Oil fired homemade arch

[Butch]

I am considering building my own arch but want to make it oil-fired. Has anyone ever done this or have any advice to offer?

Thanks, Butch in Alden, MI.

[Bucket Head]

The only advice I have is make a wood fired arch first and then convert it to oil. That way you can convert back to wood after you get your first oil bill.

Seriously, I have no experience with an oil burning rig. Hopefully some others will chime in here for you. Get some dimensions from them and go from there. I don't know how long you plan on using this arch or if you have plans to expand or not. But you might want to make it a "dual-fuel" type arch. If you sell it someday, the ability to burn wood might make it more appealing. Just a thought. Good luck with it and post pictures as you go.

Steve

[Grade "A"]

I made the one I have now. It is a 2x6 and looks like a wood fired arch does. I have a 4gph nozzle on a becket burner that is rated for 3-7 gph. I had a trailer furnace burner at first with a 2 gph nozzle but wanted more heat. I get 40-45 gph of sap through this rig, and have hit 50 gph on a perfect day. I would like to look at some factory oil fired rigs to see how they are made, and see if I can improve my rig but it is hard to find one without a set of pans on them. If I were you I would try to find a factory arch and make one like it, you have to get the most out of the oil you burn.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I had a 2x8 wood fired converted to oil and all we did was replace door with steel plate and fill in the ash area with sand and cap with brick. You could also fill with sand and cover with heat blanket. My 3x10 has my homebuild arch that was drawn up by Garth at CDL Maple pro. You can see the arch on the Photo bucket.

[backyard sugaring]

I built one out of oil tank. I used a oil burner from an oil fired hot water tank. The nozzle is .6 gals per hour. My chamber box is 18" from the nozzle to the back box, 13" nozzle height to bottom of pans, 3" up from the bottom. I didn't make these numbers up. Some where in this web site I found those mesurements and that is how I built it. It was one of the best things I did this year. We boiled 12 gal a hour with a flat pan.

[Butch]

Thanks for the replys - I will post my pics as I build...

[backyard sugaring]

Butch, How big of a unit are you planning on building? Ceramic blanket is a must, I found it at a kiln store a lot cheaper than any where else. Lee

[Butch]

Hey guys - any reason I should not build an oil-fired arch w/ concrete blocks, filled with sand and install ceramic on the inside? Or are fire bricks that much better? Seems like I could get away with less invested in the arch and more in good pans, finisher, possibly RO down the road...been listening to all your conversations and it APPEARS that an arch is an arch is an arch???

Lemme know any thoughts and pitfalls to avoid, please.

Thanks, Butch in Alden, MI

[gadwayd]

What size pan are you boilingover with .6 nozzle?

Thanks

[backyard sugaring]

27" x 24" that was the biggest piece of stainless I could find before the season started. I had a 18'' x24" behind never got it to boil, close though. I laddled it into a pot with a slow drip. Next year I will install a 1.5 gallon nozzzle and have a new pan. It was nice to burn only $2.00 a hour for fuel, but next year i will be increase my taps.