How to attach Pan gasket to evaporator

[Brent]

Unless you are different from any other sugar maker I've been to see, you're going to slop syrup and sap on the sides of the pans. It's going to run down and soak into the gasket. Then it's going to burn there. Next season you're going to go YUK and want to strip it off and put down a new strip. The baked on syrup is already going to make removal tough. Glue will only make it worse. And it's ceramic fibres. Not nice stuff. You don't want to be flailing away at it with a scraper and breathing the fibres.
Just lay it down and put the pan on.

[TC matt]

I just cut ~2" strips of ceramic blanket and lay in on the arch before I put my pan down. It was pretty shot by the end of the season, but it's cheap.

Do you guys use the cord-type of insulation, like for a wood stove door for your pan?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Yes in a way its flat 1" wide and about 1/4" thick it comes in rolls. I have mine pop rivited to my finish rails but not the evap. As stated it will get all crusty from sap and syrup burning into it. My oil burner has melted it into glass on the edges so it breaks up and is only good for a year.

[SilverLeaf]

This thread has got me thinking - what's the actual purpose/benefit of the pan gasket? I don't use one, and don't seem to have any problems with smoke leakage around the pans. Maybe, GramaCindy, with all your "to-dos" you could get by this year without putting a pan gasket on?

[jasonl6]

This thread has got me thinking - what's the actual purpose/benefit of the pan gasket? I don't use one, and don't seem to have any problems with smoke leakage around the pans. Maybe, GramaCindy, with all your "to-dos" you could get by this year without putting a pan gasket on?

It's not so much to keep the smoke in but the keep the cold air out. Look at the bottom of your pans after a boil. Anywhere you have a leak along the rail you will see the pan has no soot. That cool air is cooling off the bottom of the pan.

Jason

[Brent]

There are lots of things that can effect the need for a gasket. The height of your stack can effect natural draft.

The wind on any given day. If you have a door on the windward or downwind side can increase or decrease the pressure inside and cause back drafting ... when the door is open, which is 95% of the time for us to get wood.

The fit of the pan on the arch. Some aren't welded to straight on the top rails etc etc. And then if you have two pans you need something between them.

[Haynes Forest Products]

You do need it if your using oil. The pressure from the forced air burner will blow soot out.

[GramaCindy]

This thread has got me thinking - what's the actual purpose/benefit of the pan gasket? I don't use one, and don't seem to have any problems with smoke leakage around the pans. Maybe, GramaCindy, with all your "to-dos" you could get by this year without putting a pan gasket on?

With it just going to be set on the rail and the pan set on top, I think it won't be too difficult! I won't be adhering it to the arch after all. Thanks everyone.

[Swingpure]

I have next to no space between my concrete blocks and the pans. If I was to buy a ceramic blanket and cut it into strips, where exactly would it go?
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[buckeye gold]

buy a roll of rail gasket. It pulls apart in layers pretty easily, giving you thinner strips