Front Pan Perfectly Level?

[Genson]

The concrete pad below our evaporator has settled and the back and front pans are no longer level. Shoulder the front pan be perfectly level side to side and front to back for optimal performance?

[shane hickey]

The concrete pad below our evaporator has settled and the back and front pans are no longer level. Shoulder the front pan be perfectly level side to side and front to back for optimal performance? Yes the arch should sit perfectly level I useally level the length first then side to side. Shane

[Ausable]

My Sugar Shack is in a low spot - so my evaporator shifts a little every year - depending how deep the frost goes - so I'm leveling and putting shims here and there most every year. As Shane says -- Yep - it should be level --- Mike

[Flat47]

Seems to be a part of sugaring: annual arch leveling.

Last year I had to level it before and again during the season. For me it's peace of mind knowing I leveled it and not wondering and worrying about it, or worse yet - scortching or burning the pan because a corner was high.

[red maples]

It can also shift durring the season as well as things start to thaw and ground returns to normal. since its frozen when we start and mostly thawed but the time we finish, I check the level through the season and may need to adjust towards the end.

[steve J]

I had the building shift on me right in the middle of a boil a couple years ago and the low spot became the back of the evaporator. I did not dare try to relevel it so I let the fire go out and re leveled the next day.

[Sugarmaker]

Yes it should be level within reason. Some out of level can be tolerated as long as you know where the high spot is and keep that covered in sap by at least 1/2 inch min. 3/4 inch would be better.
Frost is bad in our area also, so when we built the sugarhouse I put in a 3 foot deep foundation under the arch and have not had it move (heave or settle) in 10 years. The cement around it has moved but not the arch. I had the time and it was worth the extra effort.
As the frost came out last year it moved my neighbors arch (K.Talbot). He burnt some syrup and had a heck of a time also had to repair his evaporator (brick arch).
Chris

[maple flats]

level the evaporator. If hard you can also lift the pan and use varying thicknesses of pan gasket. However, the evaporator should be designed to adjust as needed. A slight difference in level won't make much difference in the operation, but it doesn't take much to affect the flow, syrup will stay in the low spot and lighter could over ride it. If it is off even a little, run the pans deeper.

[3rdgen.maple]

Guess one of the lucky things about lots of snow before a good freeze sets in, no frost shifting. Sugarhouse is a sand base with 3 inches of crete over it. Been that way for 20 years and only leveled 2 times, first time on the new at the time old evaporator was setup and a 2nd time when the newest evaporator was setup. I check it a couple times a season and hasnt moved yet. I got to say though that if I was in the middle of a boil and watched the evaporator shift I would be thinking alot of bad stuff.

[red maples]

we have pretty heavy thick frost here now its insulated by 1.5 ft of snow we got last wednesday.