Syrup level on Leader American pans

[Brent]

The new-to-me Leader 2-1/2 x 8 has American style pans,
drop flue, one float box on the flue pan and a valveless connection to the syrup pan with no float box.

So coming from a raised flue with a seperate float box to control each pan I started head scratching. I could see it happening late one exhausted night, that if I let the syrup go too far, the bubbling/foaming syrup could end up higher than the level in the flue pan, and when you need the flow into the syrup pan the most, it ain't gonna happen. Am I worrying about something that does not happen of am I going to have to be more on the ball to watch for this ???

[Haynes Forest Products]

Yes the over done heavy syrup can resist mixing to a point. The bubbles/foam and if its nearing candy it heavy shinny bubbles not foam. The hot sap will migrate to the heavy syrup but it doesnt like to displace it from the bottom of the pan. Thats what you want and need it to do but it will ride on top and that wont help with burning. Its like pouring gas in a bucket of gear oil and grease and wanting it to clean the bottom. Aint going to happen anytime soon. Plus you want a good size valve between the pans so you dont restrict it any. Gate valves are good because the are full flow type. They can get sedement in them so Handle up.

[Brent]

Thanks ... handle up would make a differnce with the sand.

Yeh the syrup does get denser doesn't it. And the less dense sap will flood on top. Jeesh if you tried you could have a fire under the sap, well a serious scorch anyway and that would spoil the batch and force a shutdown and a long cleanup.

I think I'll have to run this deep than I did not the raised flue Phaneuf.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It might boil up higher than the sap in the flue pan, but it is completely four channels opposite where the sap is coming into the syrup pan, so it doesn't affect the level in the flue pan in any way. I run my entire evaporator 1.5 to 2 inches deep and everything works much better like this. You don't have the sudden spikes in temperature you see when running it at a lower level and sometimes I can draw syrup off for up to 45 minutes with a slow trickle with just boiling raw sap.

I used to run it 3/4 to 1 inch deep, but after going to this level, I wouldn't go back. Lot less likely for any disaster to happen unless you do something stupid. I make mostly light and medium syrup running it this deep too. If I was running a raised flue, I would run the flue pan much shallower and run the syrup pan about 2" deep. I didn't see any loss of gph going to 1.5 to 2 inches deep.