1/4'' copper coil preheater?

[chicken123]

I have about 40' of 1/4'' tubing soft copper tubing that I could wrap aroud the stack for a preheater. Is this to small? I know that a lot of people use 3/8'' but would 1/4'' work?

[325abn]

Give it a try and see what happens. Might work good.

[Asthepotthickens]

I have about 40' of 1/4'' tubing soft copper tubing that I could wrap aroud the stack for a preheater. Is this to small? I know that a lot of people use 3/8'' but would 1/4'' work?

Sounds to me to be a little small, it would have to be ran through a recycling pump into a holding tank or I think it will clog up with syrup.

[dadtkm]

Thats what I use , pressed tight to the chimney pipe . Sap is warm not hot but not cold .

[dadtkm]

Sorry , I use mine in a siphon type system with the valve wide open . Don't plan on changing it . Good luck

[chicken123]

Thanks. I have a preheater now that holds about 1 1/2 gallon, it will get the sap up to about 160 if it stays there long enough. the problem is that I have to empty about every 15 minutes so it only gets the sap to about 70. I could run the copper into this preheater. So, the valve could be open most of the time. would this work?

[chicken123]

Just checked the copper again and found I have 25' of 1/4'' and 25' of 3/8''! So, I will connect and make a preheater!!

[justin]

put the 30 ft 3/8 copper inside with a smal 3 speed pump sap will be hot. worked for me dont let pump stop!

[snohiker]

my arch is in the drive way and i have a clean trash barrel on the porch which is about 40 inches off the ground i put a bulked fitting as close to the bottom of the barrel as i could wrapped the 1/4 copper around the stack and let it run slowly in to the pan by gravity . work awesome didnt slow down the boil and ran about thirty gallons tru it today which was the fist day with new evaporator

[Maple Hunter]

I've also used 1/4" the past two years and it worked fine. But I didn't have a big evaporator either.

[3 SISTERS]

We use about 25' of 1/4 " copper and it works very well. More than 30' tends to heat up too much and carmelize the sap in the tube. Shorter than 20' and the sap doesn't have a chance to warm up much.

Kirk