Splashing Flue Pan

[Amber Gold]

Over the weekend when my evap. really rips I have sap jumping out of the flue pan, probably the first 12-18” of the pan. Two problems: I’m losing sap and making a mess on the floor. I’m looking for a cheap, simple, temporary solution to keep everything inside with no permanent damage to the flue pan (screwing/bolting into it and etc.) I’m thinking next year I’ll get a preheater/hood made so just want this to be temporary.

Ideas??

Thanks

[Dill]

turn the blower down?

[3% Solution]

Josh,
Go to the hardware store and buy some aluminum flashing, however long and wide you need and add a few extra inches to the width so you can bend it to fit the top of you flue pan.
Worked for me once!

Dave

[Amber Gold]

Alden, not an option...my evaporator would not be boiling at it's full potential and I can't have that...it just wouldn't be right. Also, for now it's connected to an on/off switch. I've been leaving it on all the time, even when firing, and it's been working well. I love the blower, it makes such a difference in the flue pan...quite impressive. Another problem is it tends to foam up more. I'm try not to use much, if any defoamer, and for the most part it works. Will know better once I get a solid gradient built if I need to add more or less.

Dave, Good idea. I'll give it a shot...I may even have some kicking around the house.

Thanks

[tuckermtn]

Josh- I have a set of removable L shaped stainless "sideboards" that have some "clips" welded to the sides- these clips hold the sideboards on to the rim of the flu pan- these sideboards meet in the middle of the front of the flu pan then run over to the corner and down toward the stack about 18-20"- they are about 12-16" tall...I see if I can get a picture - pictures worth a 1000 words...

[Jeff E]

Have you tried altering your sap depth a 1/4 in or so? Just a bit more sap could control things a bit.

[Amber Gold]

Jeff, no I haven't. I thought the idea was to run it as shallow as possible. I'm running it at 1.75" now. I could try 2" this weekend and see what it does.

Eric, Could you get me some pics and email them over? That's the area I'm having problems with...front and sides. Thanks

[GGervais]

Do you use defoamer? I use to have the same problem when i first started boiling. When I used defoamer, it knocked it down eliminating the problem. Just a thought.

[HHM-07]

is your rig wood fired ?? i had the same problem when i set up the first time , i added a row of bricks at the back of the fire box that kept more heat under the front pan, that seemed to work very well for me , still will go over now and then but easy to control it with a little defoamer ( veg oil) good luck with the new season

Dick

[Dave Y]

Amber Gold,
Your flue pan is too deep! run 1" over the flues at the most. I have run even with the flues and got a tremendous evaporation rate ,but it can be hairy. Dont be afraid to use defomer just adrop every other tme you fire. It will help alot.

[Amber Gold]

It's not foaming over it's sending sap rockets up and over the pan. I do use defoamer when it starts to foam up.

Dick, it is wood fired with a blower and forced draft grates. Things calm down quite a bit when I turn the blower off, but it also doesn't evaporate as fast. I built a vertical wall in the back of the firebox 12" into the flue pan.

Dave, I'd like to run it shallower, but I'm at the shallowest setting on the float and can't run it any lower. I could drill another hole in the stem of the float. Why would lowering the sap level help with splashing?

[Jeff E]

Wow, running without sap cover on the flues is very risky. I would be hesitant to recommend that, for fear of scortching and loosing soldered seams.
But I must say I have never tried it either, so my response is based on FEAR rather than experience!

Anyone else do that?

I had front and back splash panels on my 2x8, that kept the majority of the sap in the pan. Worth using them until you have a cover.

[H. Walker]

I've had the same problem when I get to much sap in the back pan. Like if I've flooded the pans a little to much at the last shut-down.

Get the sap down to an inch over the flues and no problem!!!

[PerryW]

Try using less defoamer. On my evap., it only splashes out after I use defoamer.

I use the same approach as TUckermtn, except I just pop-rivited the clips to the sheet metal. The clips I used are the kind that you can clip something like 50 sheets of paper together and are available at an office supply store