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Select a Category to view the
associated Frequently Asked Questions |
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Question:
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What is the best
height to fill the water to in the jacket of the
Oil-Wax Heater (Melter)? |
Answer:
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Just fill it till you see some water at mid-way
up the spout. Fully heated, it will only raise the level about
an inch. If you accidentally fill it to overflowing, don't
worry; it won't hurt anything. Just wait till it evaporates
down. Just make sure it is not dripping on your Thermostat and
Electrical Box!
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Question:
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As a time saver, can
I premix my oils in the heater and use them up over a period of
a week or more? Can the oils be reheated each day or
continuously left at 110 degrees without unacceptable
degradation of the oils? |
Answer:
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Yes, you can premix and heat your oils and use
them over the course of several days or a week. If you put a
moving quilt or blanket over the heater, it will keep warm for a
couple days - not at 110 degrees but where it is very easy to
reheat. There are several things you can do so you don't have to
wait so long for the oils to heat up, which also makes it very
cost efficient. You can put an insulation blanket around the
heater similar to the kits they sell for water heaters. A
reflective space blanket from a sporting goods store does very
well over the insulation. You can also put the heater on a
timer so that it kicks on
before you start in the morning, say a half hour to an hour
before. This, of course, saves waiting time.
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Question:
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Does the
Oil-Wax Heater (Melter)
maintain a constant temperature at the level required? |
Answer:
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Yes, but you need to keep notes on the first few
batches and mark the dial indicator. The water jacket provides
an even heat and helps provide a regulated and constant
temperature, but remember, you should try to maintain a fairly
constant room temperature. A fluctuating room temperature will
make it difficult for your thermostat to control a constant
water jacket temperature. An insulation jacket can eliminate
these fluctuations.
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Question:
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In my country, our
electricity is based on 220V. Will this be a problem in using
your 15-gallon, Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) with the 110 volt heat/thermostat,
since they will be coming from the United States? |
Answer:
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No problem with 220 voltage. For your particular
order, I will provide a 220-volt, 3000-watt heat/thermostat unit
instead. We do this for many International customers. All of our
heater elements and thermostats also work on both, 50 and 60
cycle circuits.
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Question:
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Is it possible to mix
the base oils, water and lye for tracing in the
Oil-Wax Heater (Melter)? |
Answer:
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Yes, you can mix your oils and lye to trace in
our Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) s. There is a chance that it can thicken to the
point you can’t pour it out though. Be careful and watch your
trace. This is not the most efficient way to mix your oils and
lye but for moderate to light production, it works.
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Question:
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When making CP soap,
can we add the essential or fragrance oils into your 15 gallon
Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) s? |
Answer:
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We do not recommend this but it can be done. If
the batch seizes up or comes to, too thick of a trace, you will
have to dip it out. If you must mix in the Oil-Wax Heater (Melter), it would
be best to bring the base oils and lye to a light trace. Then,
transfer it to 5 gallon buckets and mix your FO’s, etc. in
there. Also very important….Always test your scents before
making a large batch, some can seize very quickly.
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1.5 inch Ball Valve
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Question:
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Will I need a pump
connected to the Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) for direct pouring into my molds? |
Answer:
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You will not need a pump. You can gravity feed
the material fairly easily if you use our 1.5” Three Way Ball
Valve. This allows a full flow at a 90 degrees turn of the
handle.
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Question:
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What is a Ball Valve? |
Answer:
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It is a means to turn on and off the flow of the
liquid. It is basically a large faucet with a fast shut off. To
see a picture of this, go to
http://www.soapequipment.com/heaters/
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Question:
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I am interested in
your 35-gallon stainless steel container for pasteurizing milk.
Is the jacket all the way round it? Can I run 165-degree water
around the inside tank to heat up milk to 160 degrees and how
much pressure, can the jacket handle? |
Answer:
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Yes, the jacket goes all the way around, bottom
and sides. I am not sure how much pressure you would want to
apply but I imagine you could run a pretty good stream around
it. There is an inlet and outlet so I assume that it would be
easy to run water in to it. The tank is designed to go beyond
boiling point. 160 to 180 degree temperatures are commonly used
for making liquid soap, so I see no problem with milk.
