modifying pans

[hooch]

we currently, and have been using two 2x2 open flat pans back to back on a homeade 275 arch. manualy moving the sap from back to front. what would be the best way to modify this setup to improve evap rate. Only 10 gph now would like to get at least 30, is this possible?????????? 40 hrs of boiling for 10 gal syrup is way too much at our age.

[Haynes Forest Products]

What does age have to do with it:lol: This sport is suppose to keep you young. OK back to boil rate. connecting the pans wont improve the boil rate it will only make life easier. You can either add flues or tubes to increase the surface area.............BUT thats a royal pain in the butt. so look at a preheater for hotter sap into the flue pan or more heat under the pan. The one thing to remember is you can only get so much evaporation out of a size like that so your limited:mad:

MY RANT or you could spend $15,000.00 and tear out the kitchen in the house bring in more power and turn the bedroom into a bottling plant and cook it all down in 20 minutes:)

[hooch]

thanks Haynes, I pretty much figured as much but it dosn't hurt to ask, I did preheat and aside from ablower just as much heat as possible out of it. I make it easier every year but I also get older every year, one is faster than the other.

[seclark]

I have the same situation with my pan,to long in the sap house between boils.I was boiling in a 37" x 37" flat pan with a preheater and got around 10 gph.I am making the pan smaller with dividers.It will be 24" x 37".How many dividers would be the best and would you run them the 37" way or the 24" way.I know I will lose gph but am hopeing to get syrup or close to syrup in stead of having 5 gallons left after boiling all day and then still have to boil that the next time I collect or finish it on a turkey fryer which is a pain not to mention the fuel.Thanks for any advice.This site is a great source for info and has great sappers that share their knowledge,thanks.

[warners point]

When I built my 2x6 evaporator I didn't want to stand around all day boiling on flat pans getting 18 gph. Because I am frugal, and had lots of time, and did lots of research on this website, I modified my back pan with copper drop tubes. Adding the tubes increased my square footage of surface area to a total of 27 sq. ft. I was easily going through 40 gph of sap with just a natural draft. Cleaning wasn't that big of an issue, the tubes are in nice rows and it was easy to brush the soot off. Cleaning the inside of the tubes took a little while at the end of the season, but it was definitely worth the end result, especially if you are on a tight budget and don't have a ton of time to boil.

[Haynes Forest Products]

seclark I would run the dividers side to side not front to back. You want the syrup to transition slowly from the back of the arch to the front. You dont want it to go from hot to cool and back to hot. You cant get a good read on the Thermometer if its not in consistently the same temp syrup.

[maple flats]

An average 2x6 only gets 25-30 gph. You will not get close with a 2x4 and flat pans. You would need more heat under and more surface to utilize the heat. More surface can be more surface area, or flues in one pan. Forced air will make it boil faster too. How hot is the preheated sap going into the pans? If under 200 you can help that somehow, but if over 180 it may not help enough to notice the difference. The next thing would be a small RO. Likely too costly for your set up, but 8% sap in would take 3/4 of the boil time out of each gallon.
This is the same problem many of us have, at some scale, but it just takes money to solve it. That is what your maple addiction will be rated on.

[seclark]

Thanks Haynes,I thought that was the best way but wasn't sure.On that size pan how many dividers would be best and would the last section be less in width so the near syrup would be less in volume or not.I plan on a drop tube pan also so what would be the best set up. Thanks, Stan

[Haynes Forest Products]

When you get into car racing The old adage is money equals speed .............SO how fast do you want to go.

When it comes to syrup production the same adage applies with one more twist..........HOW FAST and HOW MUCH do you want to make.

BUT don't let the money thing get in the way. You can do alot of cool and cheap things to improve Maple syrup production. The sky is the limit when it comes to backyard innovations and do it yourself projects and this is the site to help you along:)