Evaporator Hoods???

[briduhunt]

I see that some people use SS hoods or Aluminum hoods, why is no one using a galvinazed sheet metal hoods? I have access to large sheets of Galvinized sheet metal and can form my own hood. I have also seen plywood hoods with one side having a polyurethane coating and the outside of the wood being bare. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks
Brian

[VT maple maker]

The reason people stay away from galvanized hoods is because after the coating comes off the metal with time, or rust eats it away, there is the possibility of toxic matter leaching into the sap. Plywood is also a bad option because of the glues that hold the wood particles together. Even with a coating on the inside of it there is the possibility of the wood becoming moist and dripping behind the plastic back into the pans.The reason People use Stainless Steel and Aluminum is because its very clean and food grade. Using the best materials will insure that you produce the best and cleanest product possible.

Kyle

[Haynes Forest Products]

Did you know that galvanized water lines that are legal to use in your home will flake and rust. Yes the ends on the pipe and the fittings will rust and flake. If you have the materials and the ability to make the hood then it sounds like you can fix it if it rusts. Lets be real folks I find it hard to believe that hot sap has the ability to break down galanizing and make water soluble in 1/2 that its in the evaporator and then not filter out. How about your gal. milk cans. THE HORROR THE HORROR I think the was coverd this in another thread.

[brookledge]

If you use it and it begins to rust, You have to remember what the customer thinks when they see rusty pans and hoods. They will visit once and not come back.
Apperance is key in having a good retail business. All it takes is for one person to not recommend your product and it will hurt you. You may be able to keep a hood from rusting for a while but once it starts then you are forced to put paint on it and then have that peel into the pans.
I think that you would be better off selling the galv. sheets to somebody who is not going to use it in the food industry and then use the profit to but alluminum or stainless.
Keith

[Haynes Forest Products]

I do like the shiney stuff. Next we will be asked to pave the driveway and keep the dog out of the sapshack.......OOPS evaperator house

[treefinder]

there still alot of tin and galvinized buckets out there still being used.i say use what you can afford. if you look at my pics i made my front hood. but i bought my back hood and it cost me about 800.00 from leader. i built a wooden frame but i did use aluminum sheeting . i wood make sure the sheeting you have is free of oils.

[mapleman3]

I made mine out of aluminum also. I bent everything with a siding break(not easy though for that gauge) I had the bottom gutter/drain channel made from a metal shop so it would be nice n flat.

[Justin Turco]

Here is a question for you guys:

Do you put a gutter on the hood or not? I ask this question because, the way my flue pan splashes over, I would have a steady stream of 8% sap bouncing off the inside of the hood, running down, and getting caught in the gutter and running out the drain. The other scenario is: No gutter....then the condensated steam that forms on the inside of the hood runs down and back into the flue pan.

Which is worse???

[Russell Lampron]

Justin you want a drip channel on your hood to drain out the condensate. It doesn't have to be very wide I think mine is only an inch. I have checked the water that comes out of mine and I don't get much sugar in it. You don't want the condensate draining back into the flue pan. You would have to boil it back out again and that would be counter productive. With the RO machine that 8% will be what is going into it I have 20% going into my front pan. Use the defoamer to keep the foam from getting into the drip channel and it should work OK.

[Brent]

sounds like the first thing you want to do is make a 4 to 6" riser that will catch the splash and let it drip back into the pan, then make your hood with a channel. Keep in mind the extra height needed for a preheater because if you're not planning one this time around, you'll likely want to add it pretty soon.

[maple flats]

That is what i did. I made my hood from aluminum, bent it on my aluminum brake and pop riveted it together. I bought some 1/8" wall u channel with which I made a gutter, aluminum welded the thing together and at one corner I have the channel extending out about 6" with a short drop tail to make the condensate fall into a bucket where i want. This year I am adding a pre heater which will be in an extension about 6 or 8" high, this may just drip into the evap but I will catch the condensate off the preheater and channel it out for more hot water. My hood has 2 steam stacks, is 8' long on a 6' flue pan. Where it extends over the syrup pan it is up about 16" above the pan so I can see in and it it about 6" shorter than the combined length of both pans. All of the steam from the flue pan goes into the hood and about 90-95% of the syrup pan steam does. The remaining steam goes up to the cupola and does not ever present a problem. My steam stacks are 10" diam and end in the cupola. I made a hoist system to lift the hood, just wind a winch and the hood can raise almost 2 ft. On my steam stacks I have 10" take offs on the hood, then increase to 12" for 6' height. In the cupola I have 2 10" stacks suspended so they hang into the 12" below. This give me the ability to hoist the hood with no interference, and hoisting it is so easy my 7 yr old grand daughter lifts it with one hand when I ask her to.