feedback on Lapierre 24"x 60" prior to purchase

[MapleME]

There is another discussion going on about evap rate for the rig, but curious if anyone else with this evaporator can weigh-in on how they like it. Feedback is welcomed. Looking at a purchase of this rig soon, as long as I don't hear anything too bad :)

Thanks!
MapleMe

[Dennis H.]

I got mine last year from the maple guys.
Very thing on mine is stainless. I like the fact that with the raised flue pan that I can regulate each pan to the desired depth.
I was able to get about 25gals/hr out of mine with no trouble. I did use arch board under the firebricks. I changed the way the rear is bricked for this year. I just wasn't get a real good fast boil in the back part of the flue pan. now I am hoping the heat will stay up in the flues longer.
The build quality was what I was expecting from a company like lapierre.
The only thing that I can complain about are the firebox doors. For this small of an evap, 24", a single door would have been better. Also I guess the plastic wrap that was on the SS, that stuff was a real pain to remove. It left a sticky residue on the SS that I had to remove with mineral spirits.
All and all I can not be any happier with the evap I got from lapierre.

[Jec]

Dennis H what did u change? They said to build the back of the arch up with sand and bricks and then slope it down 6" from the stack. Is that what u changed or did u change something else?
Thank you,
Joey

[MapleME]

Thanks for the feedback, also interested in what you changed Dennis.

Josh

[glfisherman]

That is the exact rig we purchased this year, cant wait for March to roll around. Havent got to fire it yet, but i agree with Dennis that it would have been better with a single door. It is a beautiful rig with the stainless option.

[MapleME]

What do you all do for a floor of the fire box? I have a wooden floor in my sugarhouse with he evap sitting on a 12x4 foot piece of SS sheet metal. My old evap had a ashpan, this evap just seems to have nothing under it. Not a big deal if you have a concrete or gravel floor.

[Dennis H.]

What I changed on the evap for this season is 2 things, I made an airtight door for the front and I re-did the bricking in the back under the flue pan.
I got talking to a few fellow traders a while back at a meet and eat!! What I came away from that with is that you don't need any more room under than the than the smallest area for the smake and gases have to go thru. Clear as mud right. Let me try and explain.

The smake stack that sits on the back of the arch is something like 3.5"x20" so that makes it somewhere around 70sqin. SO technically speaking that is all the room that you need anywhere under the flue pan. So instead of having a slopping rear part of the bricking, I kepth the bricking flat right under the flues till about 6-7" from the stack base front lip. I am hoping that this will keep the flames and heat up in the flues longer. I was having a though time sometimes keeping the back of the flue pan boiling. I think there is pics of it somewhere here on the trader but that was before the big changes. I will try and remember to put thim in my gallary tomorrow.

The other thing I did was the airtight front door, I wanted to do away with the double cast doors and have a single door to worry about. Also If I decide to add forced air now the door is already in place. The way I fab'ed up the door it could be mounted to the arch front without modifiing the arch in anyway. I used the hinge bosses on the arch fron for both the door hinge and a place to mount the latch to hold the door closed. I can remove the new door and put the old double doors back on in about 2 minutes. I will try and place pics of that as well in my gallary tomorrow.

[MapleME]

Dennis, I think I understand what you are saying about the back of the arch. I just picked my evap up last night. At the top of the ramp under the flue pan, it is bricked all the way to JUST below the top metal rail that the pans sit on. I thought this was strange, but the dealer said all it needs is 1/4 inch so that all those hot gasses and flames are sucked up in to the flue. The small section after the brick (maybe the size of a large shoebox) has brick on the bottom, fire board and finally leveled off with vermiculite.

Sounds like this is what you kinda did, no?