Defoamer on "standing boil"?

[buck3m]

I know it's important to defoam when there is a covering of foam, to prevent scorching and to increase evaporation.

In my flue pan there is a "standing boil" above the ends of the flues near the syrup pan when things are good and hot. This is a rolling boil, not foam just sitting there. A drop or two of defoamer will cause most of this standing boil to collapse from maybe eight inches to three inches.

Intuitively, it seems that this taller boil would speed evaporation. Is this true or false?

Do you add defoamer to tame the "standing boil" as well as to disburse building foam?

[buck3m]

Anyone have an insight?

[PerryW]

I know it's important to defoam when there is a covering of foam, to prevent scorching and to increase evaporation.

In my flue pan there is a "standing boil" above the ends of the flues near the syrup pan when things are good and hot. This is a rolling boil, not foam just sitting there. A drop or two of defoamer will cause most of this standing boil to collapse from maybe eight inches to three inches.

Intuitively, it seems that this taller boil would speed evaporation. Is this true or false?

Do you add defoamer to tame the "standing boil" as well as to disburse building foam?

Technically, using defoamer is supposed to increase evaporation. Without defoamer, the steam created at the surface of the boiling liquid has to fight it's way thought 8 inches of foam to get out of the pan and some of it condenses and drips back into the liquid.

[psparr]

The defoamer is more for the syrup pan. But you add it in the flue pan. If you put it in the syrup pan near the draw off, it would push the syrup away from the draw off causing you to make syrup in the middle of the pan and not near the draw off.
To your original question. I doubt it has a by real effect on evap rate.

[Sugarmaker]

I use a drop of defoamer in the steam away float box, the flue pan float box and a drop at the draw off area. That's how I was taught by Leader. Maybe this has changed. I thought the drop at the draw off port helped bring the syrup to that point??

On the standing boil. I would not worry to much about that. Sounds like your ripping right along!
Regards,
Chris

[buck3m]

Thanks everyone for the input. This page on defoaming from Cornell makes a lot of sense. http://www.cceoneida.com/assets/Agriculture-Files/Maple/Using-Defoamer.pdf

[psparr]

Thanks everyone for the input. This page on defoaming from Cornell makes a lot of sense. http://www.cceoneida.com/assets/Agriculture-Files/Maple/Using-Defoamer.pdf

That's where I was gleaning information from. Just couldn't remember where I read it before. Thanks for posting!

[Flatlander]

So. is it best to add the defamer in the sap pan where the sap enters the pan (float box) or the outlet of the sap pan to the syrup pan? If the defoamer it is attracting the sugar, it would make sense to put it at the outlet where you are transferring the sweetest sap to the front pan.

[maple flats]

Add it only either in the float box inlet, or where the sap first hits the flue pan and add every time you fuel.