Cupola with a hood?

[m2salmon]

Planning stages for my sugarhouse build. Would like a hood for preheating sap & generating hot water for the house. I like the look of a cupola with windows for steam exhaust. Do any of you run the steam exhaust into the cupola and out the windows, or do most just go thru the roof with a roof jack for the hood? Is there a downside to just running the hood exhaust into the cupola?

[MISugarDaddy]

We built our sugarhouse with a cupola because we originally didn't have a steam hood. When we installed the steam hood, we vented it through the roof because of the amount of steam that is generated. We still use the cupola to vent steam that is emitted from the syrup pan as our hood extends over the syrup pan, but is not connected to the pan. Although a considerable amount of steam from the syrup pan goes into the hood, there is still some steam that does not and that is expelled out of the cupola. I think it is better to have the hood exhaust outside of the cupola to minimize the amount of steam in sugarhouse. We don't find it necessary to have the cupola doors fully open with the steam hood exhausting through the roof.
Gary

[maple flats]

I had my cupola in year 1 of my sugarhouse, no hood, in year2 I added the hood and ran the steam stack into the cupola. Then 7 years later I got my 3x8 pan set which came with 2 steam stacks, I continued venting it into the cupola because I liked how it looked and functioned. I had my steam stacks both suspended from in the cupola. My hoods had 2 stacks 15" diameter that went up towards the cupola and terminate about 3' below the cupola, then in the cupola I had 2 stacks 13" that hung down and into the 2 15" stacks below. The overlap was about a foot. This way I could raise the hood when needed and the stacks just overlapped more.

[johnallin]

I have my steam hood stack running up into the cupola and see no downside at all.

Works just fine and allows me to easily remove the stack when I need to lift the hood for clean-up.
The stack is about 10' tall and sits on a stub at to top of the hood, I lift it off at the end of the season.
The hood - with preheater installed - is on a block and tackle rope lift so I can lift to clean flue pan.

The cupola doors are hinged at the top, swinging out at the bottom.
This keeps rain and snow out, I'd post a pic but we can't do that anymore...

[Andy VT]

This thread gives me an idea, depending on your goal.
If you are mainly looking for the "look" on the outside, just run the steam hood stack up through as you would normally.
Then just plop a cupola up there, over the stack (as opposed to having to cut the main roof open).
But you wouldn't get the interior look when you look up at the ceiling... so if you want that this idea wouldn't help, but is a significant shortcut if you're not worried about seeing the cupola from the interior.
Just a thought. Don't know how well it would work.

[johnallin]

That works as long as you always keep the doors open - or don’t have any at all.
I think it’s probably easier to just cut the cupola in and eliminate one roof penetration.

[m2salmon]

Thanks for all the good ideas! Didn’t realize pictures are no longer allowed. I’ll go look in older posts for sugarhouse design for more ideas.

[BAP]

Thanks for all the good ideas! Didn’t realize pictures are no longer allowed. I’ll go look in older posts for sugarhouse design for more ideas.

Pictures are allowed, but the software for this site won’t allow the picture posting feature to work anymore. Unfortunately, the owner of this website doesn’t seem interested in fixing it. If you want to post pictures you need to put them on a picture hosting site, then put the link to them in your post on here.

[Father & Son]

I also have my stack running into the cupola. The only drawback is the “rain” I get inside the sugarhouse below the cupola. Hot steam on the cold cupola roof and you create a lot of condensation even with the cupola doors open. Solutions, either wear a hoodie or learn where to stand to avoid the drips.