Starcat Evaporator honest review-It's great but not perfect.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- My honest review of starcat evaporator.
Specs -Once everything was up to temperature I evap 7.5 gph. I do have a custom blower that really helped.
You can watch it in action in my other video testing it with water. Note the color on the side when I got it up to temp and in this video. Very impressive.
Parts review-
ARCH 5 out of 5 stars-got so hot I'm adding ceramic blanket to sides then firebrick.
Pans-5 out of 5 stars-awesome pans... really awesome!
Pans on Arch 3.5 stars-need supports to center/stabilize pans easier.
Grate-excellent
Chimney-3.5 out of 5... PITA to put together but works well when it is.
Wheels- 1 out of 5. The wheels don't pivot. Complete waste of money.
The other wheels smokey has are too small. I got 5" caster wheels from grainer for 70 bucks and they work exceptionally well. Smokey guys, put them on your website as an option.
I will be uploading another video when I'm actually processing sugar.
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So I am on my second season with this unit. Added a self made blower. I’m lucky to get 3gph out of this thing it seems. Wonder if my blower is somehow making it worse.
It's probably your blower or wood. Wood diameter can't be larger than your fist. If you do you can't cross the wood in the unit to get a better burn. Or perhaps it is wet wood. The unit is fantastic but you have to dial it in. Make sure you're putting enough air in the unit and the 3/4 pipe (I think) it should only close so far because the pipe goes up through it. Also cap the end of the pipes inside the unit or 90 degree it and keep it from going all the way to the chimney. I believe mine was about 4" from the back of the unit where it stopped blowing upwards. Angle your air 45 degrees to the center of the unit-not straight up. hope this helps.
After it's all said and done this evaporator was 1809.79 with the blower/pipes/extra ceramic blanket for behind the firebrick/divided pan/heater pan/scope/teflon tape/caster wheels. Next year I'll be getting the float box. Needed to put money into water bins for collected sap and RO. My RO system was 389.00 homemade. So, I've put a lot of money into this year sugar operation. Hope it goes well for everyone.
Good to know thanks
Can you send me a pick of your blower setup?
I no longer have it. I believe I explained it in my review video.
send me a pict of yours and I'll examine it.
also make sure your pipes are clogged. I've had that happen to me. Ashes get in it and if you get that wet and can be horrid to clean.
Also don't use construction lumber-it doesn't burn hot enough. Use a dry hardwood.
You are using half brick where full brick is used. You cut a taper on the top course to match the iron rail that will allow heat on the sides. this is why the sides are blue not bricked correctly Also every manufacturer of evaporator puts as little as possible over hang on the pan sides where it meets the arch. The side overhang creates a cold spot where efficiency is lost. 20 years of sugar making experience on a mid scale in vermont speaking.
The blue came from very first boil-only 1 hr boil. It come with brick but no insulation blanket. I put insulation behind the fire brick and that has make the sides much more heat tolerable.
as for pan size-stability plays a roll. A pan that falls off because the arch is bumped sucks. It's already happened to me once.
I should also mention that the elbow for the chimney needs to be replaced immediately. It gets way too hot. Get an expensive elbow. Again, I'm using a blower.
Ryan-I just use insulation blanket if I want to seal up the pan. The crack is that small, but I like to see the fire inside since there is no other way besides loosing your boil... NOOOOOO!
After having this Starcat a year, what are your thoughts on it? did you get the float box? How did your season go this year?
It's still great. Best buy there is. Float box is great if you have enough sap. I was going to buy it and passed as it was sold out and wouldn't deliver until June. It really is a great product. The chimney is cheap crap but it is supposed to be. Getting a really good chimney would be an ideal upgrade-it breaks at the elbow coming out of the arch. I'm on my 3rd one.
@@ddeboy002 I bought the dauntless and have the divided pan with the float box and forced draft kit. I don’t think I get as much cfm as you do with the leaf blower. They do send a heavy duty elbow with the forced draft kit. I love the float box, makes things easier when the steam is so thick and you can’t see the flow out of the warming pan. Hopefully you made some videos this year. Love seeing how folks do maple syrup in different states.
Are you trying to ruin the unit? Using forced air and not painting the sides? Both of these are a big no no.
I wanted that groovy side color. I put ceramic insulation behind the brick. I'm fine. Personally, I don't think paint would save a unit from melting. I think Smokylake might be embarrassed to see how hot the sides got with just firebrick. Put the ceramic insulation behind the firebrick and you'll be fine. Yes, the unit is worth it. Watch my other videos.