leader evaporator question

[SPILEDRIVER]

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has leader ever built a 3 pan evap in the past?i bought a used evap this week on a home built arch.it has a 2x3 drop flue and a 2x2 divided syrup pan,there are float boxes and draw offs but things just dont seem to line up when you put it together the way the previous owner had it.when you put it together the logical way the inlets/outlets dont line up.while working on it i noticed the leader lable read as follows...leader evap type VT...flue pan 2x3/center pan 2x2/syrup pan 2x2....in that order...ive never seen a 3 pan manufactuered evap,but if this is the case im assumeing my "center pan"is missing....its not a problem ive got it working great,did 4.5 gallons on it yesterday but im curious

[maple island farms]

until recently my family always used a leader 3 pan 3x10 . short drop flues in front flat pan center and deep drop in back. many good memories on that rig.

[onthehill]

The original 3 pan evaporator was made by Vermont Evaporator Co from Ogdensburg, NY. Leader Evaporator bought them out. They did have a 3 pan system shallow flues on the front, center syrup pan and deep flues on the back.

[SPILEDRIVER]

okay than i guess im missing the small flue front pan which would exsplain the extra float/draw off boxes on my syrup pan and would allso confirm to me that i now have the syrup pan mounted correctly...that said is there anyone who could exsplain to me the flow from sap inlet to syrup threw the 3 pan setup....even better anyone got some pictures???? or some pans???

[BryanEx]

The original 3 pan evaporator was made by Vermont Evaporator Co from Ogdensburg, NY.
A company called Vermont Evaporator was located in New York?

[onthehill]

Yes, Check out the casting on an old Vermont evaporator...it is cast right into the iron..."Vermont Evaporator Co, Ogdensburg, NY

[onthehill]

" is there anyone who could exsplain to me the flow from sap inlet to syrup threw the 3 pan setup"

The sap feed was on the front of the deep flue pan (float, bridge and regulator in external "pocket" on outside of pan"; sap traveled to back of deep flue pan through opening in center divider and back to front of deep flue pan on opposite side; then it went through the far side of the syrup pan to the shallow flue pan (syrup pan was diveded in the center and then cross ways in either 2 or 4 sections); the shallow flue pan had 4 or 6 dividers parallel with the length of the evaporator; the sap then went into the syrup pan from the shallow flue pan and syrup draw was right beside the sap feed.

[SPILEDRIVER]

thanks onthehill that clears up alot for me....now i gotta see if i can find a shallow flew front pan,would be neat to get this back to original...if not ill have to make a few modification to the syrup pan to give it a flow route of a regular 2 pan evap,sounds like ive got my summer project now,but it has to wait sap is flowing bigtime today and looks good for the next few d

[wally]

prior to the raised-flue 2x6 stainless, that 2x3, 2x2, 2x2 drop-flue setup was exactly what we had. used it for about 4 years. it was probably 30+ years old when we got it.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

bro - inlaw had at one time a 31/2 by 8 or 10 with 3 pans old english tin and almost positive it was a leader unit. His center pan or syrup pan went cross ways across evap instead of long ways with it

[Flat47]

Leader continued to make the Vermont 3-Pan into the early 1990's. At that time they had stainless soldered pans.

And, yes, the Vermont Evaporator Company was in New York. Today they'd probably call that false advertising.

[woodkutter]

If you get a shallow flue pan in the front, don't try to run your sap level too low. That front pan will boil really hard and your last partition can get almost finnished syrup in it and it won't circulate because its foaming too hard. Keep the level at the top of the connection tubes. Been boiling on a 5x16 Vermont special for 40 years and have been very close to a couple of meltdowns. If you are going to have a new pan built I would recomend a flat pan for the front. A Vermont will boil hard, but syrup in a shallow flue pan is asking for trouble. Hope this will help you a little.