Float Box question

[Bucket Head]

I attended the Maple Conference in Verona last weekend and I looked at all the float boxes on the evaporators that were there. I was wondering why the float boxes on the flue pans are mounted with fittings so they are away from the flue pan by a couple inches? Why are they made so they can be removed? I remember seeing some older evaporators years ago and their boxes were soldered/welded right on the side of the pan. Does the sap boil in the boxes that are attached directly to the pan? Shortly I will be fabricating a float box and was trying to figure out which way I should go. What do you guy's suggest?

Thank's
Steve

[Fred Henderson]

The turbulances from the boiling sap in the flue pan makes the float jump around so to say. That is why the float is externally mounted and a little away from the flue pan. Plus you can see if sap is coming in just in case you have a frozen feed pipe. The sap flow is the first thing that I check each day before start up. It is doubtful that my would freeze when I am boiling because it is inside.

[brookledge]

Another reason I think most manufactuers do it that way is so that if the pan gets damaged it will not cost as much because you can use your float over again. But I agree the main reason is to keep the level more constant and not have it jumping around from boiling.
Keith