18x48 cdl drop flue questions

[emq]

I have a two section drop flue pan with 5 inch flues and a front pan
The preheater feeds the raw sap into the front of the flue pan but as the sap boils it doesn’t seem to move into the front pan allowing the the flue pan to fill to much. Shouldn’t the raw sap push sap into the front pan

[ecolbeck]

I used that pan for several years and it was great. I experienced the same challenges you did but I got it to make syrup, it just took a very long time. Generally speaking, the more sections a pan has, the easier it is to form a gradient. Since that pan only has the divided flue section and the single front compartment there isn’t a great distance that sap has to travel. Keep at it and be patient. I added a thermometer at the front by the drawoff and that helped me keep track of what was happening. I got a solid 12-15 gph out of it with a blower.

[ecolbeck]

A couple things to add to my previous post:

1. Consistent firing is key to making syrup on this rig (or any rig). I suggest getting a probe stack thermometer to help you keep track of the heat output of the fire and will help you add wood at regular intervals. Make sure your firewood is dry and split to wrist size pieces.

2. Keeping the sap level consistent makes it easier to make syrup. This is a challenge without a float box.

3. There is no shame in drawing off light and finishing to density on a propane burner.

[emq]

Thanks for the help!!

[ctjim]

I'm having a similar issue with my new 18x66 raised flue. Syrup pan just doesn't seem to want to boil well, on my first boil, neverhad any issues with my old small bros evaporator. I made a few adjustments after boiling so I'll have to see if they work out. One change I'm trying is I cut a bunch of my wood to be able to fit it sideways in the firebox instead of Front to back. I went back and did a search in the forums here and found with these small hobby type evaporator these issue are pretty common. Hopefully I can get it sorted out.