Smoky lake dauntless

[Ken18621]

I just got a dauntless with the flat divided pan and after two boils I noticed that once I got the pans sweetened I was not able to get a draw of finished syrup. The temp would get to 219-220 and when checked with a hydrometer it wasn't even close. And it was getting dark up to the float box.
The pan was level.

Eventually what started happening was the middle and final sections were at a hard boil and the bubbles were going from the middle heading towards the ends of the pan.
Eventually I finished on propane and the niter was horrible.
What is everyone else doing, are they just drawing off near and finishing with propane? Or can you actually draw finished off with a flat divided pan?

[ecolbeck]

Lots of different factors to consider here. It is certainly possible to draw off syrup on a small pan but it is quite a bit more challenging. The smaller the pan and the the fewer the dividers the more challenging it is.

1. The boiling point of finished syrup changes with altitude and atmospheric pressure based on weather. Every time I boil, I use my hydrometer to calibrate my thermometer. I will draw off some near syrup, check its density, and then adjust the thermometer accordingly. Once the thermometer is calibrated I use that setting for the remainder of the boil.

2. It is possible to unintentionally make syrup in the middle of the pan where the fire is hottest. This happens to me regularly. One strategy is to coax the syrup forward by drawing off a small quantity and pour it into the middle of the pan.

3. Consistency with firing the evaporator is of utmost importance. Any slowing of the fire is an opportunity for the gradient to start to work its way backward.

[ebliese]

I do not have a Dauntless but rather the Corsair from Smoky Lake. I do, however, have a divided, flat pan and I have been drawing off finished syrup all season long. I would contact Smoky Lake with your question (if you haven't already).

[Bgreisch]

So first year on the Dauntless divided pan after a few boils her is some things I have noticed.

It seems to boil great for a few hours and then it all of a sudden slows down, I would add wood pretty regularly like every 5 to 8 minutes, when it slowed down I had noticed if I left the door open a crack it would burn and boil better so it must not be getting enough air. Could the coal bed be restricting the air intake? Yesterday when I boiled I tried to not fire as often and that seemed to help by letting the coals burn farther down but then the boil would slow before adding wood but I would not need to leave the door cracked open. Is it the wood that I am burning, using elm, aspen, maple for wood, was all dead trees that were split and stacked last summer under cover maybe not dry enough? As for draw offs in the last 2 boils the draw offs came within the first couple hours of boiling then I seems to struggle to get to the temp at the draw off port to draw again and when I would draw off they would be rather large draw offs like 1 to 2 gallons at a time which seems odd since people say it should be smaller draw offs. Never did check the middle channel if it was making syrup there but it did boil harder than the first and last channel. Does anyone else notice these things with there SL Dauntless Evaporator.

Bryan

[ecolbeck]

Bryan

It is very possible that coals are building up on the grate and choking off air. When I reload, I use the new wood to shove the coals forward and create open space on the grate. If you have excessive coal accumulation it might be due to using wood that is not as dry as it should be.

[Bgreisch]

That is what seems to be happening, will have to try moving the coals around. At first I would not wait as long for the wood to burn down and load the fire box full every time should I not be loading it full every time, so I would be adding new wood on top of wood burning yet not just coals. So yesterday I tried to wait longer between firing and that seems to help some. If I get a moisture meter to check the wood what should it be?
Bryan

[ecolbeck]

I tend to fire every 5 min or so. Timing depends on your individual goals and how your setup reacts. I do not stuff the firebox but rather toss in a 4-5 pieces in a crisscross pattern. Also, keeping your wood finely split (wrist size) should help keep things hot and prevent big coal chunks.

Not sure on the moisture meter reading. They tend not to be super accurate anyway. My wood reads about 12-15% and is dried under cover for minimum of 1 summer.