Beekeeping

DIY solar wax melter: dimensions and drawings, how to make at home

Anonim

Solar wax melter is an equipment that is designed to obtain wax by melting and then straining old and damaged honeycombs. This process takes place under the influence of solar energy, which helps to achieve results at minimal cost. At the same time, making a solar wax melter with your own hands has certain features.

Working principle

This type of wax melter is considered quite convenient. Unlike other similar designs, it does not require the use of electricity. The design structure includes the following elements:

  • wooden box;
  • glass frame;
  • pallet in the form of a tray for raw materials;
  • container for melted wax.

The cover heats up under the influence of sunlight. As a consequence, the temperature of the contents of the structure also increases. Wax honeycombs melt at a temperature of +62-68 degrees. The case is able to withstand heating up to +90 degrees. Under the influence of heat, the wax becomes liquid and flows into a special container.

Wax melter should be used in hot and sunny weather. This is usually done in June and July. Fresh combs, which are not filled with anything, melt without residue and fill the tray. Old dark combs with the remains of pollen and cocoons leave behind waste that is poorly cleaned. Therefore, under them you need to put a wire grate. From it you can easily remove everything that remains after the firebox.

Pros and cons of solar wax melter

The solar wax melter is considered to be a fairly popular device, because it has a simple and reliable design. Before purchasing or manufacturing a product, it is important to familiarize yourself with its pros and cons.

The main advantages of the design include the following:

  • reliability;
  • high productivity;
  • no need for constant monitoring;
  • ease of use.

At the same time, the wax melter also has some disadvantages:

  • weather dependent;
  • the need for systematic wastewater treatment from wax residues and waste;
  • risk of incomplete wax melting;
  • the need to use multiple devices for large apiaries.

If the sun heats the structure very much, the device can bring up to 4 kilograms of wax per day. This is enough to serve the apiary, which includes 50 bee colonies.

Tools and materials

To make your own wax melter, you will need the following:

  • grooved boards 12 cm wide;
  • plywood;
  • wood slats;
  • 2 corners;
  • nails;
  • screws;
  • tray for loading wax raw materials;
  • tray for collecting melted wax;
  • saw;
  • hammer;
  • ruler.

To prevent nails from splitting the board, it is recommended to dull them a little. To do this, you can hit the sharp part with a hammer 2 times.

Drawings and dimensions

Before building a wax melter, it is recommended to prepare its drawing. It should be done taking into account the size of the metal baking sheet and the melted wax tray. First, you need to purchase or make fittings for the device, and then select the dimensions of the wooden structure.

How to DIY?

To make a wax melter at home, it is recommended to do the following:

  1. Make a box of boards measuring 45x52 centimeters. Moreover, their thickness should be 12 centimeters. To increase the angle of incidence of the sun, add another board 12 centimeters wide to one edge measuring 52 centimeters. It will act as a support for the device for the wax furnace.
  2. Nail the wooden planks to the ends of the planks.
  3. Pin to the bottom of the plywood bottom. It should be slightly shorter than the bottom.
  4. To close the remaining gap, nail the board. This is where the wax tray will be located. It needs to be strengthened.
  5. In an almost finished structure, install a tray on the board.
  6. Under the baking sheet at the bottom of the homemade structure, install and nail 2 slats.
  7. To give stability to the horizontal structure of the tray, it is worth nailing a thin rail under it in the corner of the bottom.
  8. So that the tray does not move out of place, you need to fix 2 corners with screws on the sides of the case at the level of its edges.
  9. After installing the baking sheet, close the structure with glass on top. So that it does not move out, you need to nail a stop bar from below.

Use

To maximize the use of solar energy, the body of the structure can be tilted. To do this, it is necessary to provide boards of different widths for the front and rear walls. The angle of inclination can be made arbitrary.

To use the design effectively, it is important to follow simple recommendations. The following should be taken into account:

  1. The wax melter's grate can periodically become clogged with melted honeycombs and debris. It needs to be cleaned in a timely manner. This is best done with a metal brush. To speed up this process, it is recommended to cool the rack in the refrigerator first. A building hair dryer will also help simplify cleaning procedures.
  2. It is recommended to use only dry wax as a raw material. Otherwise, the evaporation of moisture will provoke the appearance of condensation on the glass. As a result, the rays of the sun will pass through worse.
  3. Raw materials should be laid out in one layer. It is not recommended to install 2 frames on top of each other, as the bottom one will not melt too well.
  4. Pre-frames should be cleaned from drone brood. The larvae release moisture, which leads to fogging of the glass. As a result of reduced transparency, the sun's rays do not reach the device as well. This reduces its effectiveness.
  5. After application, the structure must not be left overnight with dry land. The fact is that the smell can attract ants.
  6. To collect melted wax, you should use silicone molds. This will make it easier to separate the frozen layer.

The solar wax melter is a very handy device that has many advantages. At the same time, it can be easily done by hand. In order for wax melting to be effective, it is important to strictly adhere to the basic recommendations of specialists.