Radial honey extractor: design device and how to do it yourself

A honey extractor is a necessary device that every beekeeper should have. It quickly pumps out honey and does not damage the surface of the honeycomb. Consider the design and principle of operation of a radial honey extractor, the advantages of using the device in a home apiary. How to make an effective honey extractor with your own hands, what you need from tools and materials.

Design features

Honey extractors extract honey from honeycombs by exposing them to centrifugal force. They allow you to timely and most importantly quickly pump out the product, while maintaining the integrity of the framework. Honey is pure, without impurities, and the beekeeper greatly facilitates his work.The devices differ from each other in the location of the cassettes where the frames from the beehives are installed.

All honey extractors consist of an external tank, an internal drum - a rotor, frames with honeycombs are inserted into it, an engine or a manual drive. The device, minimal in volume, can pump out honey from only 2-3 frames. Large honey extractors are designed for 50 or more frames.

Types of honey extractors

There are chordial and radial devices. For the first, the frames are installed under the inner walls of the tank, on the chords of the circle. They are designed for apiaries with a small number of hives, because they fit no more than 6-8 frames.

In radial frames are set along the radii of the circumference of the tank. These are advanced designs that are more efficient. Of these models, you need to choose wide ones, because the larger the diameter of the device, the more frames you can install, and the pumping is better, because the farther from the center the frames are, the faster and better honey is removed from them.

Devices are divided into:

Non-reversible, in which honey is pumped out only from one side of the frames, after which they need to be rotated and the process repeated.
Turnable manual, they can rotate in both directions, but you need to change the direction of movement and rotate the drum manually.
Reversible, which rotate according to the same principle, but the rotation is carried out using an electric motor.

The advantage of an automatic honey extractor is the ability to select and control the rotation speed, no need to expend physical effort.

Manual honey extractors are cheaper and can be used even where there is no electricity. But they also have significant drawbacks: low rotation speed and, accordingly, pumping, it is difficult to control a constant speed.

Advantages of using a radial honey extractor

How is it superior to chordial devices:

Productivity exceeding chordial at least 2 times.
Autonomy, no need to monitor its work.
Full extraction of honey, not a drop of product remains in them.
Does not damage honeycombs, can be reused.
Easy to maintain, the comb can be easily removed after pumping out, and the structure is easy to clean.
The cassettes are securely fixed, do not change location during pumping, are not damaged.

In general, radial honey extractors are more convenient and productive than chordial ones, more advanced.

Preparation of tools and materials

Radial honey extractors can not only be bought, but also made by hand. You will need a large stainless steel container that will not oxidize when in contact with honey.You can take a tank from an old washing machine. You will need a welding machine, which welds all the holes in the tank, welding the patches. You will also need a drill to drill a 2.5 cm hole for the finished honey to exit at the bottom of the tank. A rubber ring and a tap are attached to it, which can be opened when the container is full.

To make an automatic honey extractor, you will need an electric motor (you can take it from a washing machine), a speed controller.

Handmade

Production sequence:

Take a container with a diameter of 88 cm and a height of 70 cm.
Remove the bottom and put in its place a piece to size, cut from sheet steel. It should be slightly concave for honey to drain. Weld it to the container. A hole needs to be made in the center.
Install a steel tube in the center of the tank.
Weld 2 crosses to it at the top and bottom. The distance between them should be equal to the height of the frames.
Weld metal rims with a diameter of 77 cm on the crosspieces. An additional inner rim of a smaller diameter is installed below. Grooves with an internal dimension of 6.1 cm should be welded on them, which will be fastening for the frames.
The whole structure is attached to a metal bar that runs along the top of the tank diameter.
Attach the motor pulley to the center of the tube.

For a small honey extractor, you can take an 80-90 W motor.

Before using the internal parts of the home honey extractor, rinse and dry. Install the honey extractor on a flat surface, you can check the correct installation using a level.It is important that the device is stable during operation. Both the safety of the honey extractor and the integrity of its parts and frames depend on this.

Before launching, insert frames into the crosspiece. Zabrus with them must first be cut off. They must be securely held in the grooves. Place a container under the drain hole.

After pumping, also rinse the inner walls of the tank and all metal parts, preventing liquid from entering electrical devices. After drying, lubricate all moving parts with machine oil to prevent rust.

Those who keep an apiary cannot do without a honey extractor. And the more hives, the more the need for it increases. The device can be purchased at the store, but most models, especially those with high performance, are expensive. That is why you need to think about how to make a honey extractor with your own hands from improvised materials, spending the minimum amount of money on the product.