Steam-a-way maintenance

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Just curious for guys that run steam-a-ways, is there extra cleaning or other maintenance required throughout the season?? I think I heard someone say a couple of years ago that they get a bad scale buildup??

[Homestead Maple]

Just curious for guys that run steam-a-ways, is there extra cleaning or other maintenance required throughout the season?? I think I heard someone say a couple of years ago that they get a bad scale buildup??
I have a water meter on my feed line and when everything is clean at the start of the season, I can pass 143-145 gals of sap through my system. As the season goes on, I start to slowly lose performance and it always seems to be about mid-season my system rate will be somewhere down around 135-138 gals an hour. So, I clean the Steamaway by isolating it from the evaporator with the use of a few valves, (Randy at Leader showed me how to do this) and when I am finished the rate is back near what I was doing at the beginning of the season. The Steamaway cleans up easily just by cleaning with water and regular evaporator pan cleaner, I don't have to do any heavy brushing or scraping. A couple hours and it's ready to go again. There always is a break some time midway of the season to do this. I don't know that everyone that has a Steamaway does this but it helps bring back the efficiency.

[maplecrest]

i filled mine with permeate water every nite and left the blower on. drained and started again.great way to clean

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

So I guess fill it up well over the tubes with hot condensate/distilled water off of the steamaway and letting the blower run for an hour or two after you are done boiling would work good too??

I would guess on a 2x5 steamaway for my evaporator, I would be getting 50+ gallons of hot water per hour.

[jdj]

We do about the same as Maplecrest. Put hot water that came off the steamaway back in it, turn the bolwer on for and hour or two, then drain it.

Our steamaway is a 3x6. I have never actually figured out how much hot water comes out of it per hour but I know it is alot. Seems like there is always enough to be done in the sugarhouse without measuring the water coming off the steamaway!! If I were to estimate I would say we get between 1-1.25 gal per min?????

[DS Maple]

Sap doesn't actually boil in the SteamAway so the niter buildup is not nearly as bad as in the syrup and flue pans. Our SteamAway went for years without being thoroughly scrubbed and the performance has always been consistent. Out of a 3x8 SteamAway on a 3x12 evaporator we get around 1.7 gpm of piping hot water.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

What kind of a percentage increase are you guys with smaller evaporators seeing with a steamaway compared to before you added a steamaway??

[Sugarmaker]

Brandon,
New steamaway would look good on top of the 2 x 8!:)

Regards,
Chris

[tapper]

What kind of a percentage increase are you guys with smaller evaporators seeing with a steamaway compared to before you added a steamaway??

I will let you know soon as the season starts

[Dave Y]

Tapper, did you buy a steamaway?

[tapper]

yes I did. It showed up here Saturday evening about 10 pm

[Dave Y]

Good for you! I am sure it will Improve you evaporation. Is it new?

[Sugarmaker]

Jon,
Congrats! On getting the steam away. Now that's the way to Git it done! Hope it works well for you.
Pictures would be good!

Chris

[tapper]

Thanks guys!! It is a 2007 demo model with copper pipes not stainless said to have boiled water twice. I dunno sure looked like niter that I cleaned off of it yesterday. If it will do what they say I hope for 100 gph average by adding it. I will have pics soon.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jon,

I thought you were already running around 75 gph. If that's the case, it should get you up to 120 to 125 gph.

[tapper]

74.85 average gph for last year + 32 gph average gain with steamaway = 106.85 total. I am getting higher than published average to begin with and if that maintains true with adding the steamaway????
Brandon I have no way of knowing what or how much was run thru this but it did clean up pretty easy.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

May have just been calcium buildup from test boiling well water.

I would think you would gain at least 60% with the steamaway which would put you at 120 gph. Might even get it to 65 to 70 percent which would be even higher.

[VtSugarhouse]

That steam-away should be able to take off 100 gallons of water per hour alone. Also brush down those copper tubes every night after boiling. It will save you a lot of clean up at the end of the year.

You will enjoy it!

[sapman]

Jon, I had the same setup as you. With great wood (8% moisture), at times I could get 120gph. Now I'm on oil, so it's usually between 100-110.

Tim

[tapper]

Wow Thanks guys for the encouraging posts and tips!! I do have good hot wood and once or twice a season have seen 100 gph with past set up so it will be fun to see what the steamaway brings.
Brandon are you considering one for the future?

[bison1973]

Can you use a steam a way (or steam pan, piggyback) with your existing hood and preheater?

[tapper]

I will use the hood but understand the steam off the steamaway is not hot enough for the preheater.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jon,

Not for this year, but maybe for next year. If so, I will early it during the early order period when I can get a 10% discount.

