connecting pans?

New for me this year is a set of divided pans on a homemade "Davy Jones" style arch(moving up from a barrel stove batch system).I am looking for the easiest way to connect my two pans with 3/4" NPT fitting soldered on. I purchased some other stainless steel nipples but it occurs to me that I won't be able to tighten them all up. Can anyone recommend and source for hoses or flexble tube-clamp type fittings that I can put in to seal on both ends?
I saw some hot water heater hoses at the local hardware store, but they had sharkbite connectors on one end making them useless to me.

Also I'm assuming that it's okay to use teflon tape in the pipethreads...

Teflon is OK. How far are the fittings from each other when the pans are on the arch? Pic's tell a great story. If they are real close can you come off the NPT nipple and convert to copper Then to a Union and then elbo to a street elbo and back to the other pan fitting. Its the Quick cheap easy way that will last forever and you can remove and replace the pans Quick and easy.

Let us know the distance between the fittings and the size. Center of hole to center of hole?

Are your pans level. I made a pan to pan copper syphon out of 3/4 pipe and elbows. That works great a old school maple producer gave me the idea. that he had made out of tin who knows how long ago. It changed the way I boil [ more time to enjoy the finer points or pints of making maple syurp ]. More time for me less time babysitting the levels in the pans.

JD Maple could you explaine more about your siphon set up. Do you have Drawoff box? How do you prime the siphon? Do you have a top vent? Will it work in the boiling pans? How far off the bottom do you have yours? What does having the pans level have to do with the siphons working? Do they ever lose there prime? Are they easier to use than a cross over pipe? Are they more accurate than hard plumbing the pans together? Did you remove your plumbing and go to the simpler siphon method?

The best way to describe anything is with a pic i will steel my wife's camera and take a photo. I have a 1/4 in ball valve on the top to start the syphon and a plastic tube that pushes on the barbed fitting and suck up the sap until you see it in the tube the close the valve. The syphon will sometimes break but it is rare. I will get some pics.

Syphon pics

This was discussed about two or three years ago on Maple Trader but no one had a working version to prove it could be done correctly. Thanks for the photos and description jd maple and if you have any of it "in action" I'd love to see those as well.

Question - if the siphon breaks during a boil, how do you re-prime it with such hot temperatures?

- Bryan

It hardy never breaks the syphon but if it does I have a long clear tube about 2 feet long. When I see the sap in the tube while i am sucking I quickly shut the valve off, it is never a problem. The location I but the syphon is in the corner of the pans. The flat copper plate bottom with the 1 1/8 in od. cups prevent the boil from getting in the 3/4 in piping. Its so simple its sickening. Soldering the plates to the cups and then the 3/4in pipe up off the bottom is a little tricky but can be done. I am a commercial A/c tech by trade so I have a little bit of practice with tricky welding,with a little patience no problem.

These are close to an exact copy of the ones Grimm used for years.Had em on my first rig in 1959.

I'm asking these questions so others understand How and Why They should abandon the already installed ports on their pans. What makes the system your using more reliable than regular connecting plumbing? You said you can relax and enjoy the finer points of making syrup how will this help?:)

I did not say that this was the ultimate fix or better than a pipe connenting the pans, but I did not have holes in my pans or a system other than a good old fashion laddle. I learned how to make maple syrup by reading Backyard sugaring and one thing I learned was try and make what you have work and try and to improve year after year to make life easyer for you and a better product. This system works great for my flat pans and I hope someone can use this idea that was passed on to me. This is what maple sugaring is all about

Sorry it took so long to get back to this, colds are never welcome, certainly not during maple season.
The pans openings are 6-1/4" apart, ctr to ctr.
I could see the siphon working, I was just hoping not to have something else to build at this point. I am already running late for the season, thankfully the weather is cooperating and the sap is coming late this year:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by BryanEx

This was discussed about two or three years ago on Maple Trader but no one had a working version to prove it could be done correctly. Thanks for the photos and description jd maple and if you have any of it "in action" I'd love to see those as well.

Question - if the siphon breaks during a boil, how do you re-prime it with such hot temperatures?

- Bryan

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Ahhh yes I did and explained it in great detail. Used them for years and years. They do work and will at somepoint lose suction that I can guarantee lol. If you have piping between pans that is the way to go for sure as obviosly they are not something else to worry about that has a potential to melt down your pans because one failed to notice it quit working. There are a couple ways to reprime them when scolding hot. The simplest is to just have a pail of sap and submerged them in it till the air pockets are out which takes all of about 1 second. I have four of them that where manufactured hanging in the sugarhouse.

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Originally Posted by 3rdgen.maple

Ahhh yes I did and explained it in great detail.

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I guess it's not just my eyes that are going then, it's my memory too. I stand corrected and will point out at this time that it sometimes sucks getting older.

Not just sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by BryanEx

I guess it's not just my eyes that are going then, it's my memory too. I stand corrected and will point out at this time that it sometimes sucks getting older.

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I hear you loud and clear on the old age. What really drives me nuts is when I post a reply and go back the next day to see what is going on with it I cant remember what thread it was under. Drives me nuts. Then I have to go through all of them and find some I dont remember why I even would have posted. LOL and to think Im not even 40 yet.

I remember my dad using those old Dominion And Grim syphons. They worked great. I am planning on building two for my little barbecue pan evaporator setup. Did you use regular lead free solder or would lead free silver solder be better for high temps.

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Originally Posted by Shepp

I remember my dad using those old Dominion And Grim syphons. They worked great. I am planning on building two for my little barbecue pan evaporator setup. Did you use regular lead free solder or would lead free silver solder be better for high temps.

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Shouldn't matter because it should not get hotter than boiling temp which will not melt solder.

I used an 18" stainless flex hose from the local hardware store to connect my front and rear pans. Had 3/4" fittings on both ends.

I used regular lead free solder. Solder will never melt as long as there is sap in the pans, if you run them dry the solder is the least of your worries.