Help!!! What am I doing wrong

[butch361]

I have a 2x4 divided pan on a homemade arch. My problem is I can't get it to syrup unless it is less than inch deep. When I try to run it at an inch or more it goes to 212 degrees and stops there. I real don't like running it that low.Any help would be appreciated. thanks Butch

[killingworthmaple]

Serveral years ago I had a simular problem, you may find it better to finish the syrup on a smaller pan or a big pot.

[Haynes Forest Products]

That doesnt make sense as long as your making steam your making syrup. If you take your time and let the prosess work things will work. Are you adding the sap opposite the draw off? As long as the steam is rising and sap is entering the evap it can only make syrup.

[butch361]

Yes the sap is coming in on the oppisite end from the draw-off. It is even being preheated.

[briansickler]

I'm not sure what your evap is. If you are doing a batch method in a flat 2x4 pan, you will have to boil 300 gal of sap to be left with 1.5" of finished syrup in your pan. That's about 7.5 gal syrup. Thar's probably 30-40 hours of boiling on just a flat pan of your size. If you go for 1" of finished syrup that's about 5 gal syrup/200gal sap/20-30hrs boiling time.

Brian

[SPM in King]

I have exactly the same setup 2x4 pan with a homemade arch. My best boil last year was 660 litres (175 gallons) of sap in 8 or so hours. Because the pan leaks under the dividers, I end up just boiling the batch. I find that nothing happens with temp until right at the end when it spikes up quickly. Let it come up to within 2 degrees of your target, then take it off and boil it down in a pot. Make sure you get your starting point of boiling water/sap, so you know what your target temp will be. It does work, you just need to be patient and boil more.

Steve.

[wcproctor]

I'm not sure what your evap is. If you are doing a batch method in a flat 2x4 pan, you will have to boil 300 gal of sap to be left with 1.5" of finished syrup in your pan. That's about 7.5 gal syrup. Thar's probably 30-40 hours of boiling on just a flat pan of your size. If you go for 1" of finished syrup that's about 5 gal syrup/200gal sap/20-30hrs boiling time.

Brian

Wow! someone did his homework in maple 101. Good job with the math:)

[rinert]

I am getting a new pan made with dividers and did some research.
1 tack weld every 4"
2 when you start draw off often and return it back in the center to create a flow. it takes some time to get syrup on draw off.
3 finish in a smaller pan.

[Jim Schumacher]

I am getting a new pan made with dividers and did some research.
1 tack weld every 4"
2 when you start draw off often and return it back in the center to create a flow. it takes some time to get syrup on draw off.
3 finish in a smaller pan.

I highly recommend that you tack weld much more often then every 4". Even when fully quenched the bottom of a stainless pan fluctuates under heat. A lot of mixing can happen if the pan and divider separates .062"

Just a thought while your pan is still being built.

Jim

[rinert]

thank for the info i found that asking ? leads to more. hay if anyone need a pan look at your loco school they are looking for projects and if it need tweeking they could fix it. do you think 2" would be good.

[butch361]

Haynes you are right!!! I was not having patients.. I forgot the rule of patients is a virtue.. It is very sweet to see it really work.

[sticbow]

Butch, I also have a 2x4 divided pan, the pan came with a 1x2 preheater. Instead of using the 1x2 as a preheater, I put a divider in it and use it as a syrup pan. Looks like you have a block arch so it would take very little to extend the arch to accommodate the extra foot. Add a couple ports and valves between the pans and you have an instant upgrade. Well, with the welding involved it wouldnt be instant, but its something to think about for next year. Its a great little set up and its nice to be able to control your flow between the pans. After you get use to it you will have more frequent drawoffs and you wont be cooking the hell out of all your sap. This of course is all info that I gathered from Maple Trader and applied to my own rig!! Great site!!!

[butch361]

Yes I have learned alot here. My setup is a 275 gal. fuel tank cut down for an arch. I have a 7 gal. pot with a valve by the stack. That is feeding 28 ft of 3/4 inch copper pipe that is laying on top of the pan as a preheater. I am thinking of adding 2 ft so I can have a 2x2 syrup pan in front of the 2x4. My 2x4 has a 3/4 inch fitting. It's that or get my great wife let me buy a 2x6 evaporator.