Warren Evaporator

[Grand Square Acres]

I have a evaporator that was made by Warren Evaporator Works in Warren Ohio. Does anyone know anything about it? It does not look like any I have ever seen. I have had no luck finding anything on the Internet. Other than the company started 1882 and closed in the late 1920's. Any info would be helpful.

[heus]

I have the arch doors to my great grandfather's Warren Evaporator hanging in my sugarhouse. There are pieces of the arch still in the woods at the site of the old, old sugarhouse. It was around a 4x14 size. I used to have an image from ebay of an identical Warren Evaporator but I have to search for it. It was the evaporator in the sugarhouse in my avatar.

[Bill]

I have been given a salesmans case to carry a model of the I.X.L Evaporator and the Model Evaporator. It is complete with the pans attached, the stack and the copper pipe to carry the sap from the heater to the other pans. There is a booklet that explains the various evaporator sizes and the cost. Over all size of the evaporator is apex. 20 inches by 9 inches. This is a real Gem. It was made by Warren Evaporator Works and Sales booklet appears to be 1908 - 1910.

Bill

[heus]

Bill could you post a pic?

[Ed R]

Not to change the subject but what does IXL stand for? I have some buckets purchased from Heus years ago stamped with those initials.

[Sugarmaker]

Well not sure I can help much but will give you my story. Couple things first, because I am old and easily disrtacted!
1. Very interesting on the years built. closed in the 1920s! Humm then I learned to make syrup on one in mid 60's, so it had to be 50 years old at that time.
2. the concept of the Warren has not died it has been tweaked and is back bigger than ever! Not trying to steal any thunder but H2O and Glenn Goodrich have designed a modern day version and Glen is making that old fashioned flavored syrup like his granddad made.
So when I was a kid I first boiled on a small flat pan Dad had set up. My job was poking sticks in the fire while he milked cows.
Dad bought a old Warren in the early 60's. I ken it was old because it looked like it was a hundred years old when he set it up. It was a 3 x 10 wood fired of course, but Dad bricked up a roundish fire box and added a oil burner. The pans wer of English tin material.
The rear pan is the preheating pan with maybe 20 cups hanging down into the arch. about 3 inches x 8 inches long, tapered. The rear pan also had a float system to control the sap flow into the evaporator. It was a large inverted pie plate size tin float. From the right front outside corner of the preheat pan was a large slip fit connection for the long 2 inch sap pipe which went to the first pan on the front of the arch. The 4 pans on the front were flat. 2 feet long x 3 feet wide. They had slip joints along the left side and the all fit together and the slip joints allowed the middile three pans to be lifted to empty the syrup to the left side of the arch. We finshed off on the 4th pan back the one next to the preheater pan. We boiled about 2 inches deep. But in the finish pan it may have bee 4 inches deep then boiled to finished syrup in one 4 gallon batch. There were brass or copper bungs to close off the slip joints. There was a brass bung on each of the side drains on the pans. On the right side of each flat pan were rings that allowed you to attach ropes to pulleys in the ceiling for easy lifting of the pans. Our syrup was always dark and always very good flavor.
We had to replace the small oil burnere with a larger on to get it to boil well I still have the oil unit setting in the vast warehouse. The arch is gone the pans are gone.
Hope that helps a little?
We need pictures of the rig you have and of Bills sample!

Regards,
Chris

[Bill]

2035420355I have taken several pictures of the model. I hope I have themes up so they will come thru.

[Sugarmaker]

Bill,
Thanks that is a very nice scale model, has all the features of the real one too!
Regards,
Chris

[heus]

