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Author Topic: Better honey straining?  (Read 3789 times)

Offline Sindirt

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Better honey straining?
« on: April 06, 2022, 10:43:30 pm »
Hi all
Wondering if there are better strainers/straining methods out there.... Currently I strain into 20l food grade drums and use the typical beekeeper double stainless steel strainers- with a courser strainer that fits over the fine strainer.

Trouble I find is the course strainer is pretty course - and the find strainer is pretty fine so ends up clogging pretty quick. Any better methods or strainers /processes?

Offline Lesgold

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Re: Better honey straining?
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2022, 12:13:17 am »
Hi Sindirt. I know what you are saying. After a while the strainers clog and the honey coming out of the extractor fills the strainers quicker than it drains through. I use three sets of strainers. When one set starts to clog, I move the bucket out of the way (with the strainers in place) and then position another bucket and strainers under the extractor. This allows time for the first strainers to clear. They are then scraped of wax and are ready to go again. I make my own strainers from cut down food grade buckets. Stainless fly screen and termi mesh are used as the straining screens.

Offline NigelP

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Re: Better honey straining?
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2022, 04:07:35 am »
I'm with Les on this. Three sets minimum.
The fact they clog shows they are doing their job and taking most of the wax particles out.
However, if you run through a 200 micron filter later on  (honey needs warming) you will be surprised by the amount of wax particles still in the honey.


Offline TheHoneyPump

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Better honey straining?
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2022, 05:58:41 pm »
I tossed all strainers many years ago.
The best and easiest way to clarify honey is by using a heated settling tank. A tank temperature maintained at 42C is perfect. A tank size that holds you whole day worth of extracting.
Run the honey straight out of the extractor into your bucket. Then dump the buckets directly into the tank. No filtering or straining.
Overnight the honey will stratify and clarify. Wax and bee bits, and air bubbles will float to the top. Dirt, sand, other heavy uglies, and some pollens will sink to the bottom.
Go back the next morning. Skim the wax layer off the top by a cupped hand or a ladel type shallow scoop into a strainer over your skims bucket. This is the only time you will use a strainer. Set the skim bucket aside for - whenever, could be days or weeks. Pour off the clarified honey into your shelf buckets and jars, through a tap and valve that is a few cm off the bottom of the tank. Save the strained, skimmed wax honey, for yourself as it makes the BEST honey spread.  It is literally la creme de la creme, the cream of the crop. 
Enjoy serving/selling your crystal clear honey without having had to frustrate yourself with strainers or filters. 

Hope that helps!
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Better honey straining?
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2022, 03:07:00 pm »
I use those same double strainers.  I have more than one.  When one is clogged, I move it to another bucket to finish draining and replace with the clean one.  When the clogged one is pretty empty, I clean it out, wash it (cold water so you don't melt any wax to it) and have it ready for when the other one clogs up.
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Offline Sindirt

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Re: Better honey straining?
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2022, 10:59:49 pm »
Thanks for the tips all, shall try them out and see how I go....

Offline Acebird

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Re: Better honey straining?
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2022, 08:29:31 am »
You don't need the heat if you don't want to use heat but settling will improve straining immensely.  If you have a lot of honey you have to put it in buckets.  If it is less than your spinner can hold let it settle a day or two and then strain it.  I don't put the coarse and fine strainers together.  The fine will always plug up first and then you have a mess.  As a matter of fact if you have to remove the honey from the spinner to do more just use the coarse strainer into buckets, let settle and then use the fine into another bucket.
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