Niter

[Mark]

Does anyone know why you would have the most niter in the first channel of the flue pan? You would think that you would get none where the sap enters. The pan boils hardest in the front and I get some rotation front to back. What I am thinking now is that this does not allow the sap to flow properly through the 3 channels in the flue pan.

I am thinking the deck under the pan needs a little more slope to even out the heat better.
Has anyone come across this before?

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

That doesnt make much sense that it would happen that way.

[Mark]

The float box is on the opposite side and there is a transfer tube to get it over to the first channel. The float box is divided into two parts and the float side has an opening to the third channel. I have watched the flow and the sap is going through the tube like it should. Maybe the tube gets foamed up and some sap jumps the wall in the float box and then goes into the last channel.

[3rdgen.maple]

Your saying you get niter buildup in the flue pan? I have never seen that before. The only niter buildup I get or have seen is in the syrup pan and it starts towards the drawoff and works its way back. Do you run raw sap or concentrate it through an RO? What rig are you running and size?

[maplecrest]

the old timers would talk about it being more important to switch the sides on the flue pan than the front pan on reverse flow rigs.i noticed first thing on my cross flow rig that having sap flowing into flue pan at same channel was the worst niter build up. when cdl hooked up my technochaulk he asked me after in install where to worst niter build up was.so to probe is not there. and that is the hardest niter to clean out of flue pan.

[PETE FELCH]

you are not the only one with this problem, we have it also . The technocaulk helps alot. boiling permeate every night helps also.

[Mark]

What do you use to get the niter out. I use phosphoric acid for about a week and the scrub for days.

[Mark]

you are not the only one with this problem, we have it also . The technocaulk helps alot. boiling permeate every night helps also.

Is it the worst in the first channel the sap enters?

[sugarmountain]

Whats a technocaulk? I have never heard of this, just wondering. I flood my rig with perm. water every time i shut down, it does wonders. I know allot of people who run high concentrate use bubblers and that almost eliminates niter in the flue pan or it seems to anyway.

[Daren]

Hey sugarmt... Do you drain and strain the sweet when you flood with perm? Sounds like by doing this you have to resweeten the pan every boil. What do you do to prevent freezeups? Leave the whole rig empty? I'm confused.

[maplecrest]

i have a 100 gallon stainlees steel tank uner the drain of my flue pan and drain it into tank every nite. pump back in before next boil.

[3rdgen.maple]

This is all some good info. I havent seen this problem as I noted so can you guys tell me if you all run crossflow pans? How about posting what pan designs you guys have with the niter problem in the flue pan. I will be upgrading in the near future and was looking at crossflow pans and I am curious if there is a theme going here.

[Daren]

I have not noticed a prob with my crossflow pans but this will be my first season boiling concentrate.

[Mark]

This is all some good info. I havent seen this problem as I noted so can you guys tell me if you all run crossflow pans? How about posting what pan designs you guys have with the niter problem in the flue pan. I will be upgrading in the near future and was looking at crossflow pans and I am curious if there is a theme going here.

I wouldn't go with anything other than crossflow pans. I am not use to boiling 16 to 18 brix and making 4600 gallons without swapping out the flue pan. This year I will change out with my spare flue pan on a slow day.

I kept feeling the flues on the exit side every morning and thought I was not getting any niter in the pan but it was on the intake side. That is what has me puzzled.