Aluminum evaporator pan?

[Pete S]

Just starting to assemble the things I'll need to make our first feeble attempt at this Maple Syrup thing. I'm very anxious to get ready-n-go.......but had trouble finding a stainless pan of any size. We just want to give this a whirl, and see if it's something we would like to dive head over heels into.

I have come across a 16" x 24" Aluminum baking pan from a resturaunt.

Is this going to work? I know it's not much, but we're not asking for much production out of it. I plan on assembling a "box/barrel" base for it.

Any sound advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

[Jay]

Pete, welcome. I am sure somebody else will chim in and tell you if that will work or not. I dont know about the aluminum part. How deep is the pan? The first year I used a stainless pan that I had a guy who I found on e-bay make me, I think it was 3x3x7" deep and I used cinder blocks filled with sand ran a couple of pieces of metal rod a sat the pan right on that. Fire box was a little bigger then the pan. Its a sickness this maple thing so watch out, LoL. Good luck, Jay

[Sugarmaker]

Pete,
Seems like the aluminum pan should work if you have 7-8 inches of depth. I just finished some maple mustard and boiled it to 240 deg F in a aluminum pot. (base unit of a pressure caner). Good luck and let us know how you make out. Agreed that this is some what addictive. If you like fires and have lots of patience you will have a ball.

[maple flats]

I had a friend make some a few years ago. He used a flue pan on a block arch and then finished it in an aluminum turkey frier. I sampled the syrup and swear I tasted a hint of an aluminum taste, but that might be me. Did you see if the mapleguys have even a flat ss pan used for a good price or look at the canners, start with a canner and then get an avaporator after you are hooked. It will be slow but a canner will make syrup from sap by the batch method. After you get an evaporator you will still need the canner to finish it and can it.
MapleGuys.com

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

An aluminum would outboil a stainless pan by a bunch, but may possibly leave remanents in the syrup and the other side effects of aluminum. 8O

[Teuchtar]

According to Centre Acer ( see www.centreacer.qc.ca ) aluminum is not recommended across the board from everything from storage tanks to hoods and evaporator pans.
Here's the link http://www.centreacer.qc.ca/publications/infofiches/PDF/751a1299.pdf

They don't say why, but I suspect there's two reasons:
-Sap tends to be corrosive to the aluminum and will eat holes if left in contact for a few days.
-Everything is good when you are boiling with 7-8 inches depth as Chris notes. Ultimately, your syrup becomes only fractions of an inch deep, and before you know it, the pan gets scorched when you turn around to explain the process to your neighbor or to grab a cool one. ( this is part of a training ritual all syrupmakers subject themselves to). That billowing smoke has wiped the smile off my face a few times. I am thinking that a scorched syrup pan would melt a hole in that aluminum in seconds.

I am sure if you have the aluminum pan, you can make it work.

May I suggest you check the Dominion & Grimm catalog. They have a nice 23x23 stainless pan for $238. I bought one to start out, and it has endured major scorchings and come through with only minor damage. You can easily fabricate a barrel burner around it, and the pan should outlast the burner. I used mine for 50 taps for several years and had a great time.

[VA maple guy]

Hi Pete, welcome aboard.
I have two pans on my home made barrel evaporator. My large pan is stainless 22x40x8 and my small pan is an aluminum baking pan. it's 22x19x6. There is no hint of aluminum taste in my syrup. I did scorch it black this fall, but it did not melt. Good luck with it and let us know how it works. Gerry

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Pete,

Check out Bascoms used pans. The have some nice 2' x 5' or 2x4' or 2x6' cross flow syrup pans that are used but stainless and good condition that would make a great pan for you and wouldn't cost very much. I bought a 5' x 7' King stainless pan off of them about 10 years ago and I made a ton of syrup on that thing and only paid $ 200 for it and $ 100 to freight it nearly 1,000 miles! :D

[Teuchtar]

Bascoms does have many used pans of all sizes.... but watch out for the pans at a really good price. I looked through them and found the low priced ones tend to be badly warped from scorching. Thats why the previous owner unloaded his pan, because the bottom was no longer flat enough to not develop hot spots and scorch.
There are nice pans too, so my advice is to ask how flat the pan is. Those folks are really helpful and I am sure they'll look after you.
I found the name of a gentleman in midwest who was selling new pans on ebay. Don't have all the frills of a real syrup pan, but his price was great. Let me know if you need that lead, and I'll look it up.

[vermontkyle]

Welcome!
I made my first syrup on our barbecue grill (burned it up in the process) but got hooked. It was fine table fair for the family & friends albiet probably wouldn't have made the grade otherwise.
I take it you found a copy of "Backyard Sugaring" somewhere. If not its worth the price for a starting point.
MY simple advice for what it is worth is not to spend too much money right away-try it with the alum. pan-wont hurt anything-the idea being that if you get hooked-as most of us do-you will want to upgrade next year. An old sugar maker once told me "I never heard of anyone in the sugaring business wanting to get smaller" and its basically true.
Lots of good reasonably priced rigs out there for you once you fall in love with it.
-Kyle

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If you do have a pan that is warped a little, you can run the level a little deeper to compensate and you will do fine. You might find a like new pan that has a little warp and pick it up for $ 100. :D

[Pete S]

WOW! Thanks for ALL the advice! I feel like a member of the family now!

This "Maple Syrup" thing is being approched on a "will see" basis, wherein as the $.00 budget is where I would like to be. I'm a purty good scrounge, and "rigger" so today (as it's a bit slow) I'm going to pick up a discarded 55 gal barrel to make the evaporator from. I plan on making it a real basic/simple/low budget operation.................so if this Maple Syrup thing becomes an addiction............we're off to the races with a bit of cheap experience under our belts for the following season!

My wife maintains..........."did the Indians have/need all this stuff?".........you "guys" understand where I'm coming from.

Our plans are to make some syrup, and "hopefully" have a BIG pancake breakfast for our friends in the garage later............with some do-it-yerself guitar/banjo/mando music!

Thanks again! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Watch and you might be able to pick up some stainless kitchen pans and 3 or 4 of them would cover up the top of a 55 gallon arch and make nice pans to boil in! :D

If you would pick up one of the used syrup pans or other pans, you can build an arch out of cinderblocks which work good. You should be able to find some used cinderblocks for free! :D

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Hi, I have a alum pan made by lincoln. It is 20x24x8. Ive been useing it as my finishing pan. Got it brand new off ebay for 25.00 plus 10 s/h.

I also have a Back pan that I use which is stainless 20x20x6.

Ive had no problems useing this alum pan. Im going on my 3rd year with it. Ive sold all my surplus syrup every year and the folks just keep coming back for more.

So that means it must not off set any tast!

I can say alum is harder to clean than a stainless pan. :oops:

GO for it!!
Chuck