preheater

[JoeJ]

Bill M.
Not to be contrary but, in the new Vermont Sugarhouse Certification Checklist, the number one item on the checklist is "Lead Mitigation" and last item in this section is "No copper in contact with sap or syrup (copper may contain up to 1% lead) and you don't pass with any copper. Also, after a year or two, all PVC will have to be NSF-61 or an equal label. No DWV fittings or pipe will be allowed.

Joe

[therealtreehugger]

Ok - No copper tubing for me. I didn't think that a slow flow would be a problem for me, as I was only going to do a few wraps around the stove pipe, but then again, there are times when I have to turn the flow off, and yes, as Brian and Afretired said, it will burn. What really pushed me over the edge though, was the certification standards from JoeJ. There is no way I will ever be a big enough operation to even think about that, but I do want to do things right.
Thank you all for your input!

Now - back to the original question - how else can we preheat? especially us smaller maplers?

Thanks!

[ir3333]

i have used a pre heat pan sitting on and feeding my rear sap pan.If kept full it maintains about 60 - 65 degrees....which is
better than 35.Maybe a design that would cause the condensation to run down and drip outside the sap pan could work?
Keeping the preheat pan on open flame could work but you might as well increase your sap pan size to use the fire? Mine is just
a hobby unit.Undecided how many trees to tap this year?

[mdm1]

I just have a pan that sits above my main pan. It has a petcock valve that I use to regulate the sap being introduced to the boil. By doing it this way for me I don't lose the boil in the pan. Not really a preheater per say but I am just a micro cooker!

[therealtreehugger]

I just have a pan that sits above my main pan. It has a petcock valve that I use to regulate the sap being introduced to the boil. By doing it this way for me I don't lose the boil in the pan. Not really a preheater per say but I am just a micro cooker!

And how do you prevent condensation from dripping back into the pan?

[mdm1]

I have watched that and don't think it is too much of a concern to me. But maybe I am getting more back into the pan than I think. I only do around 5gals of syrup a year. Just a fun hobby for me. I may put something at an angle under the pan to try and divert the condensation away and see how much there really is. I could be wasting my time with how I do it but still enjoy it.

[bill m]

JoeJ There is no lead used in the manufacturing of copper pipe. It is made from 99.9% pure copper with a small amount of silver. It was easier for Vermont to ban all copper than do the testing for lead in the soldered connections.

[therealtreehugger]

And that is the whole reason - because we enjoy it! no matter how much drips back into the pan!

[Zucker Lager]

Soft stainless tubing is the answer if you don't want copper. Its harder to bend properly but you can do it. Here is a link to a place that has it for sale $$$$$. Jay
https://www.amazon.com/D-Stainless-S.../dp/B00GPB8F32

[Johnny Yooper]

I was just about to question that 1% lead in copper pipe statement until I read the post from bill m. I think the EPA set limits back in the 80's or 90's for lead content in drinking water......maybe 50 parts per billion or similar limit?.... in any case, it's WAAAY below 1%. Heck, lead free solder has been the requirement for years already. When we built our house 20 years ago, we used copper pipe for the entire plumbing system (except for PEX in the basement floor), we have well over one hundred sweated copper connections I can't even guess how many thousands of gallons of water have gone through our faucets since then. I have a preheater made of coiled copper pipe wrapped around my stove chimney; I boil mainly on weekends, so about 8 to 10 all day boils and for us backyard hobbyists I see nothing wrong with these copper preheater setups......a lot more things to worry about breathing in, drinking, and eating in our daily lives vs lead in sap/syrup from a few weekends of boiling. Maybe cause for some concern for old set ups prior to the lead bans but probably no need to worry for recent builds. To the OP's question on a preheater, I run water through my copper preheater before I run any sap through just to make sure it's clean; 40F sap enters the preheater and it exits at 160F to 190F going into the sap pan, temperatures vary on whether I have the blower running for air under fire (that really kicks temperatures up), I've never had vapor lock; when I stop pumping sap I give a quick switch to water to again flush the system and keep that flowing until thing cool down. Really upped my efficiency; hope this is helpful.