Why blowers?

[supersapper]

Running my new home built arch and a new 2-4 divided pan along with my 2-2 undivided flat pan I can get things boiling so good that it will foam over in all three sections. I never used defoamer before and I didn't have any so I tried Pam. Just a very lite mist knocked the foam down. I could then see the boil better and it was good throughout the front pan. This is on a 2-6 arch with 8" stack, 12' high. The only air is from the barrel stove door vent and a small gap around the ash pan. If I fire every 10 mins I can keep things really rocking. Almost to the point of being nervous. This rig is new to me this year and a learning experience. So why would I want to add a blower to this? Just wondering why people would need one.

[PerryW]

That's sort of the same reaction I have about blowers. If I have nice, dry wood, and split small; my rig needs defoamer every 5 minutes or it would boil over.

I think blowers will help for smaller rigs with flat pans or to be able to burn poorer quality wood and still boil fast.

[Russell Lampron]

I didn't think that I needed a blower either until I got one. The additional heat makes it easier to maintain the gradient and keep the denser sugar moving toward the draw off. It also increase your boiling rate which makes the sap disappear sooner. I wouldn't boil without one now.

[1arch]

I have been experimenting with a blower myself this year and found that it works great for the first hour while bringing my rig up to efficient temperature. It also works great If I throw some damp wood in. The blower seems to really get the BTU, s out of it. However I haven't seen any greater efficiency compared to no blower and good dry mixed woods split small combined with regular firing.
My stack is a 10" about 20' tall so the Draft is good.
In addition I have installed two 3/4" steel air vent pipe nipples into the upper rear of the fire box to draw additional combustion air.
I switch the blower off during firing to prevent ash from blowing around but after about that first hour the accumulated ash starts blowing around a bit so that's when I shut the blower down, open all the drafts and start with the quality wood and serious attention to firing begins.

[bowtie]

In smaller rigs like mine anytime you add air it increases combustion and therefore higher temps. it does make a big difference with "wet" wood and getting boil started. all the new high efficient rigs use auf or aof or both. I would not boil without one, it makes your boil much more consistent and burns wood more completely, leaves a lot less ash. there is no doubt that you can get great boils without air, they have done it for a hundred years in evaps but your ghp will definitely go up with a proper blower set up. it does seem like it burns more wood but that is the price for higher gph and that's what we are all trying to achieve.

[supersapper]

Ok so I am chickens::t to boil faster. I worry about not enough liquid in syrup channel to keep from scorching when drawing off. Faster boil,hotter fire all contribute to my worry. Maybe after time I might be able to run hotter but for now I am happy with15-20 gal/hr.

[Super Sapper]

I added a blower this year and increased from 20 to 25 gallons per hour to 30 to 35 gallons per hour. I burn pallet wood so it doesn't get any dryer. You need to make sure you run deep enough and things happen a lot faster. I made some modifications to my homemade float box for this year so it got a little hairy the first couple of boils getting the level right for the pans. After getting the float adjusted right it purred right along. If you are nervous, I would run a little deeper to start and drop it as you get comfortable.

[SapZilla]

Ok so I am chickens::t to boil faster. I worry about not enough liquid in syrup channel to keep from scorching when drawing off. Faster boil,hotter fire all contribute to my worry. Maybe after time I might be able to run hotter but for now I am happy with15-20 gal/hr.

You must be running a very high quality flat pan to be getting 20gph out of a barrel stove, that is for sure. Blowers make all the difference when your out till midnight boiling when everyone else is in the house eating popcorn in their pajamas.

[supersapper]

You must be running a very high quality flat pan to be getting 20gph out of a barrel stove, that is for sure. Blowers make all the difference when your out till midnight boiling when everyone else is in the house eating popcorn in their pajamas.u

Not running a barrel arch this year. I made an actual 2-6 arch and I do have a "quality pan". My stack temp is around 1000 degrees when really rocking. I have a lot of very dry mixed wood to burn and as I said, I go through 15-20 gal/ hr maintaining 1 1/2" depth. I don't know if that's the proper way to gauge evaporation but that is what I do. I have the gallons marked on the feed tank and once it gets to boil I note level and time when I start to feed. I check level and time once I quit firing and stop feed. Not an absolutely accurate way but close enough for me.

[maple flats]

Why blowers?- simple- efficiency. With a blower the boil will be more efficient. I turn on my HP AUF-AOF blower as soon as the fire is lit and it remains on uninterupted until about 45-60 minutes after the last fueling. In use, I fuel every 9 minutes, well seasoned, wrist size hard wood. Before the AOF I fueled every 6 or 7 minutes.

[Russell Lampron]

Why blowers?- simple- efficiency. With a blower the boil will be more efficient. I turn on my HP AUF-AOF blower as soon as the fire is lit and it remains on uninterupted until about 45-60 minutes after the last fueling. In use, I fuel every 9 minutes, well seasoned, wrist size hard wood. Before the AOF I fueled every 6 or 7 minutes.

I turn off my blower as soon as I am done boiling but see where leaving it on will cool the evaporator sooner. I'll be doing that next season. I am in the sugar house that long after boiling running the filter press anyway. Thanks for the idea.

[Chicopee Sap Shack]

I leave my blower on until I get ready to go in for the night. I can get the arch temp down very quickly then open the doors and shut the blower off. Works great


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk