Heating Honey in Drums & IBCs

Honey will naturally crystallise over time, melting the crystals by heating can aid in processing honey. Check out the best heating practices for smaller and medium size batches.

Drum Heating Jackets

 

Some smaller users find that using an HHND 750W jacket that covers only one-third of a drum can work well when a drum is indoors and /or is covered with some external form of insulation such as a horse blanket.  The HHND 750W jacket has the advantage that it can also be wrapped around the circumference of 3 smaller containers such as 20 – 25 litre pails (subject to individual container diameters). For smaller size containers from 20 litres upwards, we have a range of insulated heater jackets to suit (especially for 20 to 100 litres drums), all thermostatically controlled.  All our heater jackets will achieve even, gentle heating across the whole of the jacket and therefore container surface.

 

For 205 litre drums, our most satisfied customers use the HHD 1100W full-length insulated heating jacket. Not only does a full jacket minimise heat loss, it also evenly heats all the way around the drum, from top to bottom. Temperature control is achieved with a capillary thermostat, so leaving the heater on overnight will gently melt the honey without any discolouration or loss of quality.

 

IBC Heating Jackets

 

A full IBC with 1400kg honey can take up to 5 days to achieve a melt. If crystallised, it may take a week. For this application, we recommend the IBC2 insulated heater jacket with lid. This has two independent circuits each 1400W. This jacket has the advantage of allowing different temperature settings or you can even switch off the upper circuit when the product level in the container has dropped below halfway.  Our total of 2800W for a twin circuit IBC insulated heater jacket is market-leading; always check heat output when making comparisons.

 

When heating IBCs, best results are achieved by placing the IBC on a plywood sheet or similar to minimise heat loss down into a concrete floor. The overnight ambient is also an important factor—one customer with freezing overnight temperatures had to build himself a makeshift insulated box around his IBC even with his IBC2 in place to minimise heat time.

 

Customised Heating Jackets

 

We can custom-make heater jackets to suit different drums, IBCs or tanks. Even large processors need heater jackets sometimes!  For example, Capilano ordered a custom jacket for a steel tank feeding their sachet filling line; the honey initially heated in their oven needed to be kept warm to completely empty the tank over several days.

 

Rental

For HHD and IBC jackets, we offer trial before you buy. We also have some rental jackets for short-term heating requirements (such as candied honey) Ask us for details.

 

Want to know more?

Get in touch with us via email at info@sbhsolutions.com.au or call (08) 7122 1114, and our team will help you to find the best solution.

 

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