Honey settling tank 200 kg SAF, conical bottom

01 · THE CONICAL BOTTOM

The last kilos run to the valve as well

In a flat-bottomed tank, the honey lying below the valve outlet will not come out on its own: either you tilt the tank at the end or it stays inside. And it is not a small amount. In the flat-bottomed 200 kg SAF, 525 mm across, every centimetre of that layer is about 3 kg of honey, and thick honey or a cold honey house makes it even more stubborn.

Here the bottom is a cone that guides the honey towards the outlet, so the tank drains better. You notice it at three moments: when you finish off a batch; when you change honey type, because no leftover of the previous one mixes with the next; and when you wash it, because the rinse water also runs to the outlet instead of sitting in the bottom.

02 · SETTLING AND BOTTLING

Skim the foam before you finish

The tank cleans honey by letting it stand: air and wax particles rise and clean honey comes out at the bottom. The conical bottom changes two things when bottling. The little that settles, such as the first crystals or a heavier particle, gathers in the cone and comes out with the first flow: set that first jar aside. And because the tank drains right down, the foam layer eventually reaches the valve: skim it off with the paddle before the level drops all the way.

It is not a heated tank: no flame and no heating elements resting on the steel. If the honey needs warming, use gentle, all-round heat and keep it below 40 °C.

03 · BEFORE YOU BUY

If you work one honey type at a time and don't mind tilting the tank at the end, the flat-bottomed 200 kg SAF does the same settling job. The conical one pays off when you change batches often, bottle thick honey or want to wash it without leaving water in the bottom.

The plastic valve screws into the stainless union, so it can be swapped for another to suit your bottling line; check the union thread before you buy one.

Decide where it goes before you fill it: full of honey it weighs over 200 kg and will not be moved.