Level Alarm

[mapleack]

After burning the syrup pan Friday night, I want to have a level alarm installed for next season. I know a few people have built their own auto drawoffs, but has anyone built a level alarm? If I can buy the components and build one myself to save a few bucks I'd give it a shot. So if anyone has made one, I'd appreciate some info and pointers.
Thanks!

[Amber Gold]

A friend of mine's dad does control work. He says he can build them for about $50-100 in parts. It was either the level alarm or auto drawoff, I forget which.

[maplehound]

Isn't the level alarm on the Marcland really a high heat alarm? From the ones I have seen, if the temp gets more than 2 deg or so, over the draw off point it sounds off.

[Clan Delaney]

I use an electronic probe thermometer that will sound off at a set temp. Cost less than $30 if I remember.

[mapleack]

Isn't the level alarm on the Marcland really a high heat alarm? From the ones I have seen, if the temp gets more than 2 deg or so, over the draw off point it sounds off.

Maplehound, the autodrawoffs have a built in alarm that goes off if the syrup temp gets 3 degrees above the set point. I have an auto drawoff, which was open at the same time the float valve to the front pan plugged up with dead bees. It never made it to the high temp alarm because the burning syrup was lower than the temperature probe. Marcland also makes a one or two zone level alarm that with a two wire probe set into the sap at the desired level, goes off when the probe becomes dry. So if you run your syrup pan at 1 inch and set the probe at half an inch and something goes wrong, you've got an alarm telling you that expensive trouble is only half an inch away. The marcland units really aren't that expensive, but I'm not adverse to saving a hundred bucks by tinkering in the shop for a couple nights.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Mapleack: The problem with the probes that sit in the syrup pan a detect low liquid is as the syrup gets to the burning point it actually rises up as it gets hot so the comtrol thinks the level is fine when its just boiling over on its way to toast.

[NH Maplemaker]

My Marcland is also set up so that when the three degrees alarm goes off, it also shuts down my oil burner!! When temp drops back to safe range then burner comes back on. Haven't had it go off yet, But time will tell!

Jim L.

[mapleack]

Mapleack: The problem with the probes that sit in the syrup pan a detect low liquid is as the syrup gets to the burning point it actually rises up as it gets hot so the comtrol thinks the level is fine when its just boiling over on its way to toast.

Haynes, the above would be the case if the drawoff valve didn't open and the pan was burning and deep. In an instance like that the high temp alarm on the drawoff should go offf. During my incident last friday there was no boiling over as it burned, because the drawoff had opened, the float was plugged, and the pan was dry. I think a liquid sensing probe would've saved me that time.