Going way over draw temp

[wiam]

When I had a 2x6 boiling around 16% I would get a big draw at first and then could usually run a small pencil sized stream. But I always ran a second thermometer probe where the syrup entered the front pan. This lets you know what is on the way and you can adjust your draw valve to compensate.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Great information and it is enlightening to see that at times I was making the wrong assumptions and working off bad information. Waim I had a dial thermometer in my center pan first channel and I treated it more like a novelty and didn't take the time to calibrate it and use the information. Then as I concentrated higher and saw the dark color in the transfer float box i knew why I was having control problems.

Then when I tried to compensate that is when the real problems started. I started to overcompensate and started a SEE SAW effect I would over draw and then that would lead to over cooking. Then I would do a panic draw off and an emergency shut down followed by a holding down of the float. Now my flue pan has never given me any problems as far as being able to supply enough sweet to the finish pans.

The depth of my finish pan when under a full boil running 18% is a very angry animal. In the area over the transition the sweet is up almost over the dividers cascading down to the area by the flue stack at a depth that just washes over the tops of the flue. At times I can see the tops of the dividers steam dry in a micro second. I have never had what I would call the traditional boil in my flue pan. I have seen pans with a nice even level of sap boiling way all nice and even like a pond during a rain storm.

I hesitate to change it because things work well now but maybe for fun I should run the pan with about 4" sap over the flues and see what happens.

[Super Sapper]

On another site some of the people reduced the size of the opening between channels and reported much more even draws. The claim I think was that there was back mixing between the channels.

[Haynes Forest Products]

That can also be deceiving because you will get nice shinny bubbles in the last channel by the draw off. That is a clear indication that the syrup is getting very close to being over density. When you get the really high bubbly candy looking bubbles they build up and spill backwards making it look like the liquid is moving backwards. I think in reality the syrup below isn't its just the higher bubbles moving to a lower level/depth.

[Windy Acres]

So is the general consensus to try opening my bypass a little more, and continue to fire as usual?

[Haynes Forest Products]

What bypass are we talking about because bypass imply s your going around in stead of using a valve?

[mellondome]

On my drawoff, i have a tee. One side goes to the autodraw, the other to a ball valve( originally incase the drawoff didnt open you could still draw off) this is that i refered to as the bypass valve. It bypasses the autodraw.

[Haynes Forest Products]

OK that is what were talking about BUT what is Windy Acres bypassing. If its an auto draw off I'm confused. Now if he is relying on the auto draw to open during big dumps but bypassing it to have a continuous flow is weird.

[Super Sapper]

There should be a ball valve just before or after the auto draw valve. This is used to adjust the flow when the automatic valve opens. The auto valve opens fully and you do not want a full flow coming out of the pan. If you are surging too much close the throttling valve a little or open some if it is not going fast enough. On the first draw you may need to have it open a tad more but then adjust it after that to maintain as consistent a flow as you can.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have a throttling valve on mine also. I also noticed that with the modulating style valve people are getting away from the throttling valve. I have had about 5 different derivations of the same set up. I found my best system is to have the throttling valve after the auto draw valve so it stays cleaner from sugar sand and flakes. I also eliminated as much horizontal fittings so crap cant settle impeding the flow.

We agree that a throttling valve isn't a bypass valve.