Steam!!!

[GotSap?]

This year, I upgraded from a 2x3 flat pan to a 2x5 raised flue evaporator. After the first boil with the new rig, I think I may have a bit of an issue. Unless I left the door to my sugar shack open, the entire building would fill with steam, to the extent that you could, literally, not see your hand in front of your face. With the door open, it never warmed up in the shack, making for a less then ideal situation (defoamer froze solid sitting on a table 2' from the evaporator). My shack is 12'x20' with 8' long cupola with 1' high doors centered on the ridge. Evaporator is located about 2' from the back wall, slightly off center, and door is centered in front wall. There is a loft storage area over the front 4' of the shack. Steam rises into the cupola well and pours out of the shack, but a great deal also seems to be sucked back down from the front half of the cupola. My questions: do I need bigger openings in the cupola? Is the shack not warming up enough to get a good draft? Is shack too tight causing air to be sucked back in through the cupola? What is my solution? I do have plans to eventually build a steam hood, but not for this year.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

[maplemas]

I had the same problem last year .. I found that depending on wind direction I had to adjust my cupola doors and open windows or doors on various sides of my shack ..this season I added a hood on my flue pan and eliminated the problem.

[BAP]

You need to let some air in to get to draft. I open a window or two adjusting until the steam flows out the cupola good.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

It will also vary depending on the relative humidity and barometric pressure. One day you can't see across the shack and the next it seems perfectly clear.

[sap seeker]

I wouldn't hit the panic button just yet Rusty, I am not convinced fighting the 30 mph winds that night wasn't a great deal of the problem. Next boil, if it ever thaws, will give you a much better handle on the severity of the problem I bet.

[maple flats]

I had similar issues with steam until I made a hood for over the flues pan. It can be as simple as a wooden frame made out of 1x2 strips with poly plastic stapled on it (I saw that on a maple tour on a rig that was 3.5 x 12. That extended up to the cupola. On that one it was about 4-6" out past the edge of the evaporator and dripped on the dirt floor. I don't recall what was used on the back side towards the stack. It had to either be some metal or maybe that side was open, I'm not sure.) For my first 3 hoods (3 different evaporators as I got larger) were made of aluminum, 1 and 2 were made from aluminum roof flashing and I made a condensate channel on them out of aluminum 1x1x1 U channel, mitered and welded at the corners, with a drain out at one corner. #3 was made from 3' x 8' aluminum sheet. The gutter was made the same as before. #2 only covered the flue pan and #1 was on a Half Pint so it covered the only pan. I lifted it to see inside with light weight cables up to the frame of the vendor's type roof I had over it. #3 covered the 3x6 flue pan and extended forward to all but 2" over the 3x2 syrup pan. On that one the rear part sat on the flue pan, had a sliding door on each side while the syrup pan didn't start until it was up above the syrup pan about 14". The roof was all one piece and the 8" high side plus the height of the raised flue pan over the height of the syrup pan gave me the clearance above the syrup pan. My current hood is SS and was factory made.
At any rate, a hood however elaborate will carry the steam up and out the cupola.

[grapestomper]

I added a fan in the rafters to help. Hopefully that works. Have not boiled since the fan was added.

[GotSap?]

I wouldn't hit the panic button just yet Rusty, I am not convinced fighting the 30 mph winds that night wasn't a great deal of the problem. Next boil, if it ever thaws, will give you a much better handle on the severity of the problem I bet.

Not panicking just yet, just looking for some ideas from others. In the past, with the smaller evaporator, I was always able to solve the issue like others have said by adjusting windows, door, cupola doors, etc. As you saw the other night, only solution was to open the door. We'll see how it goes when it's not 20 degrees and blowing 30mph!

[Sugarmaker]

Sounds like your making syrup! Get a good flashlight and work in the steam if you have to this year. I worked in that environment for several years in my Dad's old sugarhouse. Cupola didnt do much fan in the wall didn't do much either. We made 75 to 100 gallons for syrup that way each year.
keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[Sugarbush Ridge]

If you are going to use a fan,,,,, get you a GFI. They do make ones that just plug into the outlet and then plug fan in to the GFI Much safer

[grapestomper]

If you are going to use a fan,,,,, get you a GFI. They do make ones that just plug into the outlet and then plug fan in to the GFI Much safer

Yes, all outlets are GFI. thanks

[grapestomper]

Fan didn't help out hardly at all. Pulled out some of the insulation I had at the top of the wall and that helped out quite a bit.