cdl steam pan???

[bison1973]

What is the "steam pan" by CDL? Is it the same as a "steamaway" (by Leader I think)? I have a CDL evaporator and I'm interested in it because in the catalog it claims to increase efficiency. Can it be used with a pre heater or does it replace a pre heater? Is it used under an existing flue pan hood?

[bison1973]

There's no one out there with any info on the steam pan? It's in their catalog.

[Bradenfish]

A steam pan actually does boiling in i think. Its not just a preheater. I priced a 3x7 foot steam pan-around $10,000. OUCH!!

[Squaredeal]

It's dallaire's version of the steamaway.

[bison1973]

I would need a 3x7 as well. $10,000??? How can it posssibly be that expensive? And another question why is maple equipment cost so outrageous in cost most of the time?

[Mike]

Id buy a RO before I spent $10,000 on a hood.....

[Bradenfish]

I also priced a 250 gph R.O. at $10,000. Go figure wich is your better deal!!

[802maple]

No competitin, the RO no hands down

[PerryW]

I have contemplated buying a steam-away for my 3x7 flue pan, but they seem to cost something like $8,000 for my rig. And it will probably cost even more by the time I replumb everything and have to raise my sap tank and feed line up.

Right now, it takes about 60 hours of boiling and 8 cords of free pine slabs to make my 100-110 gallons. So if I spend $8,000-$10,000 on a steam away, I would save 2-3 cords of wood and 20 hours of boiling.

It seems like a lot of money to spend to save 20 hours of boiling and a couple cords of slabs! Not to mention having another whole pan to keep clean and worry about and clean at the end of the season.

And I don't know about R.O., but I'm a Luddite by nature (google it). Right now, I can run my entire operation with no power and only one motor (my sap truck).

[bison1973]

So does the steam pan replace youe flue pan steam hood? Or does it work with your existing flue pan hood?

And why does this thing cost more than my entire evaporator (3x10) did just a few years ago? How is that possible?

Tim

[Jeff E]

the term Luddite has been used derisively to describe anyone opposed to technological progress and technological change.

So thats the guy who prefers to stand in mud, cooks in a pot for 3 days and gets a gallon of grade FFF, and scorns the guy cranking out a gallon a minute of prime grade A.

[PerryW]

So thats the guy who prefers to stand in mud, cooks in a pot for 3 days and gets a gallon of grade FFF, and scorns the guy cranking out a gallon a minute of prime grade A.

Yup, That's me! Actually, I'm somewhat in the middle. I was cranking out 2.5 Gallons per hour of Grade A Light Amber last night. I was just using 1800's technology to do it. (Well maybe not the plastic tubing.)

No, I would never scorn anyone from using the high-tech stuff. To each his own. Who knows? I may break down and get a vacuum pump some year. But one thing for sure. I would never take a loan to buy anything. While sugaring is in my blood, I try to keep it as a hobby. It's just too darn frustrating in those years when the weather won't cooperate.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/perryW/?action=view&current=MapleSapDripBucket.flv

[jrthe3]

not to hijack this but how do these steam pans work i want to build one i was thinking of taking my old flat pan running some one inch pipes threw it and deverting the steam threw the pipes fill the pan over the pipes with sap also useing the air bubbler mounting the whole thing over the rear pan

[bison1973]

I originally wanted to know if these steam pans replace the flue pan hood or work with it. But the topic somehow turned into "an R/O is better" conversation.

[Jeff E]

Sorry about the diversion.

The idea of the steam pan is to capture the steam energy and preheat the sap before it gets into the flue pan. The newer ones also have a 'bubbler' built in as well to make a false boil, adding some evaporation to the preheater.

In the past I have looked at the patent drawings on line for a few of these. This is quite helpful in understanding how they work.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=jroyAAAAEBAJ&dq=steam+maple

[Homestead Maple]

bison1973,
I'm not familiar with the, "Steampan", but if it's the same idea as a "Steamaway", you'll gain a fair amount of efficiency with one. My 3x8 King evaporator would put approx. 85 gallons of sap through it an hour before I bought a Steamaway. After putting the Steamaway on the evaporator, I could put 143 gallons average an hour through the evaporator. That's a gain of roughly 68% by adding the Steamaway without buring more fuel. Yes, you do have to have electricity to run the air blower that is used to agitate the sap in the Steamaway. You will get a constant flow of hot, (190+ degree) water off the Steamaway that you can used around the sugarhouse for what you might want. If your steam hood measurements are the same as the top of the Steamaway, you can use it on top of the Steamaway to vent the steam off of it. I don't know if you have a preheater in your hood, you didn't say but if you did, it would make for some plumbing alterations as Perry said.
Give 802maple credit though, the gain of efficiency with a RO would be far more than with a Steamaway in fuel savings and processing time. That's what he's saying when the question of the RO got added. You pay some more for the RO, or if your fortunate, find a good used one, you could still use your steam hood.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I know very little about either steamaway or steam pan, but doesn't a steamaway gunk up and have to be broken down and cleaned during the season or build up with a scale??

[Homestead Maple]

Before I got my RO, the evaporator rate with the Steamaway was 143+ and as the season went on the rate towards the end of the season dropped to 135. Some loss because the Steamaway copper tubes were coated with sugar sand. It didn't get real gunky. I was told by Randy at Leader, that for another season to clean the Steamaway half way through the season. He told me to add a valve in the feed line to the evaporator and a drain line with valve a head of this, so that I could seperate the Steamaway from the evaporator, that way I could add hot water to the Steamaway and pan cleaner, wash the Steamaway, then flush with water, and your back in business. The cleaning is easily done in a couple hours. With the RO now the Steamaway does get dirty faster but I still only wash it mid season.