tylerj
11-20-2012, 10:14 AM
Hello,
Built a 2x6 copper pan going into its 3rd year of use and it works great. Front 2' section has the 3 compartments for finishing. Divided the last 4' into 2 - 2x2 sections each with about 20 - 3/4" x 6" drop flues. The boil starts quickly out of those. The problem I have is that not having a proper preheater the last 2' section is really only acting as a preheater as the sap is cold going into that. The hard boil is in the middle 2' section. Last year I used a hood. It was actually a fabricated piece used for some other purpose but it just so happens to fit exactly just over the edges of my 2x6 pan. The angle of the hood is just enough that the condensation runs down and drips off the sides. I noticed a huge difference when using this hood down to about 2"from the pan.
What I was considering doing was running horizontal 1/2" copper entering at the peak of the hood on one end and exiting at the base at the other where the ball value would be to regulate the flow. I worry though that all that horizontal tubing in there would create a lot of condensation that would drip into the pan. I thought the best way would be to run the copper vertically down the length of the hood as the condensation should run down the tubing (as it does the hood) and drip outside the pan but I'm not sure if the tubing would drain even with the valve being at the lowest point or if the gravity would push the sap through all those vertical pieces. Would the laws of physics work to push the sap through that and drain that tubing??? The 5 gallon pail of sap would be about 1 foot higher than the entry point into the hood and the valve would be lower than the vertical runs. Any thoughts or suggestions?? Thanks
Tyler
Built a 2x6 copper pan going into its 3rd year of use and it works great. Front 2' section has the 3 compartments for finishing. Divided the last 4' into 2 - 2x2 sections each with about 20 - 3/4" x 6" drop flues. The boil starts quickly out of those. The problem I have is that not having a proper preheater the last 2' section is really only acting as a preheater as the sap is cold going into that. The hard boil is in the middle 2' section. Last year I used a hood. It was actually a fabricated piece used for some other purpose but it just so happens to fit exactly just over the edges of my 2x6 pan. The angle of the hood is just enough that the condensation runs down and drips off the sides. I noticed a huge difference when using this hood down to about 2"from the pan.
What I was considering doing was running horizontal 1/2" copper entering at the peak of the hood on one end and exiting at the base at the other where the ball value would be to regulate the flow. I worry though that all that horizontal tubing in there would create a lot of condensation that would drip into the pan. I thought the best way would be to run the copper vertically down the length of the hood as the condensation should run down the tubing (as it does the hood) and drip outside the pan but I'm not sure if the tubing would drain even with the valve being at the lowest point or if the gravity would push the sap through all those vertical pieces. Would the laws of physics work to push the sap through that and drain that tubing??? The 5 gallon pail of sap would be about 1 foot higher than the entry point into the hood and the valve would be lower than the vertical runs. Any thoughts or suggestions?? Thanks
Tyler