Float box on small bros lightning 3x9

[1050jimbob]

I am a newbie, just setting up evap. What side does the float box go on when you are standing in front of the evap at the firebox.

[mapleack]

I assume you're talking about a raised flue evaporator. The syrup pan float should be on the opposite side from where you wish to draw off syrup. The sap inlet in the flue pan would be opposite of the side you put the syrup pan float in.

[Flat47]

We need more info.
Are you asking about the float box on the flue pan or on the syrup pan? Small Brothers made a couple of "stock" set-ups depending on your syrup pan (cross flow or traditional front/back). Traditional had the float box permanently located at the rear of the flue pan, either left or right inlet. From there sap went into a distribution box and then out one of two outlets and through a long pipe. The pipe could be used on either outlet to facilitate reversing the flow, and the other outlet got capped.
Cross-flow just had one copper pipe running from the outlet box to the other side of the rig.

[1050jimbob]

My setup would be the traditioanl style with a permanent float box on the evaporator pan at the rear on the left side. I am using a steam hood and preheater.I must apologize for my inexperience and lack of knowledge. Am I correct to assume that the sap comes in to the top of the steam hood, out the bottom of the steam hood in to this rear evaporator pan with float. From the evap pan to the 1st syrup pan float and with both valves open sap makes its way to the last syrup pan. I have a pic i can send that i was given of my setup before i got it. thanks so much for any help.

Jim from Ontario Canada

[danno]

[QUOTE=1050jimbob;184285]My setup would be the traditioanl style with a permanent float box on the evaporator pan at the rear on the left side. I am using a steam hood and preheater.I must apologize for my inexperience and lack of knowledge. Am I correct to assume that the sap comes in to the top of the steam hood, out the bottom of the steam hood in to this rear evaporator pan with float.

The sentence above is correct, but we need to work you through the next section. The sap from the flue pan will enter the syrup pan through 1 valve, not both. There are 2 valves becuase you can choose which side you want to draw from and you should alternate every boil, unless your cleaning your syrup pan after every boil.

For example, if you are looking at your evaporator from the end where you load wood and you have the valve on the right open and the valve on the left closed, you will have the float in the right float box and will be drawing syrup from the left float box.

One more step, if you have the right valve open, you may have a pipe in your flu pan where you can control which side of the flu pan the sap enters. It certainly enters thru the rear float box, but after that there is generally a pipe which can be alternated between the left or right side of the flue pan. If you have the right syrup pan valve open, you want the pipe in your flue pan dropping your raw sap on the left side of the flue pan. This way, the sap starts as far away from your draw off side as possible.

If you have not operated an evaporator before, go to a local sugarhouse and watch them fire before you try.