Smokey lake 2 x 4 hobby hybrid

[devils11217]

Anyone ever use this pan? Pros vs cons?

[Pibster]

I have this pan. I love it. Only con and it's not a big one is there's no drain on the flues. Not really a problem since I only drain and clean the pan once during the sap season.

[buckeye gold]

Keep you about 5 feet of 5/16 tubing in the shack and you can siphon the sweet out of the flues pretty quickly

[WI Sugarpop]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200384668_200384668?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Water Pump

I use that little drill pump for pumping out the flues and also for pumping sap from a 5 gal bucket into a 100 gal tote that is in my truck. I can do about 50 gal on one 18 V battery and it is very fast.

[TedA]

We got a Smokey Lake 2x4 drop flue in the fall of 2013. Sold my flat pan and used the Smokey Lake Hybid for the first time last spring. Very impressed and pleased with the pan. Due to frost heave, we lost the level on our arch part way through the season - made it harder to maintain a gradient. Lesson #1) Keep your arch (and hence the pan) level. #2) Get a float box. I hemmed and hawwed on this for a bit and decided to bit the bullet - was a smart move. You'll have plenty of things to watch without spending time watching and adjusting the inflow. #3) If you don't have the pan yet, have Jim S. make a shutoff valve or flap where the sap flows out of the flues and into the front flat pan section to prevent backflow (mixing of near syrup with fresh sap) when you shut down for the day. If you already have the pan and it has no valve or flap, make one yourself that you can slide or clamp in place at the end of the day to stop or minimize backflow. #4) Ash will build up between the flues. Get a brush and clean off the ash before it hardens and turns to creosote (daily is best - at the end of the day or before you start the next boil). I didn't pay attention to that. As the ash built up and then turned to creosote on the flues, my heat transfer dropped as did the boiling rate. If you take care of those hybrid pans, they will really produce for you.

[Marvel26]

TedA

does yours have a divider in the flue section?

Rob

[TedA]

My Smokey Lake 2x4 hybrid is a drop flue pan. The rear of the pan (about 2/3 of total length) has the drop flues. The front of the pan (about 1/3 of total length) has a flat bottom and is divided into two sections. No dividers in the rear of the pan.

[TedA]

Marvel26, I see you have a 2x5 on order. Good for you. I love my 2x4 but am already thinking of upgrading to a 2x6. Last two years we ran 80 taps and it was about right. This year we are considering 120 and may even go to 150 or 175 (we have the trees) in future years.

[Marvel26]

Thanks TedA,

I was going to go for the divider add on but the funds wouldn't allow it. I am debating on clamping a divider in temporarily, it wouldn't be completely sealed but it should provide for a gradient. I say this because I don't want to punch a hole in the rear side wall for the float box when I could do it at the front to facilitate the divider.....decisions decisions.

Rob