start up and shut down

[TRAILGUY]

this is my first year with used 2X6 raised flue. Want to put a note on the wall of steps for start up and shut down to help wife and I stay focused on steps. anyone have steps all ready written??

[Dave Y]

Dont have it wrote down but a mental check list kinda goes like this. Sap in holding tank ,transfer pump operating, head tank full of sap, valve open on head tank , valve open to per heater, valve to rear float box open,float set and operational, sap in back pan at desired depth, valve to front pan open, check front float valve for operation, front pan at desired depth, fuel in arch and light, bring to boil anddraw off at 7degs above the point of boling water that day. Boil till you have enough sap to shut down with let fire die down until you have no more sap coming in , all the while keep your liquid depth at the proper level. when the fire is out close all valves and go to bed! Good luck If i Missed anything I sorry just dont burn your pans. I am not responsable for the content of this message.

[TRAILGUY]

START-UP

1.Check Sap in supply tank (100 gallons)
2.Place 5 gallon bucket under open line drain valve.
3.Open valve on supply tank and fill 5 gallon emergency bucket then close drain valve.
4.Open valve to float box , check floats are operational and sap is flowing.
5. Light, bring to boil
6.Draw off and filter at 7degs above the point of bolling water that day.


SHUT_DOWN


7. One hour before shut -down let fire die down until you have no more sap coming in , all the while keep your liquid depth at the proper level.
8. When the fire is out close valve on supply tank and pour 5 gallon emergency bucket into sap pan.
9.Open drain valve and drain feed line into 5 gallon bucket.
10.Close valve to float box and go to bed!


Good luck If i Missed anything I sorry just don't burn your pans. I am not responsible for the content of this message.

Thanks you made it easy to adjust to my set up. any other imput would be great Thanks.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Make sure if you are running a copper preheater, you drain it at the end of the night or it will freeze and bust if it is copper. Hot liquid freezes easier than cold liquid.

[TRAILGUY]

START-UP

1.Check Sap in supply tank (100 gallons)
2.Place 5 gallon bucket under open line drain valve.
3.Open valve on supply tank and fill 5 gallon emergency bucket then close drain valve.
4.Open valve to float box , check floats are operational and sap is flowing.
5. Light, bring to boil
6.Draw off and filter at 7degs above the point of bolling water that day.


SHUT_DOWN


7. One hour before shut -down let fire die down until you have no more sap coming in , all the while keep your liquid depth at the proper level.
8. When the fire is out close valve on supply tank and pour 5 gallon emergency bucket into sap pan.
9.Open drain valve and drain feed line into 5 gallon bucket.
10.Close valve to float box and go to bed!


Good luck If i Missed anything I sorry just don't burn your pans. I am not responsible for the content of this message.

Thanks you made it easy to adjust to my set up. any other imput would be great Thanks.

I am going to add cleaning the bottom of pan ,is that done daily???

[vtsnowedin]

START-UP

1.Check Sap in supply tank (100 gallons)
2.Place 5 gallon bucket under open line drain valve.
3.Open valve on supply tank and fill 5 gallon emergency bucket then close drain valve.
4.Open valve to float box , check floats are operational and sap is flowing.
5. Light, bring to boil
6.Draw off and filter at 7degs above the point of bolling water that day.


SHUT_DOWN


7. One hour before shut -down let fire die down until you have no more sap coming in , all the while keep your liquid depth at the proper level.
8. When the fire is out close valve on supply tank and pour 5 gallon emergency bucket into sap pan.
9.Open drain valve and drain feed line into 5 gallon bucket.
10.Close valve to float box and go to bed!


Good luck If i Missed anything I sorry just don't burn your pans. I am not responsible for the content of this message.

Thanks you made it easy to adjust to my set up. any other imput would be great Thanks.

May I add number 7. Check level in sap tank every half hour and when down to 1-1/2 hours supply start shutdown procedure.?

[3rdgen.maple]

I drain the syrup pan in the morning and do a cleanup on that. Everytime I boil. Too much niter buildup will scortch you pan. I also shut down when I have a few inches left in the holding tank. When fire is completely out I close tha valve and let the lines drain inot the float box. Or if I time it right the tank runs out when the pans are cooled down and not steaming anymore. Make your list in pencil cause you are gonna be tweaking it as you go.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Do you mean cleaning the syrup pan as 3rdgen referred to or cleaning the flues in the back pan? Both should be done daily and are often neglected. Cleaning the flues of accumulated soot will enhance the boil and save wood and boiling time but I often overlook it because I don't have time:confused:

[TRAILGUY]

START-UP

1. Clean the flues and pans of accumulated soot
2.Sap in supply tank (100 gallons)
3.Place 5 gallon bucket under open line drain valve.
4.Open valve on supply tank and fill 5 gallon emergency bucket then close drain valve.
5.Open valve to float box , check floats are operational and sap is flowing.
6. Light, bring to boil
7.Draw off and filter at 7 deg above the point of bolling water that day.
8.Check level in sap tank every half hour and when down to 1-1/2 hours supply start shutdown procedure.