[tapper]

Brandon,
I waited till the last minute was just inquiring in early December when the guys at Leader said they had this sitting there. It is a 2007 model and they said it was used maybe twice during open house.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Are any of you guys that are running a steamaway using a valve on the air line to control the amount of air into the steamaway or just running the air full blast??

[jdj]

There is no valve on the air intake into the SAW. Our SAW is 3x6 and I believe the air pipe is 6".

[ADKMAPLE]

Sorry folks, I am abit confused, is the steam away basically the hood that some of you have over your evap pans to direct the steam out of your shack? Why exactly do you need these rather than simply letting the steam go straight upand out the coupola? I know that you can add a preheater in the hood but other than that what are the advantages?

[Sugarmaker]

ADK,
The steam away is a somewhat more complex hood system that allows steam from your boiling pan below to pass threw partially submerged tubes which heat the sap in the steam away. There is also a air bubble system in a steam away that agitates the cooler sap and allows more steam to be removed prior to boiling in the pan below. Basically as I have heard a steam away when working properly should take 2% sap and remove enough water to make it 3% sap when entering your boiling pan.
I should have some more direct information at the end of next season. I have posted some items related in the homemade section of the trader under WRU.

Regards,
Chris

[Jeff E]

Hey you steam guys! I have a 3x12, with a 3x8 flue pan. What do you think of putting a 3x6 steam away on the 3x8, with a cover on the remaining 3x2 piece.

I am thinking if I can get a used 3x6 at 1/2 the price of a new 3x8, it may be a good value.

Give me your thoughts please......

[maplecrest]

buy an r/o

[markcasper]

he already runs one.

[maplecrest]

buy another post and run 15% be happier in long run

[markcasper]

he probably Found a good bargain.

[Sugarmaker]

Jeff,
Seems to me that a 3 x 6 would work well on your 3 x 8 you would need to either center it and cover 1 foot on each end or move to one end and cover 2 feet of the rear pan. Do you plan to run a hood on the steam away too?
I hope to move my current hood up to cover the SAW.

Regards,
Chris

[Beans Maple]

There is a valve on the CDL Steam Pan. Mine has a 2.5" air intake and a gate valve to control the airflow. This valve is very important. It allows you to by controlling the sap level in the pan along with the airflow adjustment to get the "boil" just right to maximize evaporation and prevent sap from oversplashing into the run off drip edge. The Steam away is a series of tubes, while the CDL pan in more like open flues with air bubbler tubes running in them. Much easier to clean and also gets a bigger "boil"

[Jeff E]

Thanks for the thoughts, and Mr Casper answering for me in my absence!!!:)

I am considering all of the above noted things. Adding a post to my 600CDL to get me to about 1000 gph, (reality, I expect to usually be able to run about 800 gph).
Adding a steam away or steam pan so the evaporator can keep up with the RO output, so 150-160 gph.

What is the cost of the CDL steam pan compared to a Steam away? Similar cost for similar performance?

Maplecrest, do you run posts in series to get to 15% or do you recirculate? I currently like to recir a bit to bring my concentrate going to the feed tank to about 10 to 12%, the evaporator really 'nitered' up even in the flue pan if I took the concentrate to 15%....

[maplecrest]

i run a cdl 1800 3 posts in series. one pass 15%. could go higher but using nf 270 membranes. did the same with my cdl 1200. but the 1200 had a 7.5 hp high pressure pump. i no longer have a steamaway. i miss the hot water. i had a 400 gallon tank behind the sugar house that filled and ran over. the water was handy for every thing.saved alot on oil. niter, i wash flue pan every day. acid wash at end of season no problem

[Rhino]

Jeff, If you decide to get a piggy-back style pan, i can give you a name and number of a fabricator in Wis. that made ours. Good unit, lots of water comes off ours. Was over half the price of a factory made one 5 years ago. Ours uses triangle flues with copper bubblers. Just give a call if you want to talk to him. 715-612-0004

[Jeff E]

Here is another question for the steamaway gang. Does it matter what end of the steamaway is towards the front of the evaporator?

If the intake float box is on the left, and you flip the steamaway around to get the intake on the right side, will that affect the performance of the unit?

[maplecrest]

it is how you feed your flue pan as to how you place the pan on the flue pan

[Jeff E]

Just to clarify, there is a used unit that is set up with the float boxes on the left, and my flue pan has the float on the right. I could simply spin the Steamaway 180 and it is good to go on my rig?

[maplecrest]

jeff my past flue pan and steamaway were made for me by leader as a pair. before buying this pan you better measure every angle real well. to make sure it will fit on the pan and the pan will semi support it. mine was also supported from the above rafters to carry the weight with sap or wash water in it.then comes the flue pan float box hook up. mine was a rubber hose from the steamaway to the float box.then your header tank to the float box on the steamaway.