Red Maples

[3rdgen.maple]

I tried replying to your thread on another drop flue question and all I could get was and internal servor error. I dont know why that happens but it happens alot on here for some reason. SO heres what I wrote.

Yeah never mind it still doesnt work. This site needs updating.

[3rdgen.maple]

Red basically what I was trying to say is that 12 to 18 inches is the norm on all the evaporators I have seen with a drop flue setup. I can say I played with the ramp with firebricks and went back to the original designers setup and it worked the best that way. Now if this post works apparently its a certain name that is being rejected or a combination of the name. I dont know but its irritating.

[Haynes Forest Products]

3rdgen don't feel like the lone ranger. Next time you get the server error. just type in some gibberish for a few lines and post it then go back and edit your first post and all is well......................DONT ASK

[3rdgen.maple]

3rdgen don't feel like the lone ranger. Next time you get the server error. just type in some gibberish for a few lines and post it then go back and edit your first post and all is well......................DONT ASK

Yeah I wont tell you how many different times I tried that. Each time it was a bust so I just got fustrated and did it the way I did and for some darn reason just leaving out a Patrick Phanuefs name it worked. Hmmm but it works now. This make zero sense to me. Maybe it just some key wording that messes it up but it happens to me alot and its irritating to no end.

[red maples]

Thanks for the reply, I do get that sevrer error sometimes too???? I played around with it by throwing a bigger piece of wood, like a 6-8 inch round piece of wet wood so it wouldn't burn so fast, rigth at the base of the arch and I seem to get a more consistant boil and beleive it or not a slightly stronger boil from mid to back pan but Gallons / hr seemed to be the same I but didn't have as much mixing or back flow when I fired or the fire got a little low(which the fire low doesn't happen much anyway except if I am doing something else boiling alone multitasking is a must). I was going to throw and extra layer of full brick loose on the bottom of the arch just to see what would happen if it doesn't work I can just take them out no problem. i still might play around a little.

[3rdgen.maple]

Playing is all part of the fun. Please describe the mixing or backflow. I had the same problem the first boil or 2 and but a cabash to it pronto. That is if you are refering to the sap backflowing into the float box and causing an inconsistant level in the pan from a raging boil to a lazy boil.

[red maples]

No not the float box I really don't mind back flow into the float box it helps to mix the cold sap with the warm sap and keeps the boil more consistant I took the 90* elbow out that you recommended and actually liked it better. So I get a better boil on that side of the flue pan beacuse its warmer beefore it even gets in there.

What I notice is that, when the boil in the front of the flue pan boils harder, it forces the sap into the syrup pan the level goes up, when that boil goes down in the front of the flue pan, then the level in the syrup pan goes down because it doesn't have that turbulence in the flue pan to keep that level up, therefor mixing with the left side section of the flue pan creating a longer boil making darker syrup and longer draw offs. instead of steady smaller draw offs.

This happens when ever the doors are opened even for a few seconds to add wood or if the fire gets too low. (I do use a timer to keep firings as consistant as possible) With the wet wood right at the base of the arch the fire needs to go up before it can go back. 2 of my theories are first since the heat is drawn up it forces the draft to come up more from the bottom vent as opposed to through the doors as much when you fire. So you get a more consistant boil resulting in a more consistant level throught both pans. Second theory is, it keeps the flames and the majority of the heat from the extra added air flow from opening the doors at a higher point hitting more to the front of the flue pan instead of going straight back and up the arch to hit more towards the middle of the flue pan. With the more consistant heat hitting the front flues resulting in a more constistant boil in the front, again keeping the pan levels more constistant.

[3rdgen.maple]

No not the float box I really don't mind back flow into the float box it helps to mix the cold sap with the warm sap and keeps the boil more consistant I took the 90* elbow out that you recommended and actually liked it better. So I get a better boil on that side of the flue pan beacuse its warmer beefore it even gets in there.

What I notice is that, when the boil in the front of the flue pan boils harder, it forces the sap into the syrup pan the level goes up, when that boil goes down in the front of the flue pan, then the level in the syrup pan goes down because it doesn't have that turbulence in the flue pan to keep that level up, therefor mixing with the left side section of the flue pan creating a longer boil making darker syrup and longer draw offs. instead of steady smaller draw offs.

This happens when ever the doors are opened even for a few seconds to add wood or if the fire gets too low. (I do use a timer to keep firings as consistant as possible) With the wet wood right at the base of the arch the fire needs to go up before it can go back. 2 of my theories are first since the heat is drawn up it forces the draft to come up more from the bottom vent as opposed to through the doors as much when you fire. So you get a more consistant boil resulting in a more consistant level throught both pans. Second theory is, it keeps the flames and the majority of the heat from the extra added air flow from opening the doors at a higher point hitting more to the front of the flue pan instead of going straight back and up the arch to hit more towards the middle of the flue pan. With the more consistant heat hitting the front flues resulting in a more constistant boil in the front, again keeping the pan levels more constistant.

Everything you described is what happen to me the first couple boils. When the raiginf boils pushes back into the float box it give the float a false senseof the actual level in the pans from the syrup pan right back to the intake on the flue pan. The elbow solved all this from happening. The elbow stops all the sap from pushing the float up in the hard boil and then when the doors open the boil dies the sap goes back out the float box and a whole bunch of raw sap gets dumped into the pan. I have had quite a few phone calls on this and PMs and everyone I told it to said it solved the problem for them.. I told Patrick what was going on and after him viewing what I described said he was going to incorporate that into his new rigs.