Firing pit?

[Shaun]

Planning to build a sugar house and add a firing pit. I cannot be the only one sick of bending over to fire the evaporator. Wondering if anybody has pictures, dimentions ETC... It just seems easier to have maybe 3 steps to go up. Plan on getting a traditional arch, 3X10 or so and do not want to raise the evaporator much, maybe some. I like to be able to see inside the pans.

[tuckermtn]

Parker has a firing pit for feeding Marvin. Think it is two steps down on each side. PM parker on here.

[lpakiz]

I did build my arch high to minimize bending. I intend to build a catwalk along the sides to access the pans easier.

[Hal]

How old are you? Will you be using this sugarhouse when you are old and decrepit? Think long and hard about any permanent structures that require you to do anything but shuffle from one place to another. One of the best things I ever did to my sugarhouse was to get rid of the firing pit. I do wish I had built the evaporator up one more row of block, but I have gotten used to feeding it without looking in the door. My unfortunately. the building is on ledge, which requires a step up at the back, with no easy way to get rid of it. I would have had to fill in two feet at the front, or hack out two feet of ledge at the back.

[MapleLady]

I am moving my block arch this coming summer and plan to build it up one more block to reduce the stooping. It's hard on the back!

[mapleack]

My arch is up 2 and half blocks from when it was wood fired to minimize bending. We built a wooden catwalk platform with raillng along one side to look in the pans. I've been in tons of sugarhouses and firing pits are one of the most dangerous liabilities I've ever ever seen. If you're going to have the public in at all do not build a pit. One misstep or a backwards fall by anyone and they'll own your sugarhouse instead of you.

[PerryW]

I have a wood floor in my sugarhouse, but left out a portion of the floor for the evaporator and a firing pit. This created an area to stand in which is 1 foot lower than the floor. I'll post a pic if I can find it.

[wiam]

I planned one. I was talked out of it. Then I put in a much smaller evaporator and RO. I am glad I do not have a random hole in my floor.

[Michael Greer]

I built my concrete floor with an eight inch step at the front of the arch. Even greater height might be handy, but then you get into going upand down, up and down. Maybe if you have a very big operation, with a designated fire man who stays down there it would make sense, but in an operation run by one or two people, there is always a need to move about freely.

[Shaun]

I am hoping to avoid pumping sap, just something else to worry about. I built my homemade arch with 42" legs and my wife says i need to cut them off. I still find myself bending over every 7 minutes. I hope to elavate my tanks above the float box. I'm forgetful and forget to turn pumps off and things of the such.