Am I missing something or is there no information in the Flow Hive set up instructions on tubing/jars/jar lids? I looked in FAQ, searched the Forum and there is very little about:
Size of standard tubing on the market (25mm OD seems to be the size of the connectors) Can I just go and buy 25mm ID clear tubing at a local hardware store?
How to make a good lid for putting on a gallon jar that will accept a tube? What is the OD of a tube with 25mm ID? How to cut a nice hole that doesn’t have ragged edges?
I know that this is not rocket science and that I can make do but it just seems so standard that it is worth a mention in the instructions.
Maybe so few are harvesting that this is not high on the list of concerns in the forum but Flow Hive certainly should be providing tips.
Depends on the wall thickness of the tubing, and there is quite a bit of variability. I used a hole saw to make a hole which was quite a bit too small, then I ground the hole to a tight fit with a Dremel grinding stone attachment. It worked fine. There are probably better ways - I only made one lid so far, so I would be interested to hear whether others have a better way. It was a white plastic wide mouth lid and fits perfectly on top of my 64oz Mason jar.
Go over the outside. If you go inside, you risk honey damming back into the frame and leaking into the hive - it won’t like flowing uphill over the join.
I think over the tube as well, and you do not have to put holes in the jar lids. Cover the jar with 2 ply of saran, snip a small hole and then slide the tube in. I don’t want holes in the lids.
For volume work I might want to do the hole set up, but for now, with just the one Flow super I don’t.
Check Lowe’s or marine supply such as West Marine. Water potable hoses are available by the foot.