Heating up drums of syrup

[DaveB]

Does anyone have any experience heating up drums of syrup with a barrel warmer? Similar to this:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/5W666

According to the additional information, it can heat up to 400 Deg. I don't expect it to heat up the drum that much, but can it heat it up to 180 Deg? I saw mention of these in a post earlier this year but it wasn't clear if the heated the drum warm enough for hot packing a drum.

I've been packing some 5 gallon containers and it's a pain pumping the syrup out, heating it up and then filling a five gallon container. I'm wondering if I can put one of these on a drum, wait till it heats up, then use a filter press to pump the hot syrup into five gallon containers. My packing tank only holds 6 gallons, so it would be nice to fill up several at a time.

Thanks for the input...

Dave

[Fred Henderson]

Home electric water heater use to that that type of heating on them before they went to the imersion type. Water heaters had an insulating jacket around them. Just how much that would heat up the barrel without insulation I am not sure.

[Haynes Forest Products]

You have to be careful that you dont over heat the drum some have a coating on the inside that can taint the syrup. Its like the coating in tin cans if you heat a tin can now days they burn and give off a nasty smell

[ennismaple]

Neat idea. I've never heard of it but I'm definitely interested in how it would work. Stainless steel drums would likely be fine but I wouldn't use it for any other drum type.

[brookledge]

I wonder if it would heat the barrel evenly without a good insulation wrapped around it. May get hot near the area you put it but unless you are circulating the syrup inside I don't think it would heat the barrel evenly to 180
Keith

[sapman]

These barrel heaters are the same things honey producers use to bottle from the barrel. Was looking at a friends the other day. I think he said he heats to about 120 degrees, but takes about a day to heat evenly. Heating to higher temps like we need does seem like it would be hard to keep it even. There must be some honey guys on here who could chime in?

Tim

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited