Quote Originally Posted by Big_Eddy View Post
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Have some defoamer (or canola oil) handy for the inevitable foaming.

I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions on how to tell when the front pan is getting close, and how to take off syrup.

Good luck and enjoy.
I think you've been given some good advice and the only thing that I can add is that I like to add a few drops of defoamer every other firing to my flue pan and I never have to worry about it in my syrup pan.

In terms of drawing off, before I had the auto drawoff I would wait until the temperature is 220° and shut it off at 218°. I know others may do it differently, but I found that worked for me. Make sure you have a hydrometer ready to make sure you're at the right density! I would also draw off into a pre-wet cone filter with some prefilters. I like to dip the cone filter in the boiling sap and that makes the syrup go right through. I've never had a problem with filtering that way.