Small Brother "Lightning" Raised Flue Questions

[Cider Hill Maple Farm]

Hi all,

So I've been using a 3'x8' raised flue pan for ten years now, and tonight, it came to my attention, that I've been running this Ole Gal probably wrong. I believe, I need to install the box that attached to the inlet float box, and then attach the pipe that brings the inlet closer to the front of the pan. I found a pic, but anyone that knows the correct path to approach would be greatly appreciated. A setup manual would be awesome, but I'm guessing they don't exist.

Thank you.

[plattmaple]

There should be two holes in the inlet box. One on each side of the center divider. The pipe should go on the same side that you are drawing syrup from the front pan. The other hole gets plugged. If you switch sides for drawing off they get reversed. So if you think about the path that the sap is going to travel with this configuration it will have to flow in a continuous path from float box to draw off. Hope I explained that ok!

[Cider Hill Maple Farm]

Platt,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I was to run the pipe down to my draw off end I would be having less concentrated sap entering my syrup pan float box. My sap inlet and sap outlet are at opposite corners in the flue pan, the center divider in the flue pan towards the front doesn't have any opening in it, so I would assume you would want raw sap entering in on the same side as the float box for the flue pan. That way, raw sap would concentrate front to back, then cross over a flow back to front, and exit into my syrup pan float box. I am concentrating through RO, but raw sap covers it. Thanks for your reply.

[plattmaple]

Yes you are correct. Cooler more dense sap will push warmer less dense sap towards your draw off.
Good luck on your goal of 2500 taps. That's where we would like to be also. We are currently at 2000 taps.

[Cider Hill Maple Farm]

Thanks Platt!!! Good luck this year!! Well we had 2500, but we had to shutdown one woods due to wood harvesting and an construction of an irrigation pond. Moving forward, we're in the process of setting up our own woods.