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Thread: Homemade grates

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Norwood, NY
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    Old cast iron radiators (home type) makes a good set of grates.
    Maple syrup makers never die, they just evaporate.

    Kubota M-5040,Kubota B-2650,Kubota XRT 900, Sugarhouse is now a guest cottage.

  2. #12
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    Mar 2003
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    BECKLEY, WV (SUGARHOUSE DAWSON, WV)
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    Ibby,

    How long does a set of the angle iron grates last and do the warp or rust out? I think the biggest key with any grates is keeping the heat off of the underside and a blower keeping the bottom of the grates cool has got to help
    Brandon

    CDL dealer for All of West Virginia & Virginia
    3x10 CDL Deluxe oil fired
    Kubota M7040 4x4 Tractor w/ 1153 Loader hauling sap
    2,400+ taps on 3/16 CDL natural vacuum on 9 properties
    24x56 sugarhouse
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    WEBSITE: http://danielsmaple.com

  3. #13
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    Mar 2005
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    Albion PA
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    We have five years in angle iron grates. 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 3/8 thick. Yes they are warped like a sway back old mare but they still hold the fire so we will use them till them fall through. (we do have forced air this may help keep them cooler).
    Chris
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
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    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
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  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Oneida NY
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    The grates that came with my evap are cast but are shaped like angle iron. The directions said to face the v point down so the top could fill with ash and help insulate the grade from the heat. This might also be a good idea on regular angle iron too, but take them out after the season and clean the ash out so dampness of the rest of the year does not get the ash wet which is caustic(= eats up the steel)
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Northern NY
    Posts
    560

    Default Angle Iron Grates

    I pointed my V up, to mimick the forced draft Leader Grates. I only used them one season (with forced draft), but there was no warpage or damage at all. Being 1/2" thick might be the difference. I've sold that evaporator & flat pan, but am helping the new buyers get started, so I can keep an eye on it.

    I'll post back on the end of this season with how they held up.
    Tons of trees. No taps, No evaporator
    No wife, No Kids. Nothing left but Dreams

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Ontario
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    20

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    Instead of starting a new thread, I thought posting my related question here might make more sense. How wide should the gaps be in the grating? And does the direction matter? Forced Air.

  7. #17
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    May 2020
    Location
    iowa
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    I'm planning an oil tank arch and trying to figure out all the details also. I'm thinking the grates should run lengthwise. It seems like it would make tending the fire easier. You can slide wood in and out vs it catching on every edge of the grate if they were crossways. I read somewhere (probably here) that someone built theirs with the grate even with the bottom of the door. That way if you need to stop boiling, you could just pull the fire out. My father in law had some grating material. I think he said it is a platform to stand on off of a paving machine or something. I used it last year to hold my bucket I was boiling on. Best pics I have of it, but you get the idea. It's heavy, but didn't warp. I might see if I can talk him out of it. Also, you can see i had a lot of weight on it trying to block the wind and contain the heat. You can see why I need to build an arch lol.
    20200305_140711.jpg20200305_190842.jpg
    Last edited by l3rian; 08-27-2020 at 09:09 PM.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Stirling ontario
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    ...as suggested angle iron with the v as i typed it spaced about 1/2". The v will fill with ash, stay cool and last a long time.
    The gaps will act like a bellows if the the draft is underneath and provide good velocity at the fire
    Experiment with pieces of plate in front of the door and the back of the firebox to force the incoming air centrally, having
    no gap on the firebox sides
    Last edited by ir3333; 11-26-2020 at 12:08 PM.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Corbeil, ON
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    171

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    Quote Originally Posted by ir3333 View Post
    ...as suggested angle iron with the v as i typed it spaced about 1/2". The v will fill with ash, stay cool and last a long time.
    The gaps will act like a bellows if the the draft is underneath and provide good velocity at the fire
    Experiment with pieces of plate in front of the door and the back of the firebox to force the incoming air centrally, having
    no gap on the firebox sides
    Do you run the angle front to back or side to side?

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Stirling ontario
    Posts
    217

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    good question...mine is front to back but the Smokey Lake Dauntless is side to side.The key is the air coming up is
    forced inward increasing the speed until it exits through the grates. Venturi principal..reduce the diameter and you increase the speed.
    I think that is the only place you want velocity.
    I can't see the direction front to back or side to having an effect other than short side to side pieces might be stronger.

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