Used D&G Sportster is ready for test fire

[linearb]

In another thread which is still on the front page I had been considering a Leader, and someone very nicely found me this D&G setup used for $3k, which I bought after renting a truck and inspecting it.


After we moved it into our shack (took 3 people even with the bricks out, do not try to move these with the bricks in, ha) I ripped out the old insulation. After wire brushing all the galvenized on both sides, my spouse measured and cut new insulation, then I rebricked it and put stove paint on the outside




The former owner just used a piece of flashing sitting on firebricks for ash to hit; I am probably going to build a little steel box out of some steel siding I have and let that sit on top of firebricks on top of insulation, since my floor is wood and not dirt in here (also why I bothered with insulation under the whole arch body; this sits substantially closer to the floor than the old DIY arch I had did.




I'm going to do 2-3 short fires with water to cook off the paint smell and cure the stove cement; then I will probably try a long water boil, to put some numbers on startup time, shutdown time, gallons needed to shutdown, and gph at peak (which the former owner reported as being 20 or just under, if using decent hardwood and keeping it hot, which is consistent with what I have read). He sold me a blower fan he'd bought but never installed, I might do that at some point but I've got 2000 feet of new lines to put up, vacuum to install, a storage tank to move that's gonna take 4 people, etc. Lots to do

[Pdiamond]

You and your wife did a very good job cleaning up the arch. I would've liked to have seen a before picture. I am sure that you will enjoy this over your previous unit. Make the time to hook up the blower. It will increase your boiling rate. Let us know how the test boils go.

[eagle lake sugar]

Looks good!

[linearb]

You and your wife did a very good job cleaning up the arch. I would've liked to have seen a before picture. I am sure that you will enjoy this over your previous unit. Make the time to hook up the blower. It will increase your boiling rate. Let us know how the test boils go.

I don't think I took a picture right after I pulled the insulation, but this was in process wire brushing before painting the outside and reinsulating the inside.





Some wire brush and black paint really makes stuff look nice. There's some rust as you can see but I found no spots that were problematically rusted through or leaning that way, just a fair amount of copper colored dust to file off with a P100 mask on.

Bless my spouse for (with her architectural background) being real good at precision work. I can paint and lug **** around just fine, but getting 1/2" insulation boards cut so they meet with almost no gaps is not my strong suit and she did a fantastic job. (Had to use 1/2" here, talked to D&G, jamming 1" insulation in would prevent the bricks from sitting right. The old stuff I pulled was 1/2". I think their new arches are stainless bottom only and also setup for 1" insulation but otherwise are the same size and will accept these pans).

[maple flats]

Nice, how many taps do you have planned for 2023? Your next upgrade might be an RO.

[linearb]

Nice, how many taps do you have planned for 2023? Your next upgrade might be an RO.

150 on my side of the line, some big trees but mostly on the smaller side. I am doing all new lines and a sap guzzler vacuum pump this year. I also have 40 taps on my neighbor's side that I might expand to 60 or so, all big old suckers that had probably never been tapped until last year, gravity feed to collection bins that I have to siphon into my mainline because it crosses the driveway. If I can figure out how to get mainline under my driveway in a way that lasts though mud season I could probably just run that into vacuum, hmmm

I am planning on doing one of the inexpensive bucket RO systems this year (I'd actually need two to produce 20 gph, I believe, but I may start with one.) I am looking into filter presses and bottling, too, because all that stuff was fairly painful to do even without vacuum and with a smaller evaporator.

[maple flats]

All good plan, just remember to keep it fun.

[Pdiamond]

I will say it again you and your wife did a superb job with the arch. Thank you for the before picture. It's nice to appreciate her ability to get that detailed with the cutting. It really looks very good.