Homemade flue pan photo's

[Bucket Head]

Hey Guy's,

I know some of you asked about some pictures of my flue's. I got my sister's boyfriend to put some up.

There were a couple on there of the building stage. Now there are a few more of the flue's in the pan, complete.

They are in the Modifications album.

Steve

[WF MASON]

Wow , I'm just guessing here , but it looks like that homemade thing has gotten a little outta hand. That sucker should crank.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I thought you were making a drop flue YIKES that thing will need 24" side extensions that Baby should boil.

[maple flats]

Looks like a super job. Have you boiled on it yet? If so ore when you do report to us on boil rate. I also like your preheater set up. I think i will steal some of your ideas for my rig.
Dave

[Sugarmaker]

buckethead,
Wow what a very! Nice clean system. After looking at the pictures I would guess that the next big step is a sugarhouse? The dumping station on the Ford is very well thought out with the tip up feature. Your road side maple sugrabush looks very much like the way we gather too. Be who manicures the area around the trees?:)

Very good pictures thanks for posting these! Your drop flues should really boil.

Do you have any problems with air lock in the preheater?

Regards,
Chris

[seclark]

Steve, thats a great looking setup.I'm in south new berlin and would like to see your setup first hand after the season if thats o.k. Stan

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Steve,

I think it will boil a ton and not to be critical, but I think if you don't add some sides to the flued pan, there is no way you won't have a continual boil over unless I am missing something or the hood is going to hold it in??

[Bucket Head]

Thanks for the compliments guys.

WFMason, Maple Flats, & Haynes- I have boiled on it. I did the flues 3 years ago. My drawback was I did not have the hood and preheater till last season. I just completed my airthight ash pit and fireing door/ash door. So now that I have all "systems" in place, we will see what this thing can do. I'm hoping it will "crank". However, I still think its time to upgrade to a bigger rig. Thats why I have been asking questions about other size rigs in some of the other sections. My father and I would love to expand, but we really need to be able to boil off more than what this one can do. Were at a crossroads so to speak, and have no idea on which way to go. It would be an easy decision if money grew on tree's!

Chris- We sure do need a sugar house, but its that "money growing on trees" thing again. Also, the taxes in this town are obsene. You can't afford to put up a doghouse here with what they end up upping your ascessment. It used to be zoned Agiculture around here, but all the farmland is now developed, so its residential. I don't think we could have a sugarhouse/business type thing here. And I don't think I want one at this location either. I guess time will tell. The barrel on the back of the truck works well. Better than climbing up in there, which I did for years. Almost all the trees we tap are roadside, front yard type. So there is lawn around most of them. We do get air bubbles in our preheater, but it has never vapor locked. We have never had a stoppage of sap. I don't know why some folk's have such a problem with that. Gravity is doing the work here, and as you can see, I have a small feed tank with very little head pressure.

Stan- Your more than welcome for a "tour". Tours start daily at 8:00, 10:00, 1:00, & 3:00, LOL! I'm not far off of Rt. 8. Send me a message sometime and I'll show you my setup.

Steve

[Bucket Head]

Brandon,

Your right, the first year I used it with the flues, I could not fire it full bore. I did not have the extensions on the pan. It wanted to boil over. The following off season, I put the higher sides on it. Ther are pictures of the pan with out, and with the extensions on it in photobucket.

I should have done those first, but I had no idea on how it would boil. I was a tried and true flat pan guy prior to this fabrication.

Steve