Bricking question

[lords sugaring]

Hi everyone,

So I got my new evaporator bricked and boarded up. There is small gaps between bricks and some gaps between board and metal. I followed the manufacturer's instructions to the T. Still have some gaps. I ended up taking pieces of bricks that I cut and wedging them so the bricks sat tight against each other. Should I be overly concerned about these gaps ? Most are along the very top edge all the way around. My main concern is where the board had gaps and the sheet metal was exposed. There's really not many gaps in bricks after plugging them with other pieces. I didn't mortar the joints yet as I have to move the evaporator at the end of the season to pour my pad. When taking everything apart after the season should I cut some board pieces and jam them in the gaps ? The last thing I want to do is wreck my new evaporator. Thanks for your input

[maple flats]

I had a similar scenario when I bricked my 3x8. The first year it was on a wooden floor. I bricked it using mortor but I had an idea. In the trusses of the roof on my sugarhouse I built 2 long winches by taking 3/4" black iron pipe and laying one directly above each side of the arch. One the end of each I screwed a T and made a 30" long handle that screwed into each end of the T with the center of the T screwed to the long pipe and a pipe cap on each end. Where the long pipes laid over the bottom cord of the trusses I attached 1" pipe clamps to the truss to keep the pipe in position. I then ran 3 cables from one side, down around the arch and up to the other side. I attached those cables to the pipes by drilling a 1/4" hole thru the pipe, then using large flat washers I had bent to sort of fit the round of the pipe, I wrapped the ends of the cable around the bolts I used, with a washer on each side of the cable, and I tightened it. I then placed a 2x4 under each cable where the cable was to lift. If I recall I had to shim one or 2 places to get a uniform lift. Then to lift, I took down the stack, removed the hood and cranket to tighten the cables, as one side went up about 2-3" I used a piece of 2x4 from truss to truss to hold that crank handle from moving. I then went to the second side and raised it about 6" and did the same. I repeated that back and forth, about 6" at a time until the arch was close to the bottom cord of the trusses (ceiling height). I then used good heavy screws and attached a 2x4 from vertically from the trusses and I screwed a 2x6 across each to hold the arch from under neath. Once I had those in place I slowly lowered the arch to put some of the weight on the 2x6 safeties and leave most on the "winch". I then removed the wooden floor , prepped the site and poured the floor. Once the floor was strong enough I lowered the arch to where it sets today. By the way, under my arch is piers that go below frost line. I dug down 4' and poured 8" thick footers, one large enough to be under the firebox end and then a second to support the real legs. for those one is 4' x 5'6" x 8" and the leg end one is 4' x 18" x 8". I then laid up concrete blocks to where the bottom of the floor would be, filled around the outside and inside of the support with crusher run, and tamped it well. Then I poured the area to be under the arch as a separate section to the rest of the floor. Between that pour and the rest of the floor I have a 1/2" expansion board. That way, if the rest of the floor ever moves it will not take the arch with it. So far in 10 years it has not moved. Since I had no use for those homemade winches they are still in my trusses. If I ever need to lift the arch again, it's ready to go. I would just need to pry the firebox end enough to slide the cable under, reattach the free end of the cables to the second pipe and lift like I did the first time.
After setting the arch back in place, I inspected the bricks, no damage was detected.

[tgormley358]

Lords,

We have the same evaporator I think, the Lapierre Jr 2X5. We’ve esxchangd messages before on it. I ran my jest boil last with with 80 gallons and had real trouble with draft which I plan to post about separately. I hope it wasn’t due to anything In my setup including bricking. To your question about gaps I watched a acDL video of someone bricking and they demonstrated fill in in all th gaps with small pieces to protect the steel. That’s what I did. They also added little scraps of blanket between the top bricks and rails.

Please share notes on your first boil later for comparison - I need to figure out how o improve draft o reduce smoke in he sugar shack and better boil in h four pan.

Tom

[Mikemartin274]

Buy the insulation board and cut it perfect it's not really expensive. I have insulation board and half bricks. I can touch the walls at wide open with gaps. Mine is on year four without mortar.

[lords sugaring]

Hey Mike,

I cut everything perfectly according to the manufacture but the gaps in board were still there. I guess I should have measured the evaporator myself and cut to those measurement. The gaps aren't huge but enough to see bare metal. It'll come apart this spring after the season is over and I'll redo the board. Everything has to come out anyways to move the evaporator and pour the sugar shack pad. That was another reason I didn't want to cement it in place.