Drop Flue VS Zig Zag Pan...

[owarzecha]

Ok so having a better pan made this year, wanted a drop flue but due to brake restrictions at the shop they will only be able to make a flue that is 2" x 4" deep... and in a 2' x 4' wide pan that would only be a couple flues...

The alternative is what i am dubbing a Zig Zag design... this has more surface area than what I would get with a flue pan... do you think it would work?

The one concern I have is cutting the end panel to weld to the "zig-zag". I can either have them cut out all the v's (blue) or weld just a square piece on the end (pink) which would take substantially less time ... My question is do you think the fins created by the flat endcap would help or just hinder the operation? Also going to have one divider put in this lengthwise...

Sum up... please vote Flue or zig zag... and cut the v's or leave it flat...

[twitch]

if you leave the flat it is going to be hard to weld in there might be easier to cut the v's. Flue vs V i would say it is all about surface area.

[bobbyjake]

if you leave the sheet solid across the back, the heat will make it all wavy and pull/stress the welds and eventually burn it up. Cut them out.

While it is true that surface area does play into the equation, the flues only have 0.6" - 1" of sap between the sides. The thinness of the sap allows all of the sap in there to get hot. The Vee troughs, although far superior to a flat pan, are very thin on the bottom, but relatively thick at the tops. The question is, what is the surface relative to the gallons of sap in the pan.

[briansickler]

I would go with more surface area. I would cut the v's out so the heat can flow through easily and not affect draft. But, If I were going to build my own flue pan, It wouldn't have the flues or the V's. It would be a drop tube pan like W F Mason makes. He's getting some awesome rates out those evaps. No bending needed for flues or v's. Just a bunch of tubes....weld at each end and your done. Seems like more do it your selfers would see how simple this design is and go that route. Just my 3 cents. Take a look at this photo.

Brian

[sugarmountain]

Thats an interesting design. I found an old flue pan exactly the same as that in the woods one time. That was like a 5x10 pan and was easily 70 years old or more so maybe that design is making a comeback. Isnt that how the steam away's are built?

[owarzecha]

Brian,

that is a really neat design, I am looking into it right now... I wonder if that works as well as his website says?

Thank you for the suggestion.

[owarzecha]

Ouch... unless you have access to stainless tubing that could get kind of expensive quickly...

[3rdgen.maple]

How do you clean a pan like that? I cant picture in my head how a brush can get in all the nook and crannies to get it clean. I dont like it.

[C.Wilcox]

How do you clean a pan like that? I cant picture in my head how a brush can get in all the nook and crannies to get it clean. I dont like it.

You just cook birch syrup in it....

[maple flats]

Do you have a unique brush to clean that pan? If cleanable it looks like a great idea. I suppose you could have strips of cloth, lower an end in and thread it under a tube, and pull back up, then just "shoe shine it"

[briansickler]

Brian,

that is a really neat design, I am looking into it right now... I wonder if that works as well as his website says?

Thank you for the suggestion.

Lots of people on here have them. Maybe somone who owns a W F Mason drop tube evaporator can tell us how they work and how they clean the flue pan. I've heard nothing but good on here about W F MASON, so if he claims those boiling rates you can most likely bank on it.

Brian

[briansickler]

You get a lot more of surface area out of those tubes than you think. I was doing the math. If you have 1.5" diameter tube the circumference is 4.71" times say a 48" long pan equals 226 sq in. per tube times 16 tubes = 3,616 sq in. divided by 144 gives you a total of 25 sq ft of surface area just for the tubes. That doesn't count the rest of the pan (sides botom etc.) You can figure another 12 sq ft or so for the sides and bottom of the pan. 37 sq ft of surface area. That's not to shabby for a flue pan design that simple to build in my opinion. He's putting blowers on these things too. I'd like to see one boiling. Check my math though. I'm quite sure Cicumference is still pi times Diameter. Pi is 3.14:lol:

Brian

[3rdgen.maple]

You just cook birch syrup in it....

Someone has been paying attention, nice catch.

[len]

The horizontal drop tube pan is very compelling- like that of a steam locomotive. :cool:

[Bernie/MA]

I made one like that. It worked ok but it took a lot of sap to cover the vees. They were bigger than that one looks but with 200 taps it took a 2-day run to get enough to start boiling.

[Bernie/MA]

I have a pressbrake and am going to try bending a flue pan. My idea is to make the flues with the botton v-shaped by bending each side of the bottom first, then bending the center. Run that by your shop owner. My brake is in an open shed right now and I'll experiment this summer.

[C.Wilcox]

Someone has been paying attention, nice catch.

Sorry 3rdgen, just couldn't resist. :)