Hot Room for Liquefying Honey

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 100, Issue 5, 16 May 1960, Page 459

Hot Room for Liquefying Honey

CRYSTALLISED honey can be liquefied on a fairly large scale by using hot water or hot air as a heating medium. In this article L. H. JOHNSON, Apiary Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Palmerston North, describes a fireproof room heated by electric elements. It has been installed and is operated by Mr E. A. Field of Foxton. The liquefying of several hundred tins of honey without mishap in this hot room has shown the advantages of the system employed over the hot water method. Economy and convenience of operation are the main features. This system or modification of it would seem likely eventually to supersede the hot water method, but good management and watchfulness on the part, of the operator will always be of prime importance.

/"OPERATING costs of the unit are much less than those for the steam boiler and hot water type and there is not the same waste of tins through rust. Heating is started simply by turning on an electric switch; an electrically driven fan distributes the heat, and a thermostat stabilises it. A warm room often referred to in connection with honey production is one used to raise the temperature of honey in the comb to about 100 degrees F to make extracting and straining easier. The term hot room should not convey the impression of baking heat, but simply of stepping up warm room temperature to the minimum required (130-140 degrees) to turn crystallised honey into liquid in a reasonable time. Construction Details Under the roof of the main apiary building a small room 6 ft 6 in. x 6 ft x 6 ft 4 in. high (inside measurements) was built of concrete with the floor 2 in. higher than that of the adjoining room. The 6 in. thick walls and ceiling were built, of pumice 3 parts, sand 3 parts, and cement 1 part. Steel reinforcing rods were necessary for the ceiling. Extra insulation on top was provided by extending the side walls up to form a surround (in section 3 in. x 3 in.) and spreading dry pumice 3 in. deep over the ceiling. Before the walls were poured a door jamb of 3 in. x 2 in. timber was placed in position with bolts projecting into the walls for fixing. The Door A door 6 ft 6 in. x 2 ft 6 in., was built of multi-plywood j in. thick. To the inside of the door was fixed a sheet of reflecting aluminium foil and over this a sheet of asbestos cement board, which was packed out J in. from the aluminium foil. Hinges were made by bolting two strips of steel 2 in. wide and i in. thick and rolled at one end across the outer surface of the door. The door was swung by passing J in. bolts through the rolled ends and fixtures on the door jamb. At the opposite end of each metal strip a slot was cut to take a J in. hinged bolt fitted -with a wing nut so that the door when shut could be screwed up tight. On the inside edges of the door an asbestos gasket was fixed to form a tight seal. As the floor of the hot room is 2 in. higher than that of the adjoining room, the concrete edge at the

doorway was faced with a piece of angle iron to prevent chipping of the concrete. When the door is shut the lower edge with gasket is 1 in. below this ledge, giving the door a clearance of 1 in. when open. System of Heating Electrically Electric heating elements may be of one of several designs provided they are completely encased to be shockproof and are of a low wattage that will not run at a high temperature. Use of 1000 watt elements would give excessive localised heat. What is wanted is several low wattage elements giving a large heating surface. Eight 500 watt panel elements 16 in. x 14 in. x g in. thick were used and are very satisfactory. These elements are made of a heat-resisting substance incorporating asbestos with a nickelchromium alloy wire imbedded in the centre in a zig-zag pattern. The panels do not take up much space and are easily fixed in position. They were

attached two to each wall 6 in. up from the floor and wired through a thermostat placed halfway up the wall. Four of the elements may be switched off after the temperature rises to the desired level. The thermostat is set to maintain an average temperature of 140 degrees F. For a further check on temperature a dialtype thermometer was inserted in a J in. hole drilled through the wall near the door. The sensitive end of the stem projects 1 in. inside the hot room and the clock-face recording portion is on the outside. Distribution of Heat A type of motor with direct-coupled fan specially designed to operate in temperatures ranging from 120 degrees to 250 degrees is made, but as one was not readily available an ordinary J- h.p. electric motor was set up on the outside of the hot room wall and coupled with a f in. diameter

shaft to a fan inside the room. This allowed all bearings to be in atmospheric temperatures and therefore not in danger of seizing up through overheating. It is important to have the fan 3 in. away from the wall and to have a cowling about 4 in. wide encircling the blades. The fan can then pull air through the cowling and propel it in one direction. Though the fan was set near the ceiling with an air trunk so that air from the floor could be drawn up and blown over hot elements under the ceiling, it appears that this arrangement may not be necessary and that the fan may be placed in any convenient position, even near the floor. As long as the fan maintains air turbulence the temperature throughout the enclosed space will be fairly even. A 10 in. fan driven at the same speed as the motor appears to be satisfactory. To prevent direct radiation of heat on to the tins of honey nearest the

