How far can you offset

[firetech]

We are plannig the new sugar house and I can't put the evaporator dierctly under the peak. How far will the steam drift on the rise. Looks like it's 4ft off center. It won't be a problem when and if we ever get hoods.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Is it going to be close to a open window when you cook? If so you will get alot of steam flying in all directions. Steam will only go so far up before it cools and sinks like a rock. Next time you boil water on the stove see how it reacts with the hood fan on off it doesnt get sucked of very well because its heavy with all the moisture. You need alot of make up air to get steam to want to move up and out of the room. A small evap. in a big room wont move alot of air but a big rig in a small room will have alot of upward movement.

[firetech]

Is it going to be close to a open window when you cook? If so you will get alot of steam flying in all directions. Steam will only go so far up before it cools and sinks like a rock. Next time you boil water on the stove see how it reacts with the hood fan on off it doesnt get sucked of very well because its heavy with all the moisture. You need alot of make up air to get steam to want to move up and out of the room. A small evap. in a big room wont move alot of air but a big rig in a small room will have alot of upward movement.
Its a 30x10 in a 24x20 room 10ft ceiling

[802maple]

No problem

[802maple]

I should say no problem if your cupola is big enough

[maple flats]

With no hood the cupola should be as large as the evaporator.

[3rdgen.maple]

Steam in the sugarhouse is all part of the fun. Clears up the head really good. People pay good money to sit in a sauna room. You will be just fine with that setup. We run a 2x6 with a 2x6 coupla like you the evaporator is not centered under it maybe a foot offset. No it does not all escape but most does.

[Nemo5]

firetech, if you take the photobucket link in my signature there is a folder there called Sugarhouse design. Might be some info in there that may be of use to you.

[Mac_Muz]

I am probably way out of line responding to this since I never had a sugar shack. But I did live 3 full years in a tee pee and one of those was in NH.

The tee pee worked with a fire inside because it creates a partial vacuum. Well the tee pee is gone, but I have another hunting lodge type of tent I can have a cooking fire in, and the way it works is the roof line is open, but more than that the side backing the to the wind is raised some what higher. Since this is a tent for primitive events I made it so i can controll either of the 2 long sides..

But if you can predict the winds most common to your site you could use this idea to some advantage just the same.

Old cabins with no modern shingles and other modern caps at the ridge line used this same method, while the roof was closed tight.

What ever way was more backed into most of the winds had the wooden shingles left full length at the ridge.

[maple flats]

There is nothing that says a cupola must be at the peak, it should be directly over the pans. Same with smoke stack, that is why you see listings for peak mount AND side mount roof jacks.

[Revi]

Our cupola is slightly offset and the steam finds its way out. It seems to drip when you have boiled a while from the ceiling, but it drips everywhere, so maybe that would happen if the evap was directly under the vent anyway.

Good luck with it!

[Clan Delaney]

Steam in the sugarhouse is all part of the fun. Clears up the head really good. People pay good money to sit in a sauna room.

It's just really awkward when visitors drop in and you're lounging on the counter in a bath towel. Let me tell 'ya. :lol:

[3rdgen.maple]

It's just really awkward when visitors drop in and you're lounging on the counter in a bath towel. Let me tell 'ya. :lol:
Yep even more awkward when you forget the bath towel. maple sauna baby.:lol:

[Dennis H.]

I was worried about raining in the sugarshack this year, but I had no such problems.
My cupola is slighty offset from the evap, maybe 2'. Also my evap is not parrallel to the evap either and it seems to work real nice.

What I found was that the only time I got dripping is when the temp in the shack was going above the dew point. Once it was above I was fine. Now I think the size of my shack had something to do with that, 10'x12' with 8' ceilings.
A few days when I had long boils it was pushing 110 degrees in there!:o
That is also with both windows wide open and the door wide open.

Someone else mentioned about the steam blowing all over if the windows were open, I didn't have that problem.

[adk1]

Well this is good to hear. I will build my coupola at least 2x6 since I doubt that I would ever get a bigger evap then that I guess. I will build it in the middle even though my evap at first will be offset 3-4 feet

[Ausable]

I was worried about raining in the sugarshack this year, but I had no such problems.
My cupola is slighty offset from the evap, maybe 2'. Also my evap is not parrallel to the evap either and it seems to work real nice.

