I use a row of firebrick just inside the door like William does. Also, make sure you distribute the wood evenly when firing so there are no open spots for the air to bypass the fuel.
I use a row of firebrick just inside the door like William does. Also, make sure you distribute the wood evenly when firing so there are no open spots for the air to bypass the fuel.
Last edited by RileySugarbush; 11-05-2017 at 12:08 PM.
John
2x8 Smokylake drop flue with AOF/ AUF
180 taps on sacks
75 on 3/16 tubing with shurflo
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Wood distribution is likely the biggest cause of the air bypassing the fire. Don't have any voids for air to bypass thru. I haven't in the past, but I'll try adding a row of firebricks just inside the door to see if I get an even better boil rate, good idea I hadn't thought of yet.
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.
I use to have a Leader Half Pint, we added a centrifugal fan to the draft door. Not ever sure how many CFM the fan was, stole it off our old wood burner in the shop. But we run an electric cord to a switch box that we left on the floor right next to front door of the evaporator and then wired to the fan, the switch box has an on/off switch for when you are firing, and it also is wired through a rheostat (a light dimmer dial) so that we can easily adjust the air flow based upon our needs. You will find that sometimes you need to change air flow quite often, based on wood quality, stack temp, boil, etc., so the rheostat is extremely handy, and you don't have to worry about restricting air flow.
Actually stumbled onto something that I think will work for auf. I found my old spray paint blower... I forget the make (cheapie Graco I think). Anyway, I have a a.c. motor variable speed control that I have adapted to it. My 2x4 is custom built so I am planning to trade for a few modifications including an adapter to the auf vent. If it all works out, I will post video in a month or so. Right now I have to get my uncles place ready for a renter in a month.
2017- Started small-made 7 gallons. Long days & few nights on a 1x2 and turkey fryer.
2018- Bought a 2x4 and built a small scale RO. 21 gallons.
2019- moved up to 100 gph procon for my home built RO. Built a steamhood. About 220 taps and 21 gallons again.
2020- 140 procon on the R0. Added a new mainline at my in laws. 330 taps for 24 gallons, sold excess sap.
I made a barrel stove and rigged up a blower fan.
stove 2.jpg
stove blower.jpg
I used a flexible metal dryer vent tubing, some black pipe, and duct tape to connect it to the bung hole in the barrel stove lid.
The blower was 125 CFM, if I remember. I had it plugged into a cheap rheostat that allowed the speed of the fan to be adjusted as needed.
barrel evaporator 2-16.jpg
Worked great.
Mark
Mason 2x4 w/raised flue pan, 240 gal. sap tank, 80 Reds on 5/16 tubing and Lunchbox releaser/pump, 20 sugars on buckets
AUF: some air is way better than none, too much and you will know it. Some trial and error on that. But keep in mind that thousands of gallons of syrup have been made in the old days with no AUF. Just because it seems like everyone is doing it, you don't have too. A rig set up to have good draft will roar on its own with no AUF help. The amount you gain from wood savings and or increased boil rate is going to be hard to see and maybe hard to justify with no electric in the sugarhouse. Maybe a 5 to 15% improvement in efficiency????
Just my 2 cents. Have fun. Try it and let us know. Pictures are always helpful too!
Regards,
Chris
Casbohm Maple and Honey
625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
12" SIRO Filter Press.
2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
Too many Cub Cadets
Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck
www.mapleandhoney.com
I have some other improvements/fixes I need to make to my evaporator, and limited time (baby!) So I will at least start the season with the other improvements but without the AUF. If time allows, I may add it mid-season. That'll give me an apples-to-apples comparison of what kind of improvement just that makes in boil rate.
Gabe
2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
All on buckets