SHUT-DOWN

9. One hour before shut -down let fire die down until you have no more sap coming in , all the while keep your liquid depth at the proper level.
10.When the fire is out close valve on supply tank and pour 5 gallon emergency bucket into back pan.
11.Open drain valve and drain feed line into 5 gallon bucket.
12.Close valve to float box and go to bed!


Good luck If i Missed anything I sorry just don't burn your pans. I am not responsible for the content of this message.

[mitchmaple]

hey trailguy, sometimes on your startup, with small evaporators, especially if the sap in your front pan is fairly sweet, when you get a good fire going and your syrup is getting up to temp, there is a danger of syrup making in the 2nd channel faster than your 1st because it heats up faster in the middle. sheet some syrup in each channel when you get close to making. if its thicker in the second channel just take your skimmer and mix the two channels together. the first draw will be a big one, and after that things will even out. may not even be a problem, just keep an eye out for it. i think makin syrup is an art, not a science. good luck.

[TRAILGUY]

Now I am going where I do not want to be. Just can not help myself. Last year I helped a friend up the street with close to the same rig 2X6 with no power, no RO or running water in the woods. He ran his pans deep 3-4 inches, draws of 1 to 1 1/2 gallons every 3 hours, then finished on gas for 45 minutes +-. He did not change sides and did not clean pans inside or outside till the end of the season. Made 56 gallons of very good mostly Grade A Medium Amber, the most popular grade and some Grade A Dark Amber. No problems with niter.

Other then splitting wood smaller, feeding less more often and running pans at 1 1/4 level I was planning the same. I am happy with the grades he ran. Will watch for niter build-up. Small time not set up to wash daily. Will this work???

[PerryW]

trailguy,

It will work, but if your evaporator has reversible flow, I would use it. I change the direction of flow daily and have run as much as 200 gallons of syrup through my evap. with no cleaning (on my 3x10). I have seen the nitre build up very thick on pans where the flow is not reversed. When the nitre gets too thick, you will see burnt spots on the pan and the end of season cleaning is much more difficult. You also increase the risk of burning the pan.

Shutdown: I boil hard until I have 15-20 minutes of sap in my tank, then I drop my back float to bring the level up from 3/4" up to 2-3" and check my sap tank level again. If there is still sap left I throw a couple more sticks in. I can usually time it to totally empty the tank, and still get everything boiling in the evap. to sterilize all the raw sap. If I'm expecting a hard freeze, I will throw a few more sticks in to get the back pan down to an inch deep. Then I let the pans freeze solid with no worries. If you run into trouble, throw both doors open and toss the wood out on the ground and dump your emergency sap (or water) in.

For the record, I usually only clean the bottoms of my pans at the end of season. I have never really noticed much difference in boiling rates and I hate dealing with the soot. When cleaning the bottom of the flues, I wad up a few balls of newspaper and light one and throw it in the firebox to get the draft going and suck the soot up the chimney (instead if into my lungs). When the first wad of newspaper is almost out, throw in another to keep a small paper fire going.

[3rdgen.maple]

I guess I was a little unclear. I clean the inside of the syrup pan everyday. Niter buildup was so bad last year I had no choice. I clean the inside of the flue pan once a week. Burnt marks on the syrup pan is not a good thing. I also brush out the flues inside the arch everyday. Trailguy it might seem overwhelming but once you get into the groove it is second nature and not that bad at all.

[TRAILGUY]

can you feel the niter on the bottom of the pan when you drag the scoop along?? That way I clean if needed. I am only doing 35 gallons so maybe a few cleaning??

[Snow Hill Farm]

Cleaning the syrup pan is something I've got to get better at. So after plugging the flue pan and emptying out the syrup and cleaning, what do you do with the almost syrup you emptied out? I was thinking at least filter it through a cloth or something before putting it back in the syrup pan? Also, as far as cleaning, do you do a full blown cleaning with acid or just a quick scrub down?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I don't clean my evaporator but once, may twice in an entire season. The last couple years, I have ran my evaporator 1.5 to 2 inches deep and it seems the nitre is not nearly as much as a problem as running it around 1" deep.

[3rdgen.maple]

Last year was a really bad year for niter for me. It is not the same for everyone and definately not the same from year to year. Some like WVM may not have a significant amount to deal with on a daily basis. I Really have no choice but do a morning cleanup or take the chance of sacrificing my pans. It only takes about 15 minutes in the morning to do. At the end of the day I drain the sweet out of the syrup pan into a prefilter. Then fill with a white vinegar/water solution. Let it sit till morning. Then I take a scrub brush and give it a few good swipes, drain and rinse very well. It just is harder and takes longer if I let it go longer than a day. If I stay on top of it it is reall easy to do
Trailguy I can feel it with the scoop and an easy way to tell is to pull the thermometer and look at the stem. It does not mattter if I boil 35 or hundred gallons. I draw off about a gallon an hour and if I boil 5 gallons or 10 in a day I still have to clean up. I have tried rotating the pans with no success and I just think a 2x6 with my trees is not big enough to make a difference by reversing the flow.