Elevated Evaporator

[murferd]

How many people have &/or seen evaporators that are raised up so you can fill with wood without bending over as far? We are in the planning stages of a new sugar shack & I noticed someones pictures on here that showed the guy standing in front of firebox & it was quite abit lower than the rest of arch. It was almost like a pit in a shop. We have almost decided to raise ours about 1 1/2 feet & then have a platform on both sides to get up to see inside the big pan. What are your thoughts?

[cpmaple]

what you are talking about is great i did it myself this year after visiting another sugarhouse and seeing his up on blocks. I asked the reason why do you have it up on blocks and he told me to save my back so i did the same two concrete blocks high which works out to 16". I have never seen the pit done but i've read about it when i finish pouring my floor this summer i will just put it back on concrete blocks.

[maple flats]

I have seen a couple of pits and I had my last evap[orator up on blocks. It was done to protect a temporary wooden floor but it did raise the evap. 8". When I poured my floor for my current evaporator, I formed a shallow trench, just 4" deep, pitched to the double doors on one end. I was thinking I may want to hose the area down (after I get water). It does serve as a slight relief from bending so much.

[GramaCindy]

How many people have &/or seen evaporators that are raised up so you can fill with wood without bending over as far? We are in the planning stages of a new sugar shack & I noticed someones pictures on here that showed the guy standing in front of firebox & it was quite abit lower than the rest of arch. It was almost like a pit in a shop. We have almost decided to raise ours about 1 1/2 feet & then have a platform on both sides to get up to see inside the big pan. What are your thoughts?

Hello murferd, my evaporator is up on blocks too. Didn't plan it that way, but we needed to avoid a structural beam with the chimney. This is my first year, and I think I liked it…ALOT. We will be building a sugar shack this summer too and I plan on keeping it up on some sort of elevated base. I understand the pit idea, keeping the surface area of the evaporator lower for skimming and such, but I know that I would fall into it. I'm kinda clumsy. I wish there was an in between….Heres' a link to my photo of the bricks and elevated arch
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hnEvpPUMMp7aDbxOEad4HQ?feat=directlink

[Dennis H.]

When the new evap arrived last year I found that the top of the pans seemed alittle low so I built a base under the firebox and a small base for the supports at the back of the arch. I know I could have just got longer pipe for the legs but it just seemed a little wimpy with those 1" pipe legs that would have ended up being another 8" higher.

[heus]

My 2x6 is elevated about 5" on poured concrete pads and it is a pain to see into the pans. I have to stand on my toes to see into the back pan.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Dennis,

Nice job on elevating your evaporator.

[3rdgen.maple]

I wish I would have raised mine for sure. The back sure would appreciate it sticking wood in there every few minutes for hours and hours on end. What I would prefer however is a 2 level floor. The section of flooring the arch sits on from side wall to side wall would be elevated and the floor in front of the arch even would be lower. This way the arch isnt too high in the air when looking or working in the pans and the first level in the place is low enough so I can save my back. So it would be like stepping up into another room. Hope it makes sense the way i explained it.

[Sugarmaker]

We raised ours 1 block, 8 inches. 16 inches would have been nice for loading wood, but looking in the front pan would have been more of a concern for the shorter folks in the family. I did not want a pit as I too would have fallen into it:) I like the completely level floor. We have 600 folks through the sugar house and the level floor works great.
Chris

[KenWP]

Can't dig a hole here anyplace as you hit water so I would have to raise things a bit.

[PapaSmiff]

I found a paper on sugarhouse design on the UVM website. I'm not sure when it was written, but the pictures of the sugarhouses look quite old. They suggest a pit in front of the firebox for loading wood - extending out to the double doors.

http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/?Page=onlinepublications.html

[wiam]

I put mine up 10" on a block and a fire brick on top. Have a friend with top of pan that height and I liked it. I never liked the pit for trip and fall reasons and pit probably would not be in the right place for a different arch.

William

[brookledge]

you can do either a pit or a raised platform or both. I my case I'm only up about 4 inches off the floor but since I have a high raised pan I built a platform out of a 4X8 shhet of plywood. very easy to look into the preheater and also look down into the syrup pan.
Keith

[yukonhunter]

On a wooden floor, what would use guys use to put under the evap??

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

On a wooden floor, what would use guys use to put under the evap??

guess if you wanted to be safe put some concrete board down

[Dennis H.]

Look back thru this posting and you will see my evap pic.

The subfloor is plywood with cement backerboard then a self leveling cement poured over that. More to just hide the backer board than anything elsel.

[Eurekafarm]

Our's is set so it sets on the concrete then from the arch doors out into the woodshed is down about 2 feet