What I found was that the only time I got dripping is when the temp in the shack was going above the dew point. Once it was above I was fine. Now I think the size of my shack had something to do with that, 10'x12' with 8' ceilings.
A few days when I had long boils it was pushing 110 degrees in there!:o
That is also with both windows wide open and the door wide open.

Someone else mentioned about the steam blowing all over if the windows were open, I didn't have that problem.

Hi Dennis -- My Sugar Shack size is close to Yours (12' x 14'). My new homemade evaporator is larger then my old one and had to put it in the shack so now it is only partially under the cupola. I was worried that when the condensed steam rained - some might drip into the evaporator from the overhead so we hung a hood from chains that overhangs the evaporator - So the steam that dosen't go out the cupola drips off the sides of the hood and misses the evaporator. Also - the hood acts as a roof over the evaporator - keeping out any driping that might come down from the ceiling. That is a good thing - cause the almost 11 months I'm not boiling sap - a lot of things could have taken place overhead and I don't want that in the syrup - might cause the mysterious "Off Taste" others mention --------

[Dennis H.]

Didn't have to much of a problem this year with raining in the sugarshack. Didn't get that much of a chance to boil due to the weather!!:mad:

I wanted to build a hood but I knew I was going to get a new evap for this coming season so I figured that I would jus live with it.

Now I will be building a hood for the new evap once it gets here though.

[Ausable]

The same problem here - Worst year for sap I ever had. My Son even tapped some trees at his house and the same there. One of my Sons and Grandsons designed and built an evaporator and arch for me from a 250 gallon fuel oil tank and did a nice job. Never really had the sap to give it a good run - hopefully better next year. Was a lot of fun though - cause I always boiled on a open pan before and was a slow process. But - this one really keeps me moving when I crank it up - was glad I found this site because I sure had a lot to learn. Are You buying an Evaporator and Arch already built or making Your own?

[Ausable]

Hey Dennis -- Question answered -- Just read another of Your posts and see you have one ordered - congradulations -- Mike

[adk1]

does anyone put a box fan up in their coupola. I plan on doing this if I go the coupola route. I will jsut run a lead down from the ceiling and plug in to an outlet. I havent figured out exactly where the evap is going to go yet either.

[Ausable]

Was wondering about that myself - Had to run with door and window open during boils because of the steam. The coupola and vents couldn't handle it. Would have to have a fan motor that could handle the moisture or rigged somehow as to not expose it to the moisture -- Mike

[3rdgen.maple]

This is a good spot for Haynes to jump in. He sums up the fan in the shack deal pretty nicely with the makeup air needed and the moisture in the fan.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Thanks 3rdgen I'm thinking we need to get reports from the people that have tried it this last season. I spent alot of time in another sap shack this year that has a new CDL 3x10 intensofire. He has the full hood and had a steam problem.He was told that the unit needs 2 stacks.

I believe that HOT steam needs to get out of the sap shack as fast as possible Hot steam tries to do just that. But if we allow it to hang around and cool it wont go up but down. I can only speak about all the things I went thru with small couplas without hood and big coupla without hood and then a bigger rig with small steam hood and 14" stack into the coupla with very little steam.

[Ausable]

Thankyou Gentlemen -- Message received loud and clear - Fan is Bad idea.

[adk1]

really? One of hte largest producers in our area has a simple box fan setup in his coupola..seemed to work well. Hell, I ahve three or 4 of those cheap ones laying around not being used anyways.

[sfsshadow]

we have a fan in the steam pipe. it spins on its own from the natural draw. if we turn it on, it rains down the pipe

[Haynes Forest Products]

sfsshadow Put a car alternator on that fan and then a converter and find a cheap 110 volt hot water heater and make a preheater and then........................STFUC

[backyard sugaring]

I use a box fan in the window on my barn door. The fan makes a big differance in my barn. It sends steam out about ten feet away from the barn. You can buy them at yard sales for little money.

[PerryW]

I have only a 2x6 cupola for my 3x10 and I rarely get any drips. But my walls are only 7 feet and I boarded up the roof solid and used shingles. Exposed metal roofing (on the inside) often causes "rain" inside the sugarhouse.

