The fire

[raiderrick]

I currently boil down sap on 2 turkey fryers that I have. On one I use the pot that came with the turkey fryer. On the other I use a stainless steel pan used by caterers (about 14" x 20").
I have been debating whether or not it is worth building a little area in my back yard for using wood as my heat instead of propane.
The only reasons I wouldn't want to use wood is because of the consistently "perfect" flame the fryer produces and the fact that I would constantly need to be outside tending the fire.
The reason I don't want to use propane is because of the cost and the legnth of time it is taking to boil down the sap.
The reason I am asking this question is because my wife is mad at me for spending every entire Sunday boiling down sap. I need to do it more quickly.
So, my question is simply this......
Would the sap boil down quicker with wood heating the entire bottom of the pan as compared to just the little "ring of fire" that the turkey fryer produces?
My wife contends that once something (sap in this case) reaches it's boiling point, it can't possible cook down any quicker.
I content that fire heating the bottom of the enitre pan would make the boil more vigorous, hence boiling down the sap more quickly.
If anyone could answer this I would greatly appreciate it.

[Ausable]

The answer is ---- You are both right... Dang--- If You two are right fighters -- that is gonna make You both feel bad. Wood - for many of us is free and Propane is very expensive. I finish up using propane - but - close to syrup when I do. The big thing is the surface area you are boiling on and to keep a fire under a large surface area wood is good and a fuel oil torch even better - ahhhhhh! but - oil is costly too - so I use wood. Now say your sap starts to boil at 212 - 213F and until the solution you are boiling gets more sugar content the temp dosen't change much - HOWEVER - The more hotter the fire - the more intense the boil and the more vapor is released in the form of steam - and with a large evaporator surface area even more steam - but - once again not much change in boiling temp. So ya boil and boil and near the end if you sap started boiling at say 212F at near syrup it will be about 219F. I'm guessing You know most of this -- but - I mention it for the Mrs. to see if she is interested...... Hope I helped some -- best of luck --- Mike

[raiderrick]

Thank you Mike. I think I am going to do a test run with wood under pan v. propane and see which can boil down quicker. I still believe it will be the pan over a wood flame, covering the entire bottom of the pan, will boil down quicker.

[SevenCreeksSap]

I'm exactly where you are in this hobby. Last year we used the turkey fryer with round pan. this year I got a barrel and cobbled together a homemade evaporator with a 14 x 20 pan, 4 inches deep. The good thing is I only have about 45 bucks in the barrel evap. I tested with the wood and your right, you have to tend it all day to keep the fire hot and against the pan for a good boil. I had to keep mixing my firewood with some old dry plywood and scrap to keep a flame. coals wont keep it boiliong. I figured with the fryer it took 14 hrs to boil 10 gallons of sap. with the barrel it took 8 hrs to boil 10 gal. almost twice as fast. we also found keeping a pan on the back of the barrel to preheat wouldnt kill the boiling. I see now why all of these guys have all of the fancier equipment and all the tricks.

[Ausable]

Another thing Guys -- and it can't be stated enough -- to make a first rate maple syrup - get a syrup makers hydrometer. I went for years without one cause I was a little too cheap and I ended up with a so - so thin syrup. If you use a syrup hydrometer - You will make a maple syrup to be proud of and really enjoy. Most important tool You can have...... Mike

[Haynes Forest Products]

So I see it this way Have you ever heard of a slow boil? Every year I do a fish boil in Wisconsin for a family reunion. I have 2 kettles on stands that we boil corn and on the other we boil potatos onions and then the fish. At the end of the cooking 30 min as its BOILING we do a boil off. This is when you throw a cup of diesel fuel on the wood fire to SUPER heat the water and it explodes the water into a raging boil over. The reason is to have all the scummy crap that is floating on the top of the BOILING water blow off. So there is a differance between a boil and a super boil. I dont like fish so I have hot dogs on a rake:lol:

[maple flats]

You should keet close watch regardless of whether you use wood or propane but gas is easier on the budget.

[Ausable]

Hmmmmmmmm! Love this site ---learning all the time - even in my declining years. So throw a cup of oil on a wood fire for a super-boil when boiling fish and then eat hot dogs ------ and Gas is cheaper than Wood - Ok thanks -all wrote down in my little sugarin notebook -- let the sap flow begin -- LOL -- Hey Haynes -- Hope the finger heals ok - thats gotta hurt.......Mike

[wnybassman]

Sounds simple to me. Build a wood burning rig, acquire several more stainless caterer pans. You'll be boiling so fast you'll feel the need to put more taps in. Then a bigger rig, then more taps, then a bigger rig, then.................:D

[raiderrick]

Exactly WNYBASSMAN!

[raiderrick]

Well I built a small home made evaporator in my yard using cinder blocks and (2) 12 " x 18" hotel (Catering) pans. Went to the woods a mile away and picked up a trunk full of fallen logs/branches. Fired it up. Added sap to the pans and then placed the pans on top of the cinder blocks. Seemed to take a long time (about 30 minutes) for the sap to start boiling. I guess my fire wasn't big/hot enough yet.
Once things started rolling the rate of evaporation far far exceeded that of the turkey fryer. So much in fact that I couldn't keep up with pre-heating enough sap on a single turkey fryer so I could add boiling sap to already boiling sap in the pans.
The only problems with my setup were:
- Sap would burn on the sides of the pans, causing the sap to turn a darker color than it did when cooked on the turkey fryers. Maybe my fire was too high/hot?
- The wood I had must have been well rotted, as it burned very quickly, so I had to stay outside the entire time.
The benefits were:
- Wood was free.
- I was outside the entire time, which gave me an opportunity to rake up all of the debris in my yard that collected over the winter.
- Much faster. What would have normally taken me about 12-14 hours only took 6.5 hours.

Thank you all for your help. Just thought I would let you know how things went in case someone else has a similar situation.
Done for the year now as sap has stopped flowing and temps are expect to rise to 70 degrees by Friday. Total of just under 3 gallons of sap.
Total costs this year.
$75.00 spent in propane.
$21.00 for extra pan.
$12.00 for cinder blocks.
Total cost about $9.00 per quart of syrup.
Next year costs will be almost nothing as I am about completely set up now.

[raiderrick]

PS - cost for doing something I loveand spending time outside during the cold winter months = Priceless.