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Question:
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We need a tank for
heating cutting oil. Do you know what grade of stainless steel
is used and the gauge thickness? Is there a drainpipe that can
empty the contents from the inside tank? |
Answer:
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They are made of 304 stainless, 24 gauge. There
is a 1.5" diameter, 6" long, outlet nipple that is also
stainless. This drains the inside tank.
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Question:
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Could you please tell
me if your Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) s have the capacity to heat beeswax as
well? This would be used in cosmetic items, not soap making.
Also, it is hard to tell if there are spigot valves for pouring
into small containers. |
Answer:
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Yes, our Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) s will melt beeswax, candle
waxes, and M&P. The tanks come with Ball Valves. These control
large volume flows. If pouring into bottles or small cavities
such as for M&P molds, etc. then it is best to have a reduction
to a smaller valve such as a ˝” (1.3cm) ball valve. The ball
valve gives you a couple of ways to come out of the tank without
reduction of flow and this works as a quick safety shutoff. You
could at that time header off. By this, I mean come out with a
horizontal pipe with a T fitting, and then go to two valves and
fill two containers at once. A little tricky on control but this
can be done. We can provide anything you want as far as valves,
piping, etc.
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Question:
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Does your
Oil-Wax Heater (Melter)
Thermostat read in both Celsius and Fahrenheit? |
Answer:
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The Thermostat for our Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) are
registered from 0 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Most people
who need Celsius do not find this a problem in that after a few
uses, they just put a mark at a point or points on the
thermostat knob and then just turn the knob to that point.
The thermostat is an analog thermostat (a mechanical dial type).
You can even put a sticker over the numbers and note increments
in Celsius.
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Question:
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I notice that your
Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) are double jacketed and that I must keep water
in the outer jacket. What happens if I don’t always pay
attention to this? |
Answer:
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Your heating element will burn out. You
should check your water levels before every use. By doing
this one simple thing, your Oil/Wax Heater should give you many
years of service.
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Question:
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Do you have and will
you install timers on your Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) for automatic turn
on? |
Answer:
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We can put timers on the units. They are 220v,
30amp, digital timers, with 4 possible cycles in a 24 hour
period. Weekends can be on or off. You can have battery
back-up. The timers are hard wired and left loose and mountable
to the stand or wall where the Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) will set.
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Question:
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How much oil/water is
left at the bottom of the tank when it is drained? |
Answer:
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If you tilt the tank 1/4" from back to front, it
will drain completely.
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Question:
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At what flow rate
does the Oil-Wax Heater (Melter) drain without a transfer pump? |
Answer:
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We put a 1.5" outlet on the tank. The Ball Valve
opens fully. We have never timed it, but I think it empties in
about 30 seconds or less.
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Question:
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Can you set an Oil
Heater or Lye Tank at a particular set point and will it
maintain that temperature? |
Answer:
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Yes, your Oil Heater or Lye
Tank, will maintain an even temperature by just setting the
dial on the thermostat to a particular set point.
The temperature sensing bulb,
is actually in the water jacket, not in the inner tank. The
reason for this is because they are very fragile and
sensitive. It is placed in the water jacket to protect the
bulb and capillary tube from being hit by stirring or by
liquids being poured in, etc. It is also surrounded by
liquid making it more sensitive to changes in temperature.
The thermostat turns on and off
with changes of + or -, 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
There will be a slight
temperature variance between the inner tank and the water
jacket but if you insulate it, the difference is very
slight. No matter what type of tank you buy though, single
or double jacketed, you always want to check the contents
temperature and at first, make notes on the dial setting.
This way you always know right where to set your thermostat.
You can even place a mark at the setting or settings so that
after a short while, you can just turn the knob to the mark.
Because it is a water jacketed
tank, it will maintain a very constant and even heat. The
jacket goes nearly all the way to the top of the inner tank
so no matter how high the contents are that you are heating,
the heat will be evenly distributed.
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