WRU in process

[BoarsNest]

I am thinking about making a WRU. I was wondering if you had considered putting more than two troughs. My arch is shorter and narrower so I thought if I put more troughs it would provide more surface area to heat the sap. Any thoughts on that?

[Sugarmaker]

I am thinking about making a WRU. I was wondering if you had considered putting more than two troughs. My arch is shorter and narrower so I thought if I put more troughs it would provide more surface area to heat the sap. Any thoughts on that?

Sorry this took so long, Just not on much any more.
The new steam-aways have many troughs so you probably have the right idea.
Regards,
Chris

[Sugarmaker]

Maple folks,
Just a brief update on this WUR (steamaway) Well its been almost 10 years since the concept/ build on a budget. I have had good success and minimal problems. It consistently improves the sap to a higher level and helps reduce wood consumption. Provides 20 to 30 gallons of condensate per hour for clean up. I did have to get a new hot tub blower this year. It had a failure with the thick heat shield (rubber) around the motor. I was able to also get this rubber part from the manufacture for under $30 and did the repair myself. So I have a spare blower.
The WRU consistently produces sap at near 200 deg F into the rear pan float box. It typically contains 20 + gallons of sap which allows a buffer for shut down on the wood fired arch. i did run cold sap into it part of the season vs hot sap through the preheater. Didnt really see much difference in output. Generally see 1% improvement in sap sugar content through this unit.
Thanks for checking in on me!
Regards,
Chris