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Thread: Best fire grate height?(OTE)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    N.E. OH, atwater
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    Default Best fire grate height?(OTE)

    What is everyone's best experience with the height from the fire grate to the bottom of their pan, more specifically in OTEs?
    Got my grate welded up this afternoon with angle iron and looking for some examples before I mount it in my OTE...
    Thanks Matt

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Quaker Hill, CT
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    My grate sits right around where the sides of the tank start to curve into the bottom. That way I didn't need any brackets to hold the grate up it just rests on the fire brick I have in there to protect the insulation blanket. You want your grate to be easily removable to make cleaning the fire box easier.

    I would say my overall fire box is a little less than a 24"x24" cube. There's about 24" from the grate to the bottom of my front hotel pans and about 18"-20" before the arch opens up.

    It's not the prettiest looking arch but it works well. Hopefully I can get a coat of paint on it this fall if I can ever find the time to do it. Hopefully the photos give you an idea of the sizes.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    2017 25 taps on buckets got me hooked 1 gallon of sweet
    2018 51 taps on 3/16 tubing/ DIY oil tank evaporator 8.5gallons finished
    2019 60 taps 7 gallons finished ended season short
    2020 New 2x4 divided pan ready to get away from the headache that is steam table pans
    2021 off year due to pandemic and projects
    2022 back at it

  3. #3
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    Feb 2016
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    N.E. OH, atwater
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    Cool thanks for sharing the details
    Here's what I welded up for my new OTE for fire grate above my AUF
    IMG_20181027_093616739.jpg
    Once I mount 2 larger support angle iron pieces ( one front, one back of Firebox) my grate will just sit on top of those( kind of float) to allow some movement when heated and allow for easy removal for cleaning...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Millmont,Pa
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    With a regular evaporator, you would want around 22 or 24 inches. I had asked this question several years ago when I revamped mine.
    Before that they were around 17 inches, and I was always scorching the syrup pan slightly with each use. That problem has gone away
    since I lowered the grates to 22 inches. Also a lot more AUF helped my situation too.
    115 red maples on vacuum
    100 taps on 5/16 gravity
    35 taps on 3/16 gravity
    50 taps on shurflo vacuum
    about 60 buckets on giant roadside sugars
    neighbor bringing from 45 taps
    30'x 8' Aof/Auf Evaporator
    Homemade 125gph Ro
    Lots of Homemade Equipment!

    http://s848.photobucket.com/albums/a...%20Sugarshack/

  5. #5
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    Feb 2016
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    N.E. OH, atwater
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    Awesome thanks, sounds like I should shoot for 20"-22" from top of my grate to bottom of my pan then?

  6. #6
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    Feb 2016
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    N.E. OH, atwater
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    IMG_20181029_100818613.jpg
    Got angle iron fire grate in and started to brick yesterday!
    Getting closer to a test boil...
    I ended up with 21.5" from fire grate to bottom of pan, it left about 4" below grate where AUF tube is, thanks to all for there input.
    Last edited by Hunt4sap; 10-30-2018 at 07:00 AM.

  7. #7
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    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
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    I can't tell from the picture, I hope the open side of the angles irons points up, not the points. When the open sides fill with ash it protects the grate from enough heat to make it last far longer. Points up and it will sag from the intense heat and then need replacing after the sag gets too bad.
    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.

  8. #8
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    Feb 2016
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    N.E. OH, atwater
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    Yes, points are down(vvvvvv)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Quaker Hill, CT
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    That's looking good. It should work well for you. Next thing you need to start thinking about is a pre-heater and how to get an automated feed system rigged up. Adding a small amount of cold raw sap continuously to the pan will keep your GPH rates much higher than periotic additions of large amounts of cold sap.
    2017 25 taps on buckets got me hooked 1 gallon of sweet
    2018 51 taps on 3/16 tubing/ DIY oil tank evaporator 8.5gallons finished
    2019 60 taps 7 gallons finished ended season short
    2020 New 2x4 divided pan ready to get away from the headache that is steam table pans
    2021 off year due to pandemic and projects
    2022 back at it

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    N.E. OH, atwater
    Posts
    260

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    It's the ledge above evaporator pan

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