AUF Questions

[dave&kyle]

I have a homemade 2x4 arch with a badgerland divided pan get about 10 gph with airtight door I'm thinking about putting a blower in the back of the ash compartment facing the front of the arch. I have a few questions.
1.pros and cons of doing it?
2.the ash compartment is 2ftx2ftx8in the fire box above the grates is 2ftx2ftx2ft then slightly less than a foot of ramp and a little over a foot of flat there is about 2 inches between the insulation and the bottom of the pan and finally the stack transition and 12ft or 8 inch pipe how many cfm's does my blower need to be?
3.how much will my gph increase or am I just going to burn a lot more wood?
Here are a few pics so everyone can see what I'm working with.
Where the blue line is on the rear view is where I'm thinking of attaching it with a transition from the size of the blower to the size of the ash compartment 227892279022792

[Ross]

I did this on my Sunrise 2X4 arch and it made a huge difference. It went from 10 to 15gph with a divided flat pan. I purchased the blower from Smoky Lake. No cons that I can see. You will just cut a square in the back of the arch and bolt right up.

[berkshires]

I did this on my Mason 2x3 and went from 7 up to 10 GPH. Nearly 50% increase in boil rate! Also, it's cheap! I bought this: https://www.surpluscenter.com/Electrical/Blowers-Fans/AC-Centrifugal-Blowers/160-CFM-120-Volt-AC-Fasco-70639814-Blower-16-1548.axd

The only thing that's tricky is sealing that front ash door so it doesn't blow ash and sparks out when it's running, but you can still open it when you need to clean it out.

I'm very glad I did this.

GO

[Pdiamond]

I have mine rigged so that when its time to add wood I turn off a switch which runs a string of LED lights around the inside of the sugar house. That way I know the blower is off and I am not going to get ash all over. One thing that might help increase your boil is to add more insulation on the flat area under the pan and dcrease it to about 3/4" under the pan. Having the 2" space is letting a lot of heat go straight out.

[82cabby]

1.pros and cons of doing it?
3.how much will my gph increase or am I just going to burn a lot more wood?
227892279022792

I have a very similar set up and get about 15 gph with the blower. I would suggest incorporating a motor controller (I use a speed controller for a ceiling fan but a speed controller for a router might be better). The controller allows you to dial in the air so you have enough but not so much that you are just blowing excess heat out of the stack.
Pros: much hotter boil, more control of your fire.
Cons: more complexity in your system, more things to keep track of.

[Pdiamond]

I know with the blower that from a cold start I can be up and boiling in 8 minutes.

[CTguy923]

I did this on my Mason 2x3 and went from 7 up to 10 GPH. Nearly 50% increase in boil rate! Also, it's cheap! I bought this: https://www.surpluscenter.com/Electrical/Blowers-Fans/AC-Centrifugal-Blowers/160-CFM-120-Volt-AC-Fasco-70639814-Blower-16-1548.axd

The only thing that's tricky is sealing that front ash door so it doesn't blow ash and sparks out when it's running, but you can still open it when you need to clean it out.

I'm very glad I did this.

GO

what the guy did i bought my Mason 2x4 from did was, move the blower back from the back of the arch about a foot using a piece of pipe, the fire still gets plenty of air but not so much its blowing sparks out the cleanout door

[mdm1]

What I have done is use a corded raft inflator. I took a pipe long enough to extend under my grate and cut slots in it so the air goes up to the fire. The pipe is long enough to stick out of the evaporator and I put the end of the inflator in the pipe. As long as the pump is running no problem with it melting. As of now the pipe has not degraded either. Works for me but I just have a cinder block setup with a flat pan. Just a micro hobby producer so I really don't measure boil rate etc like most people do. But I do know that it boils quicker and faster with the air.