Draw offs

[Father & Son]

I'm replacing the old style draw offs on my syrup pan and putting on ball valve draw offs. Right now I'm not going to use stainless fittings. Should I use galvanized nipples and elbows or black pipe?. Doesn't galvanized give something off when exposed to heat and wouldn't this taint the syrup?
Jim

[maple flats]

if you are not using ss I believe brass or copper would be better than either galv or blk. I have used a brass valve for 3 seasons and used copper to make a spout for filling bottles/jugs. What I did, the brass valve was 1/2" IPS, brass nipple from canner to valve, out of valve I used a 1/2 street 90 and a 1/2 IPS x 3/8 copper sweat male adapter to reduce size which helps reduce foaming in jug or bottle. If you look at the older leader evaporators the tube from the flue pan to the syrup pan was copper.

[NH Maplemaker]

Jim, all the fitting on my Dallaire evaporator are brass, evan the ball valve draw off!! They were that way from the factory. Guess there is some lead in bass,But when we were tested an were fine!!!

Jim L

[Sugarmaker]

Jim/ Chase,
Get that pan shined up. I want to see some blue ribbon syrup at the Crawford Co. fair this year. Glad I didn't tap yet, I'd be gathering up buckets in this wind.

[brookledge]

Definately I would stay away from black iron as it will always rust and more importantly when and if you ever need to take it apart black iron always is harder to do, and when using wrenches it is not good to put alot of torque on the pans cause the last thing you would want to do is tear the solder.
I think you will find that stainless is not much more than brass. If you don't want to go with stainless than I'd use brass.
Keith

[Father & Son]

Thanks for all the input. :) The reason I'm not going with stainless at this point is availability. Would have to order from a catalog and I want to get this together and do a test boil tonight or tomorrow since I'm off today and tomorrow. :D I picked up brass and will give that a try (took back what I already purchased). Thanks again :!:
Jim

[forester1]

If you weren't in a hurry ebay is a good place to pick up stainless valves cheap. You have to watch valves for a while to get a good deal, don't jump on the first ones that you see.

[Father & Son]

Thanks Jerry. I look on ebay for everything else but I didn't think of stainless. :idea: Good idea.
Jim