Cupula Dimensions ?

[clw]

Does anyone want to suggest the dimensions (height, width, length) for a cupula on an existing 10 x 16 building? I plan to have 2 x 4 evaporator. Thanks for any guidelines you can provide.

CLW

[Daves Maple Farm]

I have a 2x8 and our Cupula is 4 ft wide by 6 ft long. I didn't run it over finish pan as I don't have a large amount of steam from the finish pan. IMO most of the steam is gone buy the time sap reachs the finish pan..It rises 3 ft above the roof and screened in for bug control. We have it 3 ft above roof in case we add a steamaway which will vent into the Cupula. Our roof is like a lean to roof, not a center pitch roof. Hope this helps. Plan for expansion!!

[spencer11]

I would go 2x6 or 2x8 at least for when you expand, and at least 2 feet high. I have a 2.5x8 and a 2x8 cupola, and it works but is a little small at times

[wiam]

I would be more concerned with opening size than cupola size. I have heard opening square footage should be at least as big as pans

[clw]

Thanks for all your replies. OK, maybe I'll try 2 x 6 and 2 ft high.

CLW

[SevenCreeksSap]

I built my sugar house and followeed the guidelines here and made a 2x8 hole right above my 2x8 evap, with 1 1/2 ft height on the opening. It works fine as long as I crack the door open to allow some air flow. otherwise it fills the whole shack with steam ( 12x20). I even built a partial hood to guide the steam, but when really boiling it escapes out the ends and hits the roof and rolls back down. If I did it again I'd order the metal roofing 6 inches shorter for the whole length of the building and build the cupola roof the whole length so no matter where the steam hit the roof it would have an escape. longer but thinner.

[RC Maple]

When I was looking for guidelines for building my cupola, I had the book put out by Vermont that I found on this site somewhere. It said not to make the cupola any less than 3 ft wide. So my length is longer than I currently need @ 6 ft (to allow for a 2x6 if I ever went that big) and the door height is 1.5 ft. I would have had a 2 ft door height but the overhang on the cupola roof wouldn't allow a door that tall to swing open from the bottom without hitting the facia. Make sure you allow for the roof overhang when figuring cupola and door height. Good luck!

[maple maniac65]

With the new laws looking like they are, hoods are going to be mandatory so convential sugar houses may not have cupolas. Just hoods and steam stacks running through the roof. Some have already taken on this look.

[Sengelaub Farms]

I built Mine 4' wide and 12' long. I just wanted the building to look like an ole fashion sugarhouse. I have 6 top hinged windows that open. At this point I'm using it as a steam vent but will put a stack in sooner or later.

[maple flats]

At the time I made mine I had a 2x6 and I read that the cupola should be the same size so I made it 2x6 (x2' high). With that rig it usually worked OK. Then I put a hood on, and just vented that into the cupola. That worked great. I now have a 3x8 and I use the same 2x6 cupola. I now have 2 steam stacks off the hoods, each is 15" diameter stack and they still just go to the height of the open doors on the cupola and end there. They still vent well. In fact, even though my stacks start out at 15" they just go up 6' and end, above there I have 13" stacks suspended in each 15" stack, hung from above. This allows me to raise the hoods using the winch I have connected to cables at each corner. The hoods raise and tewlescope over the smaller suspended stacks. Still I get almost no steam that does not go up the smaller 13" stacks to exit in the cupola.