Shutting down rig at night

[jimsudz]

How do you shut down in the evening or should I say early morning? Do you block off syrup pan so the heavy doesn't mix with the lite? I usually let everything mix as the rig cools down. Wondering if I would make lighter syrup by blocking front pan, just have to make sure rig is cool enough not to boil dry. Tell me how you do it, thanks

[maple flats]

Here is a proceedure Glen Goodrich gave at a seminar a few years ago.
Evaporator shutdown procedure according to Glen Goodrich

1. Stop drawing and allow syrup to go a little past syrup stage.
2. Stop fueling
3. When boil stops, close ALL valves
4. draw off large draw into a large enough container with hydrometer in it to have a batch of proper density.
5. draw off from syrup pan until half of operating depth remains, saving as a 1st and 2nd draw, save and keep track of which is which.
6. leave evaporator until next boil.

To start next boil.

1. With valves still closed, start fire
2. When boil starts slowly open fill valve, reversing flow, gradually over a 3-5 minute time.
3. Add saved front pan draw slowly, adding draw 2 at new draw off side, adding very slowly
4. Then add draw 1 in same manner.
5. When in full boil slowly open valve from flue to syrup pan.
6. Very soon you will be able to draw as if you had never shut down, because you re-established proper gradient in fairly correct relationship.

[Haynes Forest Products]

1 shut down burner
2 close head tank valve
3 close valve between flue pan and 1 syrup pan
4 plug between syrup pans
5 drain all near syrup from front syrup/finish pans
6 vacuum out all loose crap from pan with Ridged shop vac (non foodgrade )
7 fill pan with pan cleaner
8 cover both syrup pans with custom covers to keep crap out and cleaner from splashing into other pans
9 hit burner switch and bring to a boil
10 shut down burners
11 look in finisher and admire days work and stick finger into syrup just to make sure im not dreaming
12 drag my sorry a$$ to bed

1 get out to bush and turn on vacuum and gather sap from the night before
2 drain cleaner from Sparkling finish pan and hook drain line to draw off port
3 spray with food grade water until pan is squeeky clean
4 brush the pans with food grade toilet brush to get walls clean
5 fill with last nights syrup leaving the dregs in the buckets and dispose
6 start up burner and bring to boil
7 open transfer valve and remove plugs
8 clean up sugar shack and take recycling in for tidy little profit on the aluminum
9 head out to gather sap:)

[talahi maple products]

Thanks Maple Flats & Haynes, That is very helpful, This is my first year on a
2x8 Sectional pan, and this shut down Procedure makes a lot of since.Thanks

[Sugarmaker]

We add a lot of extra sap in all compartments of all pans to allow it to cool down, and not boil away. Like 4 inches deep.
I have and most of the time plug off the partitions so that I can be making syrup quiclky when I start the next time.
SM

[Maplewalnut]

I do similiar to Sugarmaker. I have a line marked on my feedtank that I stop adding wood. After a while the fire burns down and I flood the syrup pan from the flue pan and flood the flue pan with what raw sap is remaining in the feed tank. About 2 inches higher in each case. Close valves. Turn off blower and go to bed. When I come back out I start a fire and begin feeding sap to flue pan and slowly add sap back to syrup pan to form gradient.

[green4310]

When the feed tank goes dry and no sap is coming in, I close off the syrup pan feed valve. I open all the covers to let heat escape, and I continue cooking until it is all down into the flues. I have level gauge marked. I then kill the burner and after a minute drain the syrup pan. I like the pan cleaner idea. I am going to try that one.....Thanks

[Dill]

I have a line of no return on the head tank. When I hit that I turn off the blower and stop adding wood. Usually I have some syrup to bottle etc before I leave the sugar house. I block off the flu from the syrup pan to prevent mixing. Shut off the valve to head tank.
And I pat her on the side, say goodnight, and I'll see you tomorrow.