What Style Of Floats Does Your Evaporator Have,And Do you Like Them Or Not?

[Bruce L]

I am currently running(or was until the heat hit today) a 3'x 16' lightning evaporator,it has the old style floats where the sap comes in on top,the float in the box rises,and the pad is supposed to shut off the flow.The problem I have found is when my holding tank is full,the float will not hold and floods the back pan,and when the holding tank is down below half,the sap won't come in fast enough.last boil yesterday was a little nerve racking when the pan was consistently at 1/4" over the flues for the last half of the holding tank.Considering an upgrade to a newer more efficient evaporator,but I may go with someone else's pans idf it means a better float system.

[farmall h]

Bruce...3 x 16 lightning? I have a 4 x 12 lightning. I assume they are the same float. Are you referring to the front pan float w/rubber foam pad? What do you have for the flue pan? Mine is are large rectanglar float in the side box w/lever action that lifts a galvanized cap. It enters via the bottom of the float box. Circa: 1988

[Bruce L]

Yes,3' x 16' lightning,1989 model.Two front pans are "self syrupers" which are hinged to pour the syrup off.Next is a 3'x 4' divided pan,most commonly a syrup pan,then a 3' x 10' crimp pan.There is a large box,with a large float,but the sap comes in on top and the float lifts the pad up against the fittting where the sap comes in.

[maple flats]

I think you are describing how mine is built. A z shaped arm lifts the rubber seal within a cup against the drop tube bringing in sap. I find that I change the float level about 3 times as the head tank level changes. My tank is about 34" tall (holds 415 gal)and it is good until about 75 gal remain, then I adjust the float and again at about 30-35 gal. I just deal with it anddon't worry too much. In mine I can see the level easy just looking in the float box and watch the 2" pipe carrying sap into the evap. I just keep it at or just under half way up on the pipe, when it gets down to about 1/4" in the tube I adjust the float. It only takes about 2 seconds to adjust.

[argohauler]

My uncle and I find the small brothers soldered floats like to spring leaks!

My syrup pan float, I don't trust. I turn it off when the boil is pretty much done. Had it flood the pan once.

My old small brothers 3x9 boiling pan had the sap come from the bottom. That float needed a lot of adjustment.

[farmall h]

Yes they do spring leaks. So your syrup pan feeds from the bottom..not from the side connector pipe? My back pan feeds from the bottom of the box..right side separation.

Bruce L, sounds to me like you have the "cadillacs" of the small bros. line, Hinged pan?

[maple sapper]

I have what is described below. I have a float box with the z arm and its swings on a hinge inside the foat box. I shut down each pan each night to prevent all the sap being in there the next day. I have a sight tube on my feed line to the preheater, with a piece of tap making shut down. When I get close I feed the fire with cedar. It burns really quick so I can have it out in mins after.

I have had an issue with the float thickness and the level and z bar height. i have seen my pan get those shallow bubbles a few times and had to touch the pad to get sap flowing into it before a melt down occured.

[ennismaple]

Bruce - As we discussed last night, the floats in the Lapierre pans are so idiot proof that even I can't screw them up... if you remember which way to turn the thumb screws! No matter where my sap levels are in the feed tank the float lets in the right amount to maintain levels.

I'd like to see a picture of your pans - I think I understand what you have but can't completely visualize it.

[markcasper]

I have a King 1998 flue pan and the float acts the same as mentioned above, when the head tank is full, too much comes in if your not boiling hard enough. When the head tank gets 3/4 empty, I am always coming up short in the front pan. Its very frustrating. I keep a screw driver or somethin handy to wedge under the float arm and shut off the flow for a few moments if it gets too deep in the pan.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have the Lapierre Waterloo Small and it sounds like Ennismaples it is fool proof..................I should know its the one thing I havent screwed up. I set it the same way every year and forget it. Now the flue to syrup pan one is set the same also and has never given me any problem other than when I walk past it I catch and rip my shirt:mad: . Does need new rubber.

[argohauler]

[QUOTE=farmall h;108965]Yes they do spring leaks. So your syrup pan feeds from the bottom..not from the side connector pipe? My back pan feeds from the bottom of the box..right side separation.

Yes my sap from the boiling pan comes from the side connector pipes. The syrup pan float always seeps, but when it's at full boil it's pretty much perfect.

[vtsnowedin]

I have the Z arm grimm in the front and a long arm grimm fed from the top in the raised flue pan box. Both seem to work fine but I do shut off the valves when shutting down for the night. I have about five feet of head from the bottom of the tank down to the float and that is working fine also. I never had a full tank this year so I can't say if it will shut off against a full head but If I am boiling it is always running in more then a gallon a minute and I keep the pan up above the distributor pipe anyway. The only complaint I have is the sharp edges on the flue pan float box where the feed pipe fitting slides in. I managed to slice myself pretty good putting it together the first time.