preheater queston

[chicken123]

I am making pans soon and I'm thinking about a preheater. Could I just put a smaller SS pan above the syrup pan so that the steam hits the preheater? would there be water dripping back in to the syrup pan?

[RileySugarbush]

Those kind of preheaters will warm the sap a little. They are not very efficient but do recover some heat.

There will be condensate on the bottom and you definitely do not wat it dripping back into your sap. Position it with a tile so it drips off the back and away from your pan.

For the work you put into it you will gain maybe a couple of percent. Put that effort into a bigger pan or drop tubes and you may gain much more!

[dakotasky]

I have the same pre heater box you are describing on my NGM 2x4. This past weekend I boiled and monitered the sap temp. from the feed tank to the outlet valve on the pre heater pan. 37F going in and 77F comming out, so It does help some, however the closer you can get to 212 the better and faster the evap. rate will be. For mine is raises the temp. about 40 degrees.

[chicken123]

thank you

It sounds like this type of preheater would not be effective. What else could I use?

[325abn]

40Ft of 3/8 soft copper around your smoke stack. Check out the other current thread on this issue.

[b116757]

I built a parallel flow preheated last year 6' long 5 runs or 3/4" stainless 34 degree sap coming in 170 degree dropping out of the preheater into the sap pan

[chicken123]

I built a parallel flow preheated last year 6' long 5 runs or 3/4" stainless 34 degree sap coming in 170 degree dropping out of the preheater into the sap pan

Do you have any pictures?