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Thread: FLoat box regulators

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

    Default FLoat box regulators

    I bought a used Maple Pro 2x6 raised flue back in November. It had changed hands a couple of times, and I did not get the floats or regulators with it.

    I got two floats from Bascom's yesterday. Since Maple pro is no longer around, I'm ready to make the regulators myself.

    If any of you, no matter what brand you have, would be willing to send some photos of your floats and float valves I would REALLY, really appreciate it.

    The sap inlets are 1 1/2" diameter and enter from the back of the float boxes, about 3" center from the bottom of the float pan. The regulator hinge is on the bottom of the pan. The best I can tell this is a CDL style. One of the floats I got is a Grimm, and has a stainless threaded rod attached to a smooth rod with a crank on top that moves a nut up and down- the nut has two horizontal pins sticking out each side for the regulator arm to hook on to. The other has the ladder style adjustment with a vertical row of holes to hook the regulator arm in to.

    I used a stainless toilet style float on my other home made rig with a 1/9 size steam pan for the float, but I'm not sure that valve gasket will hold up to the hot sap from the preheater or raised flue sap coming into the syrup pan. Plus I don't want to drill any more holes that size through my new pans.

    I'm going to use some stainless channel to make the regulator arms with, I got a couple 1/4 cup measuring cups to use for holding the packing gasket on the sap inlet.

    We're in the very southern tip of Ohio- no other producers around that I can go look at, and the closest dealers are hours away.

    Thanks for your consideration,

    Ben Walker
    '12 15 jugs - Steam pans
    '17 125 3/16 - 18" x 72" drop flue on homemade arch
    '18 240 3/16 - Deer Run 125
    '19 450 3/16 - Converted RO to electric/added a membrane
    '20 600 3/16 - Maple Pro 2x6 Raised Flue, added AOF/AUF
    '21 570 3/16 - Built steam hood, Smoky Lake filter press
    '22 800 3/16 - Upgraded RO to 4 4x40
    '23 500 3/16 - Re-plumbed RO, new "Guzzler"
    '24 500 3/16 - Steam Away, DIY 8x40 RO

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    Ben, look in homemade and Evaporators sections to see how others have made their own float boxes and valves for ideas.
    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.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Walpole, NH
    Posts
    1,363

    Default

    Did you check with CDL? They own Maple Pro.
    Sugaring for 45+ years
    New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
    New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
    2022 added a used RB25 RO Bucket
    250 mostly Sugar Maples, 15% Soft Maples. Currently,(110on 3/16" and 125 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 15 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
    1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
    2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    MA
    Posts
    588

    Default

    I modified my float box to replace leaded brass valve. Hopefully this is useful?

    35FB28F7-5A40-44F6-BE90-A712C9AFB931.jpg
    60ish taps on buckets
    D&G Sportsman 18x63
    Turbo RB15 RO Bucket

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BAP View Post
    Did you check with CDL? They own Maple Pro.
    Yes, that's where I started. They wanted me to send the float boxes so they could make me some new ones, however, these float boxes are part of the pans. The Flue pan has one box, the front has two. It's reversible.

    Ben
    '12 15 jugs - Steam pans
    '17 125 3/16 - 18" x 72" drop flue on homemade arch
    '18 240 3/16 - Deer Run 125
    '19 450 3/16 - Converted RO to electric/added a membrane
    '20 600 3/16 - Maple Pro 2x6 Raised Flue, added AOF/AUF
    '21 570 3/16 - Built steam hood, Smoky Lake filter press
    '22 800 3/16 - Upgraded RO to 4 4x40
    '23 500 3/16 - Re-plumbed RO, new "Guzzler"
    '24 500 3/16 - Steam Away, DIY 8x40 RO

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ecolbeck View Post
    I modified my float box to replace leaded brass valve. Hopefully this is useful?

    Attachment 20496
    That looks good, gives me some ideas for attaching the float. I'm goin to try to fab up a regulator arm to use the factory sap inlets. I did get a couple of the factory inlet gaskets with the evaporator. It's a raised flue so the syrup pan float is goin to have some HOT sweet coming through.

    Ben
    '12 15 jugs - Steam pans
    '17 125 3/16 - 18" x 72" drop flue on homemade arch
    '18 240 3/16 - Deer Run 125
    '19 450 3/16 - Converted RO to electric/added a membrane
    '20 600 3/16 - Maple Pro 2x6 Raised Flue, added AOF/AUF
    '21 570 3/16 - Built steam hood, Smoky Lake filter press
    '22 800 3/16 - Upgraded RO to 4 4x40
    '23 500 3/16 - Re-plumbed RO, new "Guzzler"
    '24 500 3/16 - Steam Away, DIY 8x40 RO

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