Need a Float valve idea please

[Maplesapper]

Have a 2 X 4 pan, and need to figure out an easier way of dripping sap from my elevated 55 gallon storage tank into the pan. Any suggestions that involve items laying around the garage?

[Yorkholomaple]

Go to your local farm and garden store and check out there floats for livestock watering tanks. I have never tried one because i have an evaporator with a float box but always thought they might work if ya found the right one. let me know how ya make out if you try it.

[Harken]

On my 2x4 pan, I had a preheater pan that dripped sap into the larger pan. I relocated the small pan , mounting it to the side of the 2x4, installed a float valve, connected it to a head tank. Works great !! No more pailing sap into preheater & constantly adjusting flow rate. Can post pics if anyone wants to see them.

[jmayerl]

I have a float valve from grainger that is hooked upto an old float and sits right in the pan, has been working great for me. I can post some pictures when I get home tomorrow.

[Toblerone]

See this thread: http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=7796

[Bernie/MA]

I made one that worked good. Soldered a 1/2'x1"+ elbow to a pipe with the wide opening down, then rigged an arm with a rubber disc to come up against the opening, with the float I made on the outer end of the arm. The float could be any flat can.

[Leinie]

I rigged up a brass toilet valve and copper float ball to control a siphon feed from a barrel. I just got it operating yesterday and has run continuously for about 30 hours without issues. Knock on wood !
Next I'm going to make a few loops of pipe that fit in an electric roaster and splice it into the feed line. Fill the roaster with water and I'll have an easily controlable preheater.

[TimJ]

I have a float valve from grainger that is hooked upto an old float and sits right in the pan, has been working great for me. I can post some pictures when I get home tomorrow.

I'd love to see those pics.

[sticbow]

Yes, those livestock floats work great. Im using one for the first time this year. It fills at the perfect rate and and doesnt take my boil down except on a drawoff and thats hardly noticable.

[jmayerl]

sorry totally forgot till now(been busy boiling for the past week. The float worked great until the float itself had a seam go bad. it was a quick fix and back to boiling.

[frosty mugs]

Thanks for posting the pics. Looks like a nice idea.

[markct]

wow your rig must not boil very well if you can put the float in the pan, i know if i tried that the float would bounce way to much!

[jmayerl]

It does bounce quite a bit but it is a flat pan on the side where cold sap comes in so doesnt boil near as much as a flue pan would. also being a flat float 6"x12" there is alot of surface area. it seems to ride on top just fine.

[Harken]

Here are some pics (finally) of my "pre-heater to float box conversion". The fabrication was done by a friend of mine...he made the brackets, and welded it all together. Fittings are all stainless. Float valve is 3/4" with a copper float. We had to mount the float box lower than the evaporator in order for the float to work properly. Fittings were $48, labour and material for the rest were $80. That included welding a thermometer port in beside the draw-off port. This modification has made a world of difference in the effort required to make syrup. It was usually difficult to manually match the sap flow rate to the evap rate. Now the pan level stays perfectly constant, making the syrup draws more regular. Also, I don't think I have lost any evap rate due to cooler sap entering the pan. If I have, it is a small amount, but well worth the trade off !!
So enough of this cold weather - bring on round 2 !!

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[frosty mugs]

my evaporator is set up the same way. It looks like a great idea, I will probably do that next year. Thanks for posting.

[patrick]

those are some great ideas. im in hopes to make a one for my slef next yr thatnks for all of the ideas