2x6 Arch Taller?

[Drew Pond Maple]

Under flues should only be about 1/4" to force the heat thru the flues. .

Is 1/4" the norm? I have mine at 1"
Would it work better at 1/4"?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I would agree with flats the closer the better. I have 2" of blanket insulation below with bricks on top of it so I can flue brush with out ripping up insulation

[maple flats]

I have 1/4" to 1/2" max under mine. This forces the heat up into the flues.
Flat lander, just get that adjustment right. I get no visible smoke once the fire gets fully involved, at refueling I can see no smoke as soon as about 1 minute after fueling and almost none while refueling. I only get smoke for 15-25 minutes after starting the fire, but after the first 10 minutes it is getting hard to see it. I do however light my fire quicker than many. I just lay up a full pile of criss crossed layers of wrist sized wood, no kindling, then I use a 500,000 BTU weed burner torch (at about 1/2-2/3 strength) for 5-7 minutes. This looks to be fully involved at that point but I can still see a little faint smoke for a few more minutes. I turn on the HP blower as soon as I shut off the big torch and close the door. I have my blower feed both the AUF and the AOF, the AUF valve is open about 25-30% and the AOF valve is open about 65-70%. These settings have not been changed in several years, and are the same all during the boil, until about 30 minutes after last firing. I do not shut off to refuel a,d I get no sparks or smoke out the front.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I have 1/4" to 1/2" max under mine. This forces the heat up into the flues.
Flat lander, just get that adjustment right. I get no visible smoke once the fire gets fully involved, at refueling I can see no smoke as soon as about 1 minute after fueling and almost none while refueling. I only get smoke for 15-25 minutes after starting the fire, but after the first 10 minutes it is getting hard to see it. I do however light my fire quicker than many. I just lay up a full pile of criss crossed layers of wrist sized wood, no kindling, then I use a 500,000 BTU weed burner torch (at about 1/2-2/3 strength) for 5-7 minutes. This looks to be fully involved at that point but I can still see a little faint smoke for a few more minutes. I turn on the HP blower as soon as I shut off the big torch and close the door. I have my blower feed both the AUF and the AOF, the AUF valve is open about 25-30% and the AOF valve is open about 65-70%. These settings have not been changed in several years, and are the same all during the boil, until about 30 minutes after last firing. I do not shut off to refuel a,d I get no sparks or smoke out the front.

yea my issue is im still using the old furnace blower for AUF, just need to Y the pipe and put in valves to regulate. I also think I might have made the AOF holes to big, I used 1/4 nipples instead of 1/8

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

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hot air box

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

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fem more of hot air box

[AGR1093]

So flat lander, after the flue pan you exhaust is forced down, under a baffle, over the AOF air pipes, then up your stack? Then you have like 5 black iron pipes where the air is heated for the AUF, and five SEPARATE pipes where the air is heated for the AOF? Why not just one set of pipes to heat the air, the split the air for AOF and AUF with a "Y" pipe under the back of the arch?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

So flat lander, after the flue pan you exhaust is forced down, under a baffle, over the AOF air pipes, then up your stack? Then you have like 5 black iron pipes where the air is heated for the AUF, and five SEPARATE pipes where the air is heated for the AOF? Why not just one set of pipes to heat the air, the split the air for AOF and AUF with a "Y" pipe under the back of the arch?

have one large cold air box at back wall of hot air transfer chamber where is piped in from HP blower. Its forced through 10 1" pipes to a second box hot air box that collects the air and then funnels it through the 5" exhaust 90 to AOF. My AOF is 3x6 tubing. Right now AOF is only heated.
Some will say dont heat anything because less oxygen in heated air. So for this year im going to Y the pipe before the cold air box and run a pipe to AUF with some kind of valve to control air. I want to use a butterfly valve but the cheapest one is around 400 and need two of them. I believe a butterfly valve will create the least amount of turbulence unlike a ball valve or gate valve.
Im going to pull top plate above hot air box and look to see what the pipes look like. maybe they warped

[AGR1093]

On the hot air holding less oxygen: I have thought a lot about that. I think if you were using your blower to collect and blow hot air that would be the case, less oxygen. However, if you are blowing cold air with the blower then heating the air, it should make higher pressure, but once the air is in the pipe the oxygen percentage can't change, right? On the other hand diesel engines compress air with a turbo then blast it through an intercooler before blowing it into the engine, but they are happy to be without heat in that case...