Adding a blower to Leader Patriot/WSE

[TrentonMaple]

I'm in the market for a new evaporator for next year, and trying to decide amongst brands. My Mason 2x4 with a Smoky Lake Hybrid pan is great but just isn't enough for my tap count.

I'm considering a Leader Patriot or WSE 2x6.

My Mason has a blower on it, and adding it was as simple as bolting it onto a knockout plate on the back of the ash pan and then placing a brick against the ash door to keep it shut. I get no smoke out the arch door.

The Leader models I am looking at have the sugaring scene on the door, and they are not advertised as air tight. Does this mean if I put a blower on the back I will be blasting smoke and ashes around the seal of the arch door? Is there a knockout in the back to place a blower? Does the door seal enough to have a blower installed?

[motowbrowne]

I'm in the market for a new evaporator for next year, and trying to decide amongst brands. My Mason 2x4 with a Smoky Lake Hybrid pan is great but just isn't enough for my tap count.

I'm considering a Leader Patriot or WSE 2x6.

My Mason has a blower on it, and adding it was as simple as bolting it onto a knockout plate on the back of the ash pan and then placing a brick against the ash door to keep it shut. I get no smoke out the arch door.

The Leader models I am looking at have the sugaring scene on the door, and they are not advertised as air tight. Does this mean if I put a blower on the back I will be blasting smoke and ashes around the seal of the arch door? Is there a knockout in the back to place a blower? Does the door seal enough to have a blower installed?

From what I've seen, they aren't airtight on the front, and I don't think there is a knockout plate on the back. I rigged up a blower for my 2x10 about 6 years ago. I just used a sawzall and cut out a hole in the back of the ash poor pit under the grates. Mine didn't have an airtight door setup either, but you could run the blower and not blow ash out of the front. I think I could have turned it up a fair amount more and gotten more evaporation out of it if it had been airtight, but there was a range where it was outperforming natural draft but not blowing ash all over.

Personally I'd suggest looking at a 2x8 with an airtight door, or maybe build a whole arch or just a door. A 2x6 will be an upgrade from where you're at, but the extra 2' doesn't cost that much more and let's you use a lot more heat before you send it up the stack.

[mol1jb]

You definitely want to plan off of what your total tap count could be in a few years. Where are you at now and where will you max out at?

[VT_K9]

We currently run a Leader 2x6 WSE. If you know up front you want to go to a blower I would recommend an air tight front. Do your research and find the deal that fits your pocket book. Our WSE has averaged about 100 gallons of syrup per year over the last three years. It is a work horse and I can only imaging the addition of air would be a good improvement.

Mike