Problems with new evaporator

[Dobrien]

We got a new Leader 2x 8 raised flue evaporator and have 2 problems that we know of so far.

Very poor draft, we don't have a blower and the the stack is 16 ft high. smoke and flames come out the front door when they are opened. Any clues what is wrong we followed the directions when we bricked it.?

Also we have water dripping down the stack. Is this a leak? We are having draft problem so the stack is not hot( you can touch it) and I believe that there is a leak in the pans that is condensing in the stack and dripping down.

[RileySugarbush]

How long did you burn in it? It takes a bit of time to heat everything up and get the draft going. Until then, the stack is cool and maybe could condense the combustion exhaust the first mile of a drive in a car on a cold day.

Are you sure the stack is not closed off somewhere?

[Big maple]

Just have to ask, is the stack cover open?

[Sugarbear]

Try burning some newspaper in the bottom of the base stack.It works good for me to get the draft going when I am starting up.

[Dobrien]

Burned about 5 hrs and yes the stack cover was off

[Big maple]

just had to ask, I have done it before and it is about the same thing as you have there.

[mapleman3]

Hey your in My Town!! I would love to see your setup and give you a few pointers.. tough to get over there when I'm boiling too though. where about are you located? I'm down 181 at the south end of town.

When you set it up how much of an area towards the back of the pan did you leave open for the flue gases when you filled the back of the arch? it may not be enough to get a draft going.

The water coming down the stack could be a few things... was there snow on the roof?? what is the construction of the roofing? metal? could be condensation from the steam dripping back down.

[Dobrien]

I live on Cottage st you can see my lines from the drive thru at Country Bank. As you know it has been warm and we have a metal roof so there is no snow or ice on the roof. My guess is that sap was dripping from the pans into the fireand condensing in the stack . The stack never got hot you could touch the stack after burning even for a few hours. There was a puddle on the flat piece where the stack starts. I think you may be right about to small an opening in the back, we followed the directions but it didn't feel right.

[Flat47]

A couple of factors come to mind given your statement about the flames coming out the front of the arch:
1. Is there too little room betwwen the arch filler (sand, vermiculite, etc.) and the underside of the flue pan?
2. Is there too little space between the end of the flue pan and the stack base?
3. Is your sugar house located in a hollow or valley?
Local inversions are very common and greatly impact draft. Check the smoke from surrounding homes with wood stoves. If it's hanging low and not disipating it's a poor draft day caused by an inversion. Even a tall stack will not overcome an inversion.
4. During firing was there a strong breeze or wind? Could it be that your stack cover is funneling the wind down the stack? (I've seen some people open their stack cover to a verticle position, and if the wind were right that could cause wind to channel down the stack).

To me this sounds like an air flow (draft) problem. How high from the roof is your stack? How tall is the interior of the sugarhouse?

[Dobrien]

A couple of factors come to mind given your statement about the flames coming out the front of the arch:
1. Is there too little room betwwen the arch filler (sand, vermiculite, etc.) and the underside of the flue pan?

There is about an inch



2. Is there too little space between the end of the flue pan and the stack base?


This is were I think we have the problem there is only about 2 in high by the width of the pans


3. Is your sugar house located in a hollow or valley?
Local inversions are very common and greatly impact draft. Check the smoke from surrounding homes with wood stoves. If it's hanging low and not disipating it's a poor draft day caused by an inversion. Even a tall stack will not overcome an inversion.


we are located on a small slope. The smoke was hanging around the ground a little bit

4. During firing was there a strong breeze or wind? Could it be that your stack cover is funneling the wind down the stack? (I've seen some people open their stack cover to a vertical position, and if the wind were right that could cause wind to channel down the stack).

Draft got better with time but by no means good you could touch the stack with your hand after 4 hrs of burning. Stack cover was horizontal there was little wind

To me this sounds like an air flow (draft) problem. How high from the roof is your stack? How tall is the interior of the sugarhouse?

inside 9 ft out side 5 to 6 ft

The problem that cause the most concern for me was water dripping down from inside the stack running out the seams. To me it appears that there is a leak in one of the pans and it is turning to stream and then condensing in the cool stack. There was even a puddle at the bottom of the stack. Yes the stack was that cool which is not good.

[mapleman3]

Are you going to be boiling tonight?? I could stop up , I am taking tonight off from the sugarhouse, I won't have enough sap for a good boil.

[KenWP]

Is your wood dry. Wet wood will burn but no heat.

[danno]

Although you may have a pan leak, what you are describing does not sound like a pan leak to me. Was it raining when you were getting water in the stack? Could be coming in through the top. Or, if seems between the stack sections are facing the wrong way, when rain is running down the outside of the stack it will find the seams and run inside the stack.

Forced air will help the draft problem, unless you have a blockage under the pans or in the stack.

[mapleman3]

I think the draft problem is the insulation under the pan , not enough space at the back of the pan to the stack... the leaking is something that needs quick investigation also... if it is leaking it needs to get repaired quick.. and with the pan off we can see how the slope to the stack is.

[Dobrien]

we dug out the rear of the arch and are going to try again tonite if your board give us a call 413-237-9870 and stop by. We couldn't find any leaks it must have been condensation from the combustion, similar to the water that drips out of your tailpipe on a car.

[mapleman3]

How did the boil go? I couldn't get away from the house last night, had a couple visitors. did it pull draft better?? I Hope so, we should get another run today!!

[Dobrien]

Draft was the problem we cleaned more out by the stack and it ripped. When we started it we had a lot in the syrup pan and we boiled that off and very little to any was added so we believe we never build up a gradiant of syrup and made charcoal in the middle compartment warping the pan even though there was about 1.5 inches of sap,syrup in this case, in the pan. So if you want to learn what not to do come watch us. Let me know if you are boiling I like to watch. I promise I won't help.

[Jerome]

That sucks, I hope it is salvageable

[mapleman3]

sounds like my first boil saturday.... I'm boiling now all is good !!!

[HHM-07]

sounds like a bricking problem , also how much space do you have between your grates. without a blower the air must have plenty of space to flow freely

Mapleman can get you going

Dick

[mapleman3]

Dave thanks for bringing the boiling sodas... hope you were able to get somthing out of my pacing around the evap a million times and the visitors I get... never bored here thats for sure. It was good to meet you, I hope to still get over and check on your boiling(bringing boiling sodas of course)