Making syrup in the middle 2 channels... need advice!!

[bison1973]

i have a 3x10 cross flow raised flue. the 2 syrup pans account for 4 separate compartments. Today it started making syrup in the middle 2 compartments all day long! and i could never get it straightened out... very frustrating. Almost a disaster a couple of times. I have never had this happen all day before.

this year I am boiling higher concentrate at around 12 to 14%. But prior to today I did not have this problem this season. I've dealt with this at start up before but never all day.

can someone give me some tips on how tremedy this. Or what's going wrong? It can't keep doing this all season.

[eagle lake sugar]

We're not lucky enough o have any sap yet this year, but last season the niter build up was terrible. I had a couple close calls and found that I had to clean out the tubes between the pans every day, they would build up with niter chunks and restrict flow. I was boiling 12 to 14% concentrate too.

[Jason Grimm]

I have the same issue and looking forward to any input.

[Super Sapper]

I was making taffy every time I boiled this year. Yesterday I increased the depth in my pans and it worked great all day yesterday. I did not have enough volume in the pans to move the finished syrup out fast enough, and as I drew off the level would drop and make syrup faster behind it, I was only cracking the draw off valve but there wasn't enough volume behind it to move it along. I also started drawing off a degree sooner. I like to draw a little on the heavy side but my draw off is next to the flue pan instead of at the front and it is the hottest part and it can go from syrup to taffy in no time flat. Last year it would sit at 6 for awhile and then start to move up and when it hit 7.5 you had to start drawing off. If it hit 8 it would go to 20 plus on the draw instead of only around 9. When it started moving up it went quick and you had maybe a minute from 7 to 8.

[Russell Lampron]

I don't have cross flow pans but have had the same problem with my reverse flow. It usually turns out to be the sap or some other issue like the weather or phase of the moon. I don't have a solution other than to fight it out and hope that things go back to normal on the next boil.

[umpwood1]

Maybe a stupid question, but are you sure you are perfectly level ?

[psparr]

A couple things I found helpful.
1 fire religiously.
2 add defoamer as recommended
3 crack the draw off valve when your getting syrup in the middle. Slowly run out sap. The temp will rise. When it starts to fall again close the draw and hopefully things straighten out.

[Sugarmaker]

Reverse flow pans have this a lot.
Try to fire with smaller stuff on the side you want to draw off on. Getting that side hotter.
Add a drop of defoamer at the place you want to draw off from each time after you fire.
Make sure that you are not leaking sap from the back pan into the side where you are trying to make syrup.
Ladle some center partition syrup over into the draw off partition.
Regards,
Chris

[PerryW]

In addition to the other advice, you can start your drawoffs early and dump the first part of the batch back in the middle of the front pan.

Also make sure you have an even fire (not concentrated in the middle)