Pyrometer for your arch

[Brent]

Here is a link I found for a digital pyrometer that might be usefull to help adjust draft and tweak AOF and AUF blowers.

It will take our temperatures and has various thermocouple lengths up to 12" so it could go though our arch wall, insulation and bricking. I suspect it could be pretty fragile if you whacked it with a log. I have asked how fast its response is. I doubt that our stack thermometers are accurate to within 100 degrees. This might be interesting.

http://www.bartinst.com/KILN/Data%20Logging%20Pyrometer/datalogpyrometer.html

[Brent]

I'm going to order one of these 4678

Good to 2500 degress and accurate to +/- 10 deg F.

I'm going to try mounting it just in front of the flues to measure the actual temperature in the arch.

I believe that measuring stack temperature does not measure how hot the air is in the arch, but rather how hot the air is that has already blown past the flues. I think you can have a moderate fire, and blow too much air in and lots of the heat blows past the flues without increasing the boiling.

The best efficiency should come when with the maximum temperature under the pans and minimum heat going up the stack, but so far, I think most of us only measure what goes up the stack, unless you've got a Force 5 rig. So with a new high pressure blower (5 PSI / 50+ inch WC) going in the rig this year, I should have a lot of fun trying to tweak it. If I can I'll use the same device to measure stack temp with a second probe.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

how much is one of those

[Brent]

$150, 160 or $180 depending on the length of the probe 6" 8" or 12"

[maple flats]

I have a pyrometer in my diesel truck to read exhaust gas temperatures F. It reads from 0 to 1800 degrees. It came with the truck but is after market. It seems to respond fairly quickly. As I excelerate on a steep hill it climbs rapidly and as I let off at the top the gauge drops very quickly. This might be similar. Mine is made to be mounted in the exhaust, the one you show looks like it has plastic which might not be able to mount permanately. If you feel a need for one check for one built for exhaust systems.

[Brent]

Dave
I think the temperatures under the syrup pan hit 2000 or more,
which is why Leader and others tell us to get 3000 deg firebricks.
The Bartlet probe is all stainless with the sensor embedded in ceramic.

[maple flats]

That is just what my truck has. There are different ones going up to 2500 degrees that I see just from my first click on a google search. I see one for $109 with exhaust probe and digital. Others might go higher. My main thought is just that it should have no plastic on the probe, the readout doesn't matter. Check around, I believe you should be able to find a better choice if you think it necessary.
On my evaporator when I just had under fire air my temperature gauge in the base stack used to read up to about 1200-1300 degrees at times. After adding over fire air I have never seen it go any higher than 850 and that is not for long. If you get AOF the stack temperature will drop because you are using the heat more efficiently rather than sending it up the stack.

[Brent]

Yeh Dave you're on the same track as me. I want the hottest I can get under the pans and the coldest stack temp. Lots of heat going into the pans. It's going to be fun playing with the air over/air under blowers to see what really happens.

I ordered the Barlett units today. Made in USA. Shipping to me in Canada. I like to support "our" industries where I can.
Our economies are very interdependant.
Off topic: I like to see someone challenge all the Occupy Wall Street folks to stand up and take off all the clothes the have on ... that were not made in the USA. There would be a lot of naked people there.