How to set up auto draw off

[gmack]

Just got a new smokey lake auto draw off and was wondering what kind of a temp range to set it at . I finish on the evaporator .

Thank you

[Haynes Forest Products]

I would get familiar with it from Jim's youtube video and instruction booklet. When I got my first Auto draw off I first started out by setting my perammeters and then turning off the auto valve option. I would use the buzzer to alert me and I would manually draw off. I did that for a few days until got the temps down and them went full auto. You will be resetting temps everyday as barometric conditions change.

When I fire up the next day I might change my temp to get all the over syrup that is in the finish pans from the night before. I believe all evaporators act differently and what works for me will be a disaster for the next guy. Good luck.

I see you have a NEW RO so your dancing with disaster on 2 fronts. Your draws will be scary so be alert.

[leaky bucket]

I agree with Haynes. auto draws are personnel , I use a cdl , new last year, calibrate every day and mostly twice a day , as the barometric pressure changes so does your boiling temps. We strive for 67 brix on our finish product so we always set our auto for 1-1.25 over the std 7 deg We find its easier to lower brix in the bottler than to raise them.
set your draw temp low when starting out and see how it works. get familiar with it and that your floats are set right to keep a grade and u don't starve the front pan. If your your first few draws are light on brix turn them back in to the back pan, it will come back . and u didn't burn anything

good sugaring
mike

[Sugarmaker]

The draw offs are a good tool. Make sure there is sap deep enough to let it do its job then watch everything. You have a lot of new stuff going on. Watch the boil and sap levels first, the rest will come along in due time. Set it for 219 and try it for a while. Your mileage may vary. :)
Regards,
Chris

[Haynes Forest Products]

gMack
Now the cool things you can do with the draw off options. I fire with oil and you draw off should have tha ability to set a 3 points over alarm. I tied a relay into my unit so if temps go over by 3 points it will shut down my evap. Now when the temp drops by 3 points my oil gun will restart and scare the crap out of you. Now the reason this will happen is because you forgot open a critical valve. You can shut the blower off or turn on the sprinkler system........HA HA just kidding

[gmack]

Thank you for the advise . Should I run a deeper depth in my syrup pan using a auto draw off ?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Keep running then as usual just make sure that your probe is down as close to the pan bottom as possible. You don't want the tip in contact with the bottom. You have to look at it as your regular Dial thermometer it only triggers an electric valve. The hardest thing to do is trust it. Then again all it takes is for someone to bump the probe down or shut the auto valve option off until all heck breaks loose.

[maple flats]

I set mine at 219.5 and then check the entire draw for at least 2x to check the density. Then I adjust as needed. Once I get it set each day I watch the barometer I have in the sugarhouse. When it changes up or down, I again adjust the draw temp. I found I need to get the whole draw to get an accurate read, because the density will not be constant thru a draw. In the end, I have mine set for .1 high on density, then during my final check as I bottle I add sap or distilled water to get it exact. I like that better than needing to boil more to finish. The only time I do that is the very end of the season when I'm finishing off what was in the pans at the end of the season.
When I am sending it to a barrel I also pack it .1 points high, then add a little distilled water as I bottle to get the right density. I love my Murphy Cup for that in combination with my Gold series Smoky Lake hydrometer.