Float box set-up and floats

I used that SS valve, I made a float out of a 1/9th size steam pan, it's about 4" x6" if that. I made a strap out of a piece of 20 ga SS, drilled several 1/4" holes 1/2" apart. I used them and the adjustment where the rod attaches to the valve body to adjust depth. I used machine screws to put a lid (made form the same 20 ga SS) on the pan it that the strap was bolted to with #8x32 machine screws. I'll try to get a photo of it in the morning. I used it for three years on my drop flue, ran it 1" after the first year, it worked good with my head tank being about 3' over the pans. I had to put another nut on the end of the rod to hold it vertical, one on each side, tightened very tight. I had about $12 in the float.

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Originally Posted by bmbmkr

I'll try to get a photo of it in the morning.

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I'd be interested in seeing that pic.

Here ya go. This worked good for me...I guess. It was first evaporator I ever ran. 22 gph max, the float did it's job on an 18"x42" CDL drop flue and a 18"x30" syrup pan. The flue pan came from Bascoms scratch & dent, didn't get the float with it. I enjoy building equipment about as much as I do tappin & boilin.

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You could get by with a 1/6 size pan maybe, your float box is bigger than mine was. That'd give you more buoyancy and stability. I had to crank the jam nut really tight to keep this one upright.

I have a Roberts valve and ball float feeding my sap pan but I was not comfortable with the flow rate. 1/2" copper. Thinking of going with the Leader bolt on regulating system and larger pipe but don't see any reviews on it.

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Originally Posted by bmbmkr

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You could get by with a 1/6 size pan maybe, your float box is bigger than mine was. That'd give you more buoyancy and stability. I had to crank the jam nut really tight to keep this one upright.

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Would you happen to have any pictures showing how you hooked up this float to your valve in the float box?

I built a half dozen floats .2 whiskey flasks tig welded together worked ok. a 16 oz beer can from a craft brewery(no paint) was a little better. Then I bought a store bought one and all my problems went away.

Leaders bolt on regulating system is some expensive for what you get.

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Originally Posted by Openwater

Would you happen to have any pictures showing how you hooked up this float to your valve in the float box?

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Here's a quick drawing I did on sketchup. Look at your photo in your original post. Take the ball off the end of the rod. Leave the nut on, then put the threaded end of the rod through one of the holes on the vertical arm of the pan float. Put another nut on the rod threads and tighten both nuts really tight while keeping the float pan level. You'll have to procure another jam nut- mine was metric, but found one in SS at Lowes. It's been a few years, I can't remember what size it was. You change holes to change the depth.

There's also an angle adjustment on the piece that the rod screws into on the valve end. There's a thumb screw that holds two pieces of the valve depth adjustment together, you back out the thumbscrew and can change the angle of the rod. I bending the rod a little to get the depth just right. It's definitely beneficial to work on the depth and angle with cold sap or water before you start boiling. You can't easily adjust this type of valve while you are boiling but it's a million times better than pouring sap in out of a bucket. That's what I did with over 200 gallons of sap my first boil ever. we boiled for 20 hours straight after being in the woods all day. Never again!! It took a couple boils to figure out the best depth, obviously shallower is faster, but also riskier. I used this system for three years on that little evaporator and was happy with how it maintained the level after I got it fine tuned.



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Thanks, that's what I was wondering. It just seemed like the "long" length of the rod connected to the ball/float would make it harder to finely control sap depth; like it would take a big depth change to just get the valve to open/close a little bit; but if the rod was shortened, or even bent to almost 90degrees and attached to top of float, then the vertical movement of the float would translate almost directly to the same amount of movement on the valve.
I know it's going to take some experimentation and fine-tuning, but I'd like to make sure I'm starting with the materials/hardware that will allow that fine tuning.

You are right, the extra length does affect that geometry but at the same time, imagine
A: the amount of water leaving your pans per minute as steam, the valve allows a constant trickle to come in and replace that.
B: When you draw off the valve instantly responds and keeps enough sap in the pan to keep from scorching.
C: There is some extra weight in the length of the rod, but there's also more leverage from the float to the valve, so the buoyancy of the float has more force to close the valve.