My plan 2022/23

[berkshires]

So if I go ahead and buy the door and I think I got my head wrapped around how to do the plate and attach the door to the plate and how to put some firebrick on the inside of the plate to keep it from getting too hot and losing heat out the door.

What I am not sure if I will have enough air openings for the draft.

The height of my evaporator is 18.5”. The opening size required for the door is 16x16”. That would give me one inch above the door for the plate and an inch and a half below the door. The plate would go from the top of the evaporator, tight right to the bottom of the concrete pad. My firebox opening is about 22.5” wide. Potentially I could have openings 3” wide and 4 “ high either side of the door and I could drill holes in the plate below the door.

Would that allow for enough draft for my base stack and 8” wide stovepipe?

The yellow rectangles are not to scale but give an idea of where the larger openings would be, and the yellow circles give an idea where the holes would be, but there would be more of them, slightly smaller.


https://share.icloud.com/photos/084c...D9twcb-92YEL2Q

No, this does not look like a good plan. You want all air to come in *under* the grate. Air coming in above it is going to cool down your pans. As for how big the opening, you want the area to be the same (or larger) as your stack opening. So 8" stovepipe = 50 square inches. So if the firebox opening is 22.5" wide, you could have a two inch high opening the full width of the space to give yourself about enough space. Or else buy a blower.

GO

[nhdog]

one other thing about your door, i think you'll find that fire bricks do not will give you much insulation, fire brick normally is used to protect your insulation.

[Swingpure]

No, this does not look like a good plan. You want all air to come in *under* the grate. Air coming in above it is going to cool down your pans. As for how big the opening, you want the area to be the same (or larger) as your stack opening. So 8" stovepipe = 50 square inches. So if the firebox opening is 22.5" wide, you could have a two inch high opening the full width of the space to give yourself about enough space. Or else buy a blower.

GO

Thanks the 50 sq inches is helpful.

My grill sits 4” above the fire brick and all of my air openings will be below it. I will have a blower like in the attached picture (600 cfm)

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f5N...tY8ZDT_o40Pnmg

The questions still remains will I have enough openings sq footage? The two 3x4” openings gives me 24 sq inches. The most I will get, if I get creative is 12 more sq inches below the door, which would add up to 36 sq inches. The question is will the blower or two like it, make up the 14” sq inch shortfall and is it wise to count on blowers to give you the minimum amount of draft?

[Swingpure]

No, this does not look like a good plan. You want all air to come in *under* the grate. Air coming in above it is going to cool down your pans. As for how big the opening, you want the area to be the same (or larger) as your stack opening. So 8" stovepipe = 50 square inches. So if the firebox opening is 22.5" wide, you could have a two inch high opening the full width of the space to give yourself about enough space. Or else buy a blower.

GO

I just cancelled getting the door. My evaporator needs to be 2” taller to allow for enough draft. Once again perhaps a next year project.


The positives from today is while at my steel supplier, I think I finally may have got my new fire grate from their scrap yard. I will know tomorrow. This has been a several month endeavour.

I also picked up four dozen more 1 L mason jars. I will get one more dozen 500 ml jars and that should be plenty for the bottling this coming season.

[berkshires]

Thanks the 50 sq inches is helpful.

My grill sits 4” above the fire brick and all of my air openings will be below it. I will have a blower like in the attached picture (600 cfm)

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f5N...tY8ZDT_o40Pnmg

The questions still remains will I have enough openings sq footage? The two 3x4” openings gives me 24 sq inches. The most I will get, if I get creative is 12 more sq inches below the door, which would add up to 36 sq inches. The question is will the blower or two like it, make up the 14” sq inch shortfall and is it wise to count on blowers to give you the minimum amount of draft?

I didn't realize you have a blower. That changes things 180 degrees. Size of opening is important only for natural draft. With a blower you do not want other openings, or it will just blow ash all over the place. You just want the blower bolted on (if possible) to one opening, and the size doesn't matter. All that matters is placement and volume of air.

GO

[Swingpure]

I didn't realize you have a blower. That changes things 180 degrees. Size of opening is important only for natural draft. With a blower you do not want other openings, or it will just blow ash all over the place. You just want the blower bolted on (if possible) to one opening, and the size doesn't matter. All that matters is placement and volume of air.

GO

It was a stand alone floor blower and I could not make a hole wide enough to accept all of the air it puts out. If it ever died, I would be in trouble.

I rather have enough natural draft and let the blower add to it. I have a 100 cfm blower and will buy a 600 cfm blower with three settings if the 100 is not enough.

Right now with my existing door I can control the amount of the draft, from 90 sq inches down to zero. I am hoping the 100 cfm one will be perfect, some air, but not too much. Last year I had my leaf blower and even from a distance, it was way too much.

I am at peace not getting the whole new evaporator at this time and not getting the metal door at this time and next year I will re-evaluate.
Although the new evaporator was tantalizingly close. I will have to pick up a temporary part time job next summer if I want it badly enough, and I will already have the pan and base stack for it.

[Andy VT]

I think it sounds like a good 2023 plan to go with what you've got.
Interesting that you mention a potential part time job to upgrade next year.
One thing we often forget, somewhat by necessity, in sugaring is that time is still money.
You can spend time building equipment, or you can spend time earning money to buy equipment.
Most of us do some combination of the two.
One is not necessarily superior to the other (making your own versus working/earning to buy), but they do both deserve consideration.

[Brien]

Is a blower one of those dangerous buys. like you get a good increase in your boil rate, but then you have to listen to the thing all day?

[eustis22]

Yes, but it's dangerous in that as you increase your boil rate you realize you have to tap more trees since you now have excess capacity.

[Swingpure]

Today I removed the labels from the jars and bottles that were returned to me.

For all of the mason jars, I put on brand new lids on them. I have to say though, the lids I took off the jars looked every bit as new, as the brand new ones. Almost seemed a waste.