, 4 sinks and a 300 gallon milk tank heating system Fall all get drained and RV antifreeze pumped through. The frost free hydant simply gets shut off but can be used when needed. Oh and I work out there with a winter coat on. I am also confident that i can keep the 2 seperate and I'm not a bragger. Just dont know how the heating coil will react to the antifreeze.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Gotcha. How about contacting the manufacturer of the heating coil and asking them that question? Then you'll know. I have a garden hose connected to my tank permanently, so it makes it easy to drain when I want to. But my bottling area is currently in my basement, so I don't have to worry about freezing.

In winter I work out in my shop in jeans, t shirt, long sleeve shirt, and insulated overalls. When really cold, down jacket over it all and jersey gloves on with the index finger and thumb tip cut out. Not pleasant actually, but I get the work done. And it doesn't get nearly as cold down here in Missouri as it does up there!
Regards,
Steven
Regards,
Steven


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## Riskybizz (Mar 12, 2010)

Probably best to keep the anti-freeze as far away from the honey house as possible. Keep it in the garage repair shop and take the time to drain your bottler after you use it. I bottled honey in New Hampshire when it was 30 below outside, but its fairly simple to process your honey before it ever gets that cold.


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

I bought a 100 gallon and a 500 gallon bottling tank for melting beeswax for candles and was told that the antifreeze will help keep the minerals from depositing onto the element and it also aids in water loss from evaporation. I 

bought these tanks used and the larger one had antifreeze in it so I just added city tap water into it. The smaller one only had water in it so we keep putting filtered drinking water in it. We keep it at 160 all the time and go 

thru 5 gallons about every month. 

If it was me and I was using it for honey I would call Maxant and ask them.


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## Rex Piscator (Oct 12, 2010)

Anti-freeze IS poisonous, and you want to run this through your bottling tank? And you're positive your water jacket is not compromised at all??

Thanks for exposing this practice.

How often do you check the water jacket for weld cracks or run a pressure test on it?


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## RickR (Mar 19, 2010)

Rex Piscator said:


> Anti-freeze IS poisonous, and you want to run this through your bottling tank? And you're positive your water jacket is not compromised at all??
> 
> Thanks for exposing this practice.
> 
> How often do you check the water jacket for weld cracks or run a pressure test on it?


RV antifreeze is one of the antifreeze formulations specifically produced to be non-toxic: Prestone RV Antifreeze MSDS. This doesn't mean that it is approved for use in food processing, but it doesn't have anywhere near the toxic potential of ethylene glycol based antifreeze formulations.


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## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

Rex Piscator said:


> Anti-freeze IS poisonous, and you want to run this through your bottling tank? And you're positive your water jacket is not compromised at all??
> 
> Thanks for exposing this practice.
> How often do you check the water jacket for weld cracks or run a pressure test on it?


Ok RV antifreeze is *NOT* toxic as stated above. This quote just kills me "how often do you run a pressure check"


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Ive heard of people doing it, would I do it?, no.
You can empty tank after each use by draining into a pail, or leave your heater on 50 until its time to bottle.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Is it even possible to pressure test a jacketed bottling tank? My two can't be. The water input is simply like a rectangular funnel, wide open.


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

We have replaced the water in our bottling tank with vegetable oil. It doesn't freeze or evaporate.


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hey beekeeper sd:

This may seem like a dumb question but do you use it with veg oil in it and if so for how many days, months, years?


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## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

beekeeper_sd said:


> We have replaced the water in our bottling tank with vegetable oil. It doesn't freeze or evaporate.


Thank you
This is the kind of answer I was looking for. I also liked the propylene glycol idea


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

beekeeper_sd said:


> We have replaced the water in our bottling tank with vegetable oil. It doesn't freeze or evaporate.


How do you keep it from going rancid? Or are you being funny?


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

We have had vegetable oil in our tank for about 3 yrs. now and it doesn't seem to be going rancid and, yes, we do use the tank with oil in it. I also have had oil in my candle wax melter for longer than 3 yrs. with no problems. Would I want to drain it from either tank and fry some fish in it? No, but it does seem to work fine as is.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

How big are these tanks? Does the oil hold the heat longer than water?


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## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

New oil should never go rancid. It goes rancid from food particles and juices.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Look up a product called "Dowfrost". I believe it is propylene glycol, and is non toxic. If my memory is correct, it is used on soda chiller lines( like at a bar).

For added safety, you could pigment it with food coloring.

Crazy Roland


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

sqkcrk said:


> Does the oil hold the heat longer than water?


 Yes it does. That is why these are oil filled and not water... http://www.bestelectricheaters.org/Oil-Radiator-Heaters.html I use veg oil in my 42gal bottler, once temp. is attained the unit cycles much less than with water...


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I highly doubt oil holds more heat per lb than water. I will have to consult my CRC a for precise comparison.

Crazy ROland


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

O.K. did some research and water holds heat better than oil because it is denser than oil, as long as both containers are sealed.. So in a bottler where the water has even a small opening it can cool faster than oil because it is evaporating quicker even though it is a small opening. Some of the reading suggest a thin layer of oil over the water to slow evap. So I will be draining about 3/4 of my oil and go back to mostly water....Anyone care for some fried bird ???...Thanks Roland for making me think....


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Honeydew said:

Thanks Roland for making me think.... 

No problem, Who says Crazy people aren't usefull?

Crazy Roland


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## bermybee (Nov 2, 2008)

If you can find a source big enough ‘glycerin’ might be something to look into they sell it a Pharmacies in small amounts as a moisturizer. They use it as stabilizers in thermometers pressure gauges, and to improve heat transfer in thermo-wells. You might want to check with the manufactures of those immersion heaters before you surround a copper immersion heater with oil. I’m willing to bet most of them are not rated to be use in such a low heat dissipating (if that’s the right way to explain it) medium as oil. Though they do make steel/SS or ceramic types for that purpose. I know a lot of euro machines(sumps, ,jacketed tanks) use "Thermo oil” whatever that is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol

http://www.chromalox.com/productcatalog/Industrial+Heaters/Immersion+Heaters/Immersion+Heaters+-+Screw+Plug/product-details.aspx?p=261

O and I no it’s thick and sweet but let’s not be adding yellow & orange food coloring to it.


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