New to this, looking for some help.

[striker3636]

Hello everyone, I'm brand new to sugaring and looking for some help specific to some equipment I picked up. This will be our first year with our new home in the middle of a 17 acre sugar bush, and we're looking to start sugaring with our kids. I picked up a used evaporator setup with about 120 pails, taps, covers, and everything else really cheap, but unfortunately the guy I got it from had never run it (estate sale) so couldn't answer any questions.

The arch that I got is 4' x 2' and was homemade by a machinist/welder and it's all very nicely welded and fabricated out of 1/4" plate steel, and fully lined with firebrick. It looks like this; I'll put the pans in the next post.


IMG_6292 by striker3636, on Flickr



IMG_6291 by striker3636, on Flickr



IMG_6288 by striker3636, on Flickr

Some of my questions are;
Do I need to have a grate in the bottom to raise the wood?
The stack opening has no baffle or anything, will that be a problem?
The stack opening is oval and is designed for 6" pipe, which I guess you just bend into the oval shape. Would I be better off on this small of an evaporator going to a larger pipe size? Would it burn better if I welded a plate steel rectangular box, the full width of the evaporator, on top to replace the oval, and then put an adaptor on the box to take 8" or better?
The draft slide in the door seems kind of small, will it allow sufficient air in? If, down the road, I wanted to put a small blower on, would I just mount it on the door?
I just got finished wire wheeling and painting it with high temp, that's why it looks wet in some of the pics.

I'll post pics and questions on the pans in the next post.

[325abn]

What kind of pans?

[striker3636]

So here's the pans.


IMG_6285 by striker3636, on Flickr


IMG_6286 by striker3636, on Flickr



IMG_6293 by striker3636, on Flickr


IMG_6294 by striker3636, on Flickr

And now for the questions....
I have two flue plans and one flat pan. All three together, on the arch, are 24" x 42". The flues on one of the flue pans are deeper than the other one. I hope I'm showing it set up correctly, which is deepest flue pan nearest the stack, and flat pan nearest the door, medium flue pan in the middle.

Each of the pans is then connected by a siphon device. When I first start it up, I assume I put a few inches of sap in each pan, fill/prime the siphon tubes, and then just top up the deepest flue pan closest to the stack as needed. Does anyone see on here anywhere that I could put a float system? I've read that the boil action usually makes the float bounce around too much to have it in the main pan. I don't know if the siphon boxes could somehow work? I presume that if they are working correctly, everything flows from deepest flue pan to flat pan and keeps moving as it's drawn off at the valve? I plan to finish in a propane turkey fryer. Would anyone want to venture a guess as to evaporation rate with this set up? How manageable would 100 taps be with it? Should I maybe just start with 50 and see how it goes? For this year, I'll need to have this outside, hopefully building a sugar house this summer. Since the evaporator is 4x2, having an 8' long 6" stack will do? If the stack goes straight up from the back of the arch, will I have problems with ash or anything coming down into the pans? Should I put a 45 degree pipe in to move the stack outlet away from directly over the pans, considering that I wont have a roof over it this year?

[RileySugarbush]

I would have guessed the same setup.
Start with at least 2" of sap until you know how reliable the siphons work. It doesn't look like there would be room in the siphon boxes for a float.
Ashes shouldn't be too big a problem, and moving the stack a few feet wouldn't rally help. Keep it simple and straight.

My guess, with good wood and natural draft 10 to 12 GPH, with a blower, up to 20 GPH

[striker3636]

Here's what the siphon tubes look like...


IMG_6295 by striker3636, on Flickr

[striker3636]

And here's how close the stack is to the pan.


IMG_6296 by striker3636, on Flickr

[RileySugarbush]

Looks like a deal!

Here are my thoughts on your questions:

You do need a grate. Easily made with heavy angle steel, V down so they fill with ash, 1/4 to 3/8 gaps. The grate should be above the drft door so all air goes up through the grates and fire, no shortcuts.
6" pipe will likely be fine. 8" would be better. * foot of stack should be fine as well. Your back pan will probably boil better if the stack base is near full width so there is flow near the back corners of the rear pan.

A small squirrel cage blower on the door will really help. Separate it a bit from the door so it doesn't overheat.
That is a small draft opening.

[striker3636]

Why would I make the grates with v down so they fill with ash, wouldnt it make more sense to have them v up so the ash falls down through for removal underneath?

[striker3636]

And does the evaporator run hottest closest to the stack? Is that why the deepest flue pan goes there? I might have guessed it would be hotter closer to the door where the fire is and the draft air comes in. Almost seems like the pans should be reversed, flue by the door, flat finishing pan near the stack?

[RileySugarbush]

And does the evaporator run hottest closest to the stack? Is that why the deepest flue pan goes there? I might have guessed it would be hotter closer to the door where the fire is and the draft air comes in. Almost seems like the pans should be reversed, flue by the door, flat finishing pan near the stack?

It seems the hottest area is near the back of the firebox. Not by the door and not by the stack. You get nice radiant heat for the flat pan above the fire. Conductive heat transfer in the flues further back. The grates should not go all the way back, only the first 20 inches or so.

Also, if the flues were up front, you would be banging them with wood when you load it.