What kind of life span do you guys get from your temperature probe off your auto draw off systems?
What kind of life span do you guys get from your temperature probe off your auto draw off systems?
2 years so far and no issues. We soak it in acid a few times per season and gently run some steel wool up and down the bottom half of the probe. Any caked on syrup comes right off and it looks like new.
305 taps on 2 Shurflo's, 31 taps on 3/16" and 229 taps on gravity. 565 in all
Mountain Maple S3 controller for 145 of the vacuum taps
2x6 Darveau Mystique Oil Fired Evaporator w/ Smoky Lake Simplicity Auto Draw
Wesfab 7” filter press
9 years for mine so far. I always keep a spare just in case. I have found the cables that are in stainless mesh are horrible, they break constantly, get the ones that have silicone casing on the wires.
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A have a Marcland and I just replaced the probe this year. I bought it in 1997 so 23 years. The reason I had to replace it is because I think I broke it. It had a 90 degree bend about 3 inches in from the end because of the way I had it in my old syrup pan. On my new Revolution pan I needed it to be straight and after I straightened it out it didn't work any more. If I didn't try to straighten it I don't know how long it may have lasted.
Last edited by bill m; 04-24-2020 at 06:53 AM.
First introduced to making maple syrup in 1969
Making syrup every year since 1979
3 x 10 oil fired
Revolution syrup and max flue pan
Almost 1300 taps total with 900 on high vacuum
Bought first Marcland drawoff in 1997, still going strong.
One of my probes is 5 yrs old (that was when I bought my auto draw), the other probe I got in a deal with several used parts and equipment, over 12 years ago, I have no idea how old that probe might be. I only clean my probes as I flush the front pan with hot permeate.
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 got 3 years out of my probe from Auber Instruments. My fault though. When I took it out to clean it I would always thread it out and not use the compression fitting and slide it out. So I had a small break in one of the wires. Noticed it at end of season. Was getting all these weird temps and swings in temp not normal. I bought a new PT 100 with a stainless steel braided wire that completely covers the whole wire from end to end. Way tougher.
600 taps on vacuum
Lapierre mechanical Releaser
CDL electric releaser
2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
Home made modulating auto draw off
Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
CDL 16 x 16 bottler
Wesfab 7" filter press
Delaval 73 vacuum pumps
12 hives of bees
The silicone was what I had. The probe is the exact same as the CDL modulating drawoff probe. Not a cheap Chinese braided stainless probe. Was around $160. Better last.
600 taps on vacuum
Lapierre mechanical Releaser
CDL electric releaser
2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
Home made modulating auto draw off
Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
CDL 16 x 16 bottler
Wesfab 7" filter press
Delaval 73 vacuum pumps
12 hives of bees
The ones I had were from auber, about $20, probably from China. Went through a bunch before I switched to the silicone covered ones.
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Do you have a link to the silicone coated probes? We too have run the stainless braided ones and they fail and fray like crazy.
West Sumner Sugar House
West Sumner, ME
500 +/- Taps - 2 x 8 CDL Venturi - 3 Shurflo Solar Systems - MES Dolly 300
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