[Ausable]

sfsshadow Put a car alternator on that fan and then a converter and find a cheap 110 volt hot water heater and make a preheater and then........................STFUC

LOL -- there - there Haynes - I went through this years ago. Wrap up in a blanket or afghan - tilt back in Your favorite chair - and drink a few well fortified boiling sodas and it will get better. As the Male ages - we slowly start to become invisable and no one hears or pays any attention to us - unless you wave a little money - it is like you have passed over and yet you are still here. The Young Lions of the next generation are claiming the turf and whether or not they are ready is really not important to them.... Here on the Maple Trader - we can seek refuge and buy a little more time -- but -- it happens here too....... Yep - Rummage Sale Box Fans MUST be the answer as the idea really irks old Haynes - Hang in there Haynes - We - in the old Geezer Club appreciate You ---- Let The Young Lions Boil with Box Fans ----

[backyard sugaring]

Didn't mean to offend anyone. I learned more from Haynes and the rest of you folks on sugaring than all the books and web sites out there. I was just giving my two cents. I boil in my barn and try to remove as much steam as possible and the cheap box fan seems to work. Some day I will build a sugar shack and have a hood. Again thanks for all the info. Lee

[adk1]

ah, you have to expect some ribbing on this site. Some of these "old timers" have already gone though all of the trials and tribulations already. I know the cheapo box fan system does work when stuck in the coupola, cause I have seen it first hand. But what I dont know is....How long that fan will last!:lol:

[3rdgen.maple]

All I know is when I tried a fan in the peak of the roof once it had the steam rolling around the whole shack instead of the nice steady calm rise out the coupla. If you are sucking air and steam out of the building you need fresh makeup air coming into it at the same rate or your efforts are going to be on the ill side. Some things I do notice while boiling at my place is when just the couploa is open there is a fog line about chest high in the hole sugarhouse, now when I open the back door wich is facing east I can literly see that fog line rise and get sucked out the coupla. If i open the wind facing door in the front that faces the west I get a room full of turbulant steam and I cant see a thing. So fan or no fan if your building a shack I would take in consideration which wall your door or window you can open is facing.

[Jim Brown]

I for one use an old box fan in a 24 in louverred(sp) opening in my roof also have a steam hood with stack. The fan is four years old and when it quits I'll spend $10 at walmart and buy a new one. They are pretty bullet proof.

Jim

[backyard sugaring]

3rdgen, It probally works in my barn because i've have plenty of make up air available. It is a bit drafty in there at times. Thanks again for all the info that this site provides. Lee

[bearair]

Over the winter we put a "lean to" on a bunk house for our sugar shack. Thinking that we wanted all the steam to get out we placed the steam door as close to the peak as we could. Well the steam went straight up 5' hit the ceiling and rolled up until it went out the top. Only had a problem when the wind blew from the south and pushed the steam back in the shack.
Lesson learned, if you don't want it to rain inside place the steam hole as close to the steam source as you can.
I used a new cotton drip cloth tacked to the rafters to keep the rain off my head, for $11.00 it worked awesome.

[adk1]

I wont have my evap directly under my coupola. I put in a plywood floor of the crawl space of the garage. I am planning on remove the majority above the evap..I will thenstud up the opening above and box in the area directly below the coupola. thinking that it will concentate the steam, while keeping it hotter and therefore rising more efficiently rather than dispersing. thats my plan right now unless someone can see a problem with it that I dont. my celings are a good 12' then the peak close to 20'

[Sugarmaker]

Steam does funny things and varies on a day to day sometimes hour to hour basis.
I think the post was how far to offset the evaporator.
If I was going to build a new sugarhouse with a cupola, I would try to center the rig or make the offset as small as possible maybe no more than 1 evaporator width. Boil like crazy and have fun.
If you really want to control the steam you need to add hoods.
Regards,
Chris

[Ausable]

Steam does funny things and varies on a day to day sometimes hour to hour basis.
I think the post was how far to offset the evaporator.
If I was going to build a new sugarhouse with a cupola, I would try to center the rig or make the offset as small as possible maybe no more than 1 evaporator width. Boil like crazy and have fun.
If you really want to control the steam you need to add hoods.
Regards,
Chris

I agree Chris - On my 2' x 5' I have an elevated hood and it helps - but - I think the main purpose mine has is to keep things out of the evaporator. In my shack everything seems to effect which way the steam goes. The Weather, open door or which window is open all seems to give the steam a different pattern --- The worst - is when the door and windows are all closed and then it is like a sauna. I wish it were possible to place my evaporator directly under the coupola -- or a closed hood would work -- but - I like being able to kinda see what is going on... Mike