Same side draw offs

[Flatfoot95]

I am going to be ordering a new evaporator from Patrick Phaneuf hopefully and I am considering a same side draw off. I was wondering if you all have any thoughts on the subject......advantages/disadvantages, etc...

I was thinking of also seeing if he could duplicate the new Max pan from Leader.

[Mike]

I have a same side draw....I like it...I run the whole show from one side,feed tank,floats,draw off ,filtering and burner shut off.......Makes it nice.....

[Brent]

My new Phaneuf is same side draw off. We considered a reversible pan but that would mean reversing draw off sides. I also mentioned to him the "revolution" style pan and he said that style leaves a lot of syrup/sap outside the pans and it can't be boiled, and it is considerably more expensive.

The disadvantage to the single side draw off is that it is non-reversible. This means more sugar sand. This year I had a lot of sugar sand and the last two channels in the syrup pan got pretty well coated in about 5 hours. I am considering ordering a second syrup pan so I can clean one while boiling on the other.

But it is nice being able to push the evap close to the wall and run it from one side.

You can see pictures of it on the web site below. Click on the link to the Merlin RO at the bottom of the page and you'll see a picture of the space on the opposite wall, which is where the Merlins got stuck. The arch insulated well and there was little danger of a burn moving around the back side. The doors were unbelievably hot. Got to insulate it this summer.

If you're considering it, the hoods worked "pretty well". I think the front hood spilled to much steam and needs a 7" stack. The channel to collect condensation in over the sap pan didn't work worth a $h^t and I had to jack the rear end up 1/2" too high to make it flow and discharge out the port. Didn't like what that did to the sap levels inside so I just ran it deep and that kept me out of trouble. Other than that a pretty well made rig.

[markct]

so im not sure i understand just what a same side drawoff is? does this just mean that rather than turning the pan to reverse it the baffles somehow change? or is it just that the baffles are made so the float box and drawoff are on the same side since someone said something about it fitting well against the wall, which would be great in my tiny sugarhouse, i also see someone else said something about not being able to reverse drawoff sides, what is the solution to that, just more cleaning?

[Mike]

Brent, you say your pan is a single draw?? My front pan has two float boxes....I use the front for a few boils and then I switch to the rear box on the same side..........My pan is 3x3.......Cant see why they cant do it for a smaller pan............A extra pan is a great way to go.....

[Brent]

I wish now I had done something different. I have only one float box on mine.

I put a picture of the float box on Patrick's site at the bottom of this page
http://www.maplesyrupevaporators.com/2x6_evaporator/2x6_evaporator.html

There are a few general views on my maple web site at
http://www.hhrm.ca/duffyslanemaple/index.html
These picture give you a pretty good idea of what Patrick calls his delux model with hoods.

I have ordered a second front pan from him. After 4 or 5 hours I'll change the pans and clean the gentle way while the fresh one works. I wonder if the extra cost for the revolution style pan would match the extra cost for a second pan. At least when I put on the second clean pan I'll know I've got 4 or 5 more hours of good boiling while I get the first one cleaned up. If I get both dirty in a day I'll be bushed anyway.

By the way, on another thread there was discussion about cleaning sugar sand and some doubt was aired about dissolving sugar sand in a reversing pan. The "bible" says some will dissolve and flack will loosen. For what its
worth that's what it says. I thought it was insoluble.