Cross flow pans

[Fred Henderson]

Those of you that have the cross flow pans how do you like them and why? I am getting a new D&G 3x8 and have my choice of reverse or cross flow. I have never been around where a cross flow was being used so therefore I know nothing about them.

[PETE FELCH]

we have cross flow pans 3 of them on a 6x16 .the work really well. the only draw back is changing them so you dont burn the last one. But we think we figured out how to reverse the flowwith only a few modifications by our float box. :D

[mountainvan]

I have a dg dropflue with crossflow and like it very much. draw off on one side all the time and easy to take care of. I did not get a 3rd pan to switch for cleaning. with my ro concentrate i make between 50 and 80 gals of syrup before I have any niter buildup on the syrup pan, middle pan is always clear. It was 25-35 before the ro. to clean I drain the first pan, rinse, soak in water and pan cleaner for two hours, and then rinse and reinstall. nothing to remember about switching sides when in the sap fog, just remember to remove stops before boiling.

[lmathews]

hi,
i have a 3x12 wood fired cross flow.talking to a dealer today he said that he does not recamend cross flow in wood but said if you are runing fuel oil it was the only way to go.this person sells both styles.his reason for not using cross flow with wood is every time you open the doors you are cooling your syrup down wich makes it harder to get flowing.

[mountainvan]

my rig is wood fired and I no problem. I open the door and toss more wood in when I'm drawing off all the time and the temp,and boil, stays the same. Using a hanna digital themometer which it shows up on fast.

[lmathews]

As I said it was a dealer that made that coment.I also do not have any problems with making syrup in my cross flow wood model.

[Fred Henderson]

Ok, Next question do most of you fellows with the cross flow have an extra pan?

[mountainvan]

fred, I do not have an extra pan because of my ro. If I did not have it I would probably have one. Most guys I know around here do have the extra pan.

[lmathews]

yes, i have an extra pan but i rarely use it.i usually clean my front pans every morning and put the sap back in.

[Flatfoot95]

I understand reverse flow but can someone explain how the cross flow pans work.

[mountainvan]

in my dropflue dg sap flows from the flue pan to the middle pan, which is a flat crossflow pan, through a stainless tube u shaped. the sap then goes through that pan, it has one baffle dividing it, into the first pan through the same kind of stainless tube. if you look at the evaporators in dg catalog you can easily see the connectors.

[Flatfoot95]

OK...So you draw off the last pan? I have seen people mention having and extra pan and plugging pans off what is that all about? From what I have read it seems cross flows have their advantages but I am just trying to understand them and why they may be better than reverse flow.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It is more in whatever you prefer vs which is one better. Both have their advantages and disadvantages just like nearly every other piece of maple equipment. :?

[mountainvan]

yes you draw off the last pan. you have a flue pan, a flat pan, and another flat pan. in my previous post I said about the stainless tubes connecting the pans. at the end of a boil I take plugs, basically solid stainless circle on a stainless stick with a rubber o-ring that fits tight into the tube connectors(I know it's a bad technical explaination). this keeps the different density liquids in the different pans from mixing. you just have to remember to remove the plugs before you start to boil hard, otherwise no liquid into the front pans and you know what that leads to. only know one guy this happened to, he noticed the plugs after the black smoke. same thing can happen with reverse flow too, have seen a front pan on a raised flue rig destroyed. advantages to crossflow as I see them are: you only draw-off one side all the time, less room in the saphouse for the evaporator. with reversable I've found a lot of niter buildup in the middle of the pan. no mixing of 25% sap with 60% almost syrup in the pans. other than that I guess it's personal preference. obviously I prefer crossflow.

[brookledge]

Mountainview
That is why I like the design of the leader revolution. It takes the best of both designs and incorporates them into one. Like yours you always draw off the same side and don't need much room on the other side. And it also allows you to reverse your flow without taking the pan off the arch. Which for me is the most important feature because I boil by myself and don't want to rely on having to get help to lift the pans. It also takes alot of time to reverse the pans.
Keith