Betterbee Lyson User manual

Questions? 1-800-632-3379
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Updated 2016 Page 1 of 2 ALL_Hand_Crank_Extractor_Instructions.docx
Betterbee
Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers
Manual Hand Crank Honey Extractor Instructions
Congratulations on your purchase! Please read through these instructions prior to using your extractor. Keep
the instructions in a safe place for future reference.
Section 1: Prepare Extractor for Use
1. Assemble the extractor, if required, by following the included instructions.
2. Rinse the honey extractor thoroughly with hot water and a small amount of dish detergent.
To avoid flooding the bearings, open the honey gate prior to washing to allow wash water to drain.
On models where the lower bearings are not covered by the extractor basket, cover the bearings with
plastic wrap before washing to prevent water from entering the bearings.
3. Place extractor in desired location for extracting.
Extractors with legs: if needed, place shims under feet to obtain desired height. Keep in mind the
height of the container you plan to pour honey into when choosing the height. If needed, the extractor
feet can be bolted to the floor or a wooden base to improve stability of the extractor.
Extractors without legs: place extractor on wooden crate or box to obtain the desired height. Keep in
mind the height of the container you plan to pour honey into when choosing the height.
Section 2: Honey Extraction
1. Open the honey gate before extraction and place bucket under valve. Do not extract with the honey gate
closed, as rising honey can damage the bearings and interfere with the rotation of the basket.
2. Load uncapped frames into the extractor. Evenly distribute the frames around the extractor basket to ensure
a balanced load. For quickest extraction, extract in a warm room (80-90+ degrees) with warm honey
supers.
Radial Extractors: Place top bar of frames towards the outside and the bottom bars towards the inside.
Tangential Extractors: Place frames with one side of the comb against the basket, with top bars pointed
away from the center of the extractor.
Tangential Extractor with radial adapter: Place adapters (2) in the bottom of the basket with the edges of
the metal facing downwards. Arrange the frames in the extractor with the top bars facing the outside of
the extractor. Up to three medium or shallow frames can be extracted per quadrant of the extractor.
®

Questions? 1-800-632-3379
[e-mail]
Updated 2016 Page 2 of 2 ALL_Hand_Crank_Extractor_Instructions.docx
3. Close the cover. Start extracting by slowly rotating the handle. Increase the speed as allowed by the balance
of the extractor. If load becomes unbalanced, reduce speed. Turn the handle gently in the reverse direction to
apply the brake. Rotating the frames too quickly, especially when full of honey, can damage the comb and
cause frames to break due to centrifugal force. If extracting tangentially, do not spin the frames too
quickly especially when extracting the first side of the frames.
Radial: Spin frames until honey is no longer leaving the frames.
Tangential: Crank the extractor until about half of the honey has extracted from the first side of the
frames. Flip the frames and extract the second side. Lastly, flip frames again and finish extracting the
first side.
4. Remove frames from extractor. Repeat until finished.
Section 3: Cleanup
1. Clean the honey extractor thoroughly with hot water and a small amount of dish detergent. To avoid
flooding the bearings, open the honey gate prior to washing to allow wash water to drain. On models
where the lower bearings are not covered by the extractor basket, cover the bearings with plastic wrap
before washing to prevent water from entering the bearings.
2. Once clean, allow extractor to dry completely. Cover extractor and store in dry area until next use.
Section 4: Maintenance
Your extractor is designed for years of service. To ensure a long life, follow these simple maintenance tips.
1. Be sure to clean extractor carefully before and after each use. Do not allow water into the gearbox or
bearings. Wipe with a dry cloth. Allow to dry thoroughly before storing.
2. Do not oil or grease the gearbox shaft or gearbox. The gearbox internals are greased during production and
do not require additional grease. The hand crank shaft is design to operate without lubrication.
3. Bearing maintenance:
Larger extractors (8 frames and up): Your extractor uses sealed ball bearings that do not require regular
lubrication. If you suspect that your bearings are failing, please contact your Lyson distributor for
information on replacement bearings.
Small Extractors (2 to 4 frames): The upper extractor bearing is built into the hand-crank gearbox and
does not require additional lubrication. The lower bearing consists of a Nylon bearing housing and
single steel ball bearing. This bearing is lubricated during manufacturing and should not require
additional lubrication. If your bearing requires lubrication, clean the ball bearing and housing, dry
thoroughly, and grease with a small amount of food-grade grease before reassembling the extractor.
4. Honey gate: clean the honey gate after each use. Adjust the pivot screw as needed so the valve moves freely
but seals fully when closed. The honey gate should not require lubrication, but if lubrication is desired be sure
to use food-safe lubricant.