electric elements, sheets of asbestos cement board were placed between the sources of heat and the honey containers. Capacity Usually a loading consists of 96 tins each holding 60 lb of crystallised honey selected for blending. These are all set in two metal trays 3 in. deep, one on each side of the doorway. Damaged tins may leak when the honey is liquefied, but with this provision no honey need be lost as so often happens when tins of bulk honey are liquefied in hot water. Time and Cost It takes one man about two hours to load in 2 tons of honey in bulk containers. All elements are then switched on, but when the thermometer registers 140 degrees only four elements are needed. From a cold start it takes 60 hours to liquefy

completely. Electric power has cost about ss. per ton of honey. Tank and Draining Racks A room 8 ft x 8 ft 6 in. x 9 ft high adjoins the hot room. The floor is of concrete and the walls and ceilings of timber lined with hardboard. In this small room is set up a honey tank, pump, and draining racks. As the space is limited, each piece of equipment has to be worked out to a nicety to fit in.

The honey tank with a diameter of 3 ft 10 in. and height of 2 ft 6 in. holds 1 ton of liquid honey. It is set on a stand 5 in. above the floor. The tank, 3 ft high at the top, is at a convenient height. Liquid honey in 60 lb tins is taken from the hot room and poured through a strainer into the tank. The tins are then set on a frame of 3 in. x 2 in. timber which lies across the tank and left there for a few minutes to drain. No further manual labour is required, as the pump will deliver honey into tanks on a higher level in the adjoining honey packing room. Draining racks have been specially designed so that every ounce of honey may be recovered from the tins. As the space is limited, one rack has been built on the wall and a smaller one is set above the tank. Both the draining racks are hung from the ceiling and provide for a two-way fall for each tin. At the bottom of each rack is a metal tray which will deliver honey to the lower end. Each tin is pierced on one corner with a nail. A row of tins for final draining is placed on the rack with the nail holes down. Then a draining tray is set on top of this row to take the drips of honey from the tier of tins above. Similarly each row of tins added will have a tray under the outlet. Each tray in section is 9 in. wide and 3 in. bent

up vertically to form a channel and is the same length as the rack. The lower ends of the trays project clear of the rack so that drips of honey can fall into a 60 lb tin set on the floor. If the initial draining of free running honey is good, there will be less than 60 lb of honey from 40 tins.

Honey that drains from the tins on the rack above the tank is directed to run into the main bulk of honey. It has been found that the tank full of warm honey will keep the atmosphere about the right temperature to facilitate almost perfect drainage from the tins on the racks. Tins put back in the hot room to drain would dry out too quickly, leaving a film of honey baked on to the inside surfaces.

Washing Tins Tins that have been used should not be left long before washing. Honey left for some time will attract moisture, which will set up chemical action and remove the tinning. A simple but effective way of washing tins is to submerge them in cold water for a few hours. After being rinsed with fresh water they may be turned upside down and left to drain dry. Prolonged Heating May Darken Honey Honey may be scorched or coloured if sufficient heat is applied to liquefy it quickly. Not only excessive heat, but also keeping honey after it has been liquefied in a rather warm atmosphere tends to darken it. As soon as honey is liquefied it should be removed from a warm atmosphere. The worst darkening of honey can occur through the black substance which develops round the tops of tins getting mixed with honey as it is poured from the bulk container. This acid action of a film of honey on metal often occurs when bulk supplies have been stored for two or three years. It will pay to remove all the lids before honey is liquefied and examine the top of each tin. Any rusty or discoloured surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly. Photographs by Ivan Oxnam.

- 1-11 1 !i ii ai l* ai i TTI..P

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Avoiding Blockages from Tree and Plant Roots in Tile Drains

KJTOST trees and some plants such as chou moellier will send their roots 1 into tile drains. Deciduous trees such as willows and poplars are recognised as being particularly liable to affect drains and have been known to send their roots for distances of 2 to 2i chains into tile drains in search of moisture. Evergreen trees such as pines and macrocarpas are seldom considered as a threat to drains, but the photograph shows macrocarpa roots taken from a tile drain. They extended for about a chain into the paddock from the plantation. All trees should be considered with suspicion when tile drainage systems are installed and tile drains should be kept at least 2 to 2J chains away from deciduous trees and 1 to li chains from evergreens. Chou moellier may also seriously affect drainage and blockages have been known to occur two years after the paddock which was in chou moellier was resown to grass. Apparently the roots did not decompose and the water carried them down the drain to some place where they were caught up and accumulated. Chou moellier roots have also been found blocking a tile drain installed sft down in heavy clay. Paddocks which have tile drainage systems in them and are to be sown to chou moellier should have a strip of swedes, turnips, or a green feed sown over the drains. In some districts with very dry summers such as Hawke’s Bay rape may also send roots into tile drains in search of moisture. —K. L. MAYO, Farm Advisory Officer {Farm Drainage') , Department of Agriculture, Palmerston North