Well not sure I can help much but will give you my story. Couple things first, because I am old and easily disrtacted!
1. Very interesting on the years built. closed in the 1920s! Humm then I learned to make syrup on one in mid 60's, so it had to be 50 years old at that time.
2. the concept of the Warren has not died it has been tweaked and is back bigger than ever! Not trying to steal any thunder but H2O and Glenn Goodrich have designed a modern day version and Glen is making that old fashioned flavored syrup like his granddad made.
So when I was a kid I first boiled on a small flat pan Dad had set up. My job was poking sticks in the fire while he milked cows.
Dad bought a old Warren in the early 60's. I ken it was old because it looked like it was a hundred years old when he set it up. It was a 3 x 10 wood fired of course, but Dad bricked up a roundish fire box and added a oil burner. The pans wer of English tin material.
The rear pan is the preheating pan with maybe 20 cups hanging down into the arch. about 3 inches x 8 inches long, tapered. The rear pan also had a float system to control the sap flow into the evaporator. It was a large inverted pie plate size tin float. From the right front outside corner of the preheat pan was a large slip fit connection for the long 2 inch sap pipe which went to the first pan on the front of the arch. The 4 pans on the front were flat. 2 feet long x 3 feet wide. They had slip joints along the left side and the all fit together and the slip joints allowed the middile three pans to be lifted to empty the syrup to the left side of the arch. We finshed off on the 4th pan back the one next to the preheater pan. We boiled about 2 inches deep. But in the finish pan it may have bee 4 inches deep then boiled to finished syrup in one 4 gallon batch. There were brass or copper bungs to close off the slip joints. There was a brass bung on each of the side drains on the pans. On the right side of each flat pan were rings that allowed you to attach ropes to pulleys in the ceiling for easy lifting of the pans. Our syrup was always dark and always very good flavor.
We had to replace the small oil burnere with a larger on to get it to boil well I still have the oil unit setting in the vast warehouse. The arch is gone the pans are gone.
Hope that helps a little?
We need pictures of the rig you have and of Bills sample!

Regards,
Chris
Excellent Chris. Thanks

[heus]

2035420355I have taken several pictures of the model. I hope I have themes up so they will come thru.
Very nice Bill. How about a picture of the front?

[heus]

Not to change the subject but what does IXL stand for? I have some buckets purchased from Heus years ago stamped with those initials.
Ed I cant answer that but its ironic you mentioned the buckets I sold you. I am actually going back to buckets this season.

[Ed R]

Jason; Sometimes being or going old school is not a bad thing. I was kind of wondering if ixl has any tie in to IXl brand maple hardwood flooring. In that case ixl stood as an acronym for I excell. It was produced by Wisconsin land and lumber company in Hermansville Mi which owned and logged the UP property I now own.

[Father & Son]

Jason,
A few years back there was a Warren, probably a 3 x10, that sold at Ray Gingerich’s auction. It was in rough shape and went pretty cheap. I just about bought it for Sugarmaker for him to restore��

[Sugarmaker]

Jim,
Thanks for reminding me of the rest of the story about the Warren evaporator we had.
So we had not made syrup for many years due to the condition of the Warren arch and also that one of the neighbors who was helping burnt up several of the pans. Dad was not happy but as usual did not say much. We tapped roadside trees and took the sap to another local sugarhouse for them to boil and we got half of the syrup from our sap.
So the Warren arch continued to fall into disrepair. in 1984 ish Dad found a 3 x 12 King arch and pans about 20 miles from home. I went with him and another sugarmaker and we gathered up what was left of the King arch, loaded it on the pick up and brought it home and unloaded it next to a shed across the road from the barn. The idea was that I would retin the arch for him and we would get going again. Never happened. Life got in the way!
Fast forward to 1998. Dad passed away and we began the task of cleaning up the farm for sale.
I poked my head in the old sugarhouse but had no desire or thoughts about making syrup. Until, I looked back in the corner and I remember Dad telling me that those 100 old stick tight buckets were mine! I began to look at the falling down Warren arch and pans.
I loaded one flat rusted pan and took it to a local fab shop. I asked him for a price on making a set of stainless pans of this Warren design. in a couple days he called me and gave me the price. I think it was $5000. Wheeew! There was no way I was going to spend that kind of money to get into the syrup business. A week later the shop owner called and said he seen a set of used stainless conventional pans at a auction that was coming up. I went and bought those old A&A pans that were for a 3 x 10. I remembered the King arch still setting in the weeds at the farm! We went and dug it out of the weeds to start restoring! I guess the syrup roots run deep and the old Warren was telling me I needed to get back to making some syrup! And oh how many new friends I have met over the years!
Guess that why I like old things, most have a story!
Regards,
Chris

[heus]

Jason,
A few years back there was a Warren, probably a 3 x10, that sold at Ray Gingerich’s auction. It was in rough shape and went pretty cheap. I just about bought it for Sugarmaker for him to restore��
Jim I remember that. I even took pictures but they must be on an old cell phone.

[Sugarmaker]

Was real nice to connect the Warren salesmans sample with the owner! Thanks Bill! Looking forward to looking at your rare scale model evaporator too!
Regards,
Chris