Evaporator Valve Height

[Wattwood]

My brother is welding up a couple of stainless pans for our first attempt at sugaring since we were both boys some 40 years ago- I was barely big enough to carry buckets...

The front pan is 24"x36" with two baffles (3 chambers) and 3/4" gate valve drawoffs in opposite corners so the pan can be rotated. The back pan is flat, 24"x30" and will be piped to the front pan with a 1" gate valve. I know that you all can answer this with your eyes closed but we can't figure it out. What should we set the height of the "ID" of the outflow pipes above the bottom of the pan? I tried to search the archives for this but didn't have any luck. Thanks for your help. Rob Morgan

[maple flats]

If everything will be the same elevation across the bottoms of both pans the valves should be as low as possible, If the back pan will be higher the vavle on it should be low but the other can be higher. The basic thing is that you don't want to be able to run dry in one pan while you are tending a problem in the other.

[Bucket Head]

When I modified my pans (they were flat pans with no dividers) the first thing I did was put valves in them.

I used a 3/4" holesaw and put the holes right at the bottom of the sides of the pans. Then I welded a stainless, threaded pipe fitting over the hole.

This way the fitting was even with the bottom (floor) of the pan.

I did it this way because the first two seasons we did syrup "batch style" and would pull the pans off when done, and we would set the pans on some cement blocks so we could draw syrup off into a stainless pail. The pans would drain completely with the fitting at the bottom.

I wish you and your brother luck this season! Welcome back to madness!!

Steve

[brookledge]

I would put the pipe as low as possible. Many pans have a small box on the side of the pan that gets it away from the side rail and then the drain valve is on the bottom. Either way keep them as low as possible. As you feed sap into the first pan and the sap boils it will keep flowing along through the channels and into the second pan
Keith

[dano2840]

as low as you can go
i had a pan made for my 18"x6 last year and the valve was put about 3/4" up from the bottm, i run my evapr with an 1"-1 1/2 of sap in it, and it just wouldnt draw of quick enough, so i had to draw off w/ a syrup off with my scoop,
so go as low as possable

[Wattwood]

Thanks Fellas: I appreciate your insight and will apply your advice to keep it low. If it's possible to overthink the obvious, well... I'm always up for the challenge!

Cheers: Rob Morgan

[maple flats]

If you check one of the manufacturers you should be able to get a valve take off fitting that actually goes into the bottom corner, with the ability to drain to almost zero. That is what came on my Grimm, but it will need to be added on a sidecar box so it can be installed without hitting the rail. Mine are something like 1.5-2" in under from the side bend and maybe the same up the side. The fitting is soldered into the corner after the proper parts of the corner have been removed. Mine is bronze and soldered, I do not know how they do an all welded pan.