fireing evaporator

[steve J]

The wood box on my evaporator is 36 " deep should I be building the fire all the way to the back and pushing coals back into this area?

[Jim Brown]

From the experience I have had and from information I received from a 4th gen sugar maker. Build the fire RIGHT INSIDE THE DOOR and make it as hot as you can the heat will travel to the back. I have a W/S 2x6 and can get 650-700 in the stack
Just a thought
Jim

[brookledge]

I know most manufactuers recomend keeping the fire away from the front a little bit so that the front doesn't get cherry red. Over time your doors will warp and somtimes can crack. I would cut the wood about 2 feet long and keep the wood in atleast 6" from the doors. I know that some of the traders have insulated their arch doors to keep them cooler.
Keith

[Ed K]

I keep the wood about 3" in from the door, and criss cross the wood as I fire. Seems to be running hotter than last yr and the doors aren't heating up.

[Brent]

I'm just fininshing bricking a half pint and wondered if it would be helpful to try to bond some 1/2 thick firebrick to the doors to insulate them and keep the heat in.

Any comments ???

[Fred Henderson]

A good rule of thumb is that whatever the width of the evaporater is that is the lenght that you should cut you wood.

[SteveD]

Brent...Did your half pint come with anything on the door? Like a sheet of ceramic blanket?

Steve

[Brent]

everything they shipped was metal.

I had to get and fit all the firebricks and refractory cement and fit them all.

It did not say anywhere in the instructions to put a gasket between the stainless pan and the arch but that seems like a good idea to me so I've got a lenght of that coming as well.

The nuts and bolts go together pretty easily but after I got half way through I thought...hhmmm heating and cooling cycles.... maybe there should be some lock washers. Can't get at the nuts to tighten them when the bricking is done. Backtrack and start over. Also used almost twice as much refractory cement as they suggest. The sides were not so flat as they could have been and it too a bunch more to fill the voids.

Pretty pleased with it so far. Likely fire it up Wednesday or Thursday. Then I can give the wife back maybe half of here kitchen. Been boiling the early light flow there so far ... 'bout 90 gallons of sap.

[SteveD]

My evaporator is new too. It came with no instructions at all. I'm sure I didn't do the bricking and cementing the way somone would who knew what they were doing. .... But, it does seem to work well...so I guess I'll just have to see what happens as I continue to use it.

My door did come with about a 3/4 inch thick ceramic blanket "loosely" attached to it with bolts and fender washers. It can be seen in one of my photos. The door does not seem to get too hot, even when the evaporator is roaring along at full tilt.

[steve J]

Steve D I notice like me you also have a wood floor are you finding that the xtra cement you layed on top of your heat shield is keep the floor cool enough. I want to up grade to bigger evaporator next year but am fearful of the lack of ash pans with the bigger evaporators.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Steve,

Get a good heavy gauge piece of sheet steel and cut it just a little bigger than the bottom of your evaporator arch that makes contact with the floor and sit the evapoator on it and put a piece of ceramic blanket underneath the metal and you will be in good shape. :D You can put the ceramic blanket on the floor, but would be better to put a piece of light gauge steel on top of it or you will tear up the blanket trying to get the ashes out. If you go with a piece on top of the ceramic, you could do without a piece on the bottom. :D

[SteveD]

Since my ash bin had no built-in metal floor I figured I had to do something. The first thing I put on the floor was one of those sheet metal covered-fire resistant backed floor protectors sold for wood stoves, and it extends well out in front of the arch door to catch any stray embers. On top of that I laid enough concrete pavers to more than cover the area of my ash bin. On top of those (and inside the ash bin) I laid in an inch of sand. On top of the sand I have some lightweight sheet metal to make shoveling up the ash easier.

So far I havent seen any evidence that the floor is getting even warm.

[Sugarmaker]

Steve D,
Now thats a nice sugarhouse! Great job.
Chris

[SteveD]

Thanks chris...

Its like having an operating miniature model of the real thing....but we're having a ball setting it up and seeing it work.

I have admired your set up..very neat and clean. Also...you and your wife look so calm and in control....we have a long way to go..... :oops:

Steve

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Steve,

Sure is an awesome looking setup. Sure have put a lot of work and is looks great. :D :D

[SteveD]

Brandon...

Thanks for the kind words. If we ever decide to make this more then a fun hobby...we will need much larger "stuff". But until then, it all works the same way I guess...so it's ok to learn on.

[steve J]

Well I made about 1.5 gallons of fancy yesterday but am frustrated with with production. Its only a 2x3 but I can not seem to get a boil past 6 gallons per hour. Also I seem to boil the hottest when the fire is lower then when I try to really load the box. I just bought a small 7 in fan thought I could try to blow more air up into it to get the fire hotter and boil rate up. Do not want to invest a lot of money into a two x three.

[Michigander]

I have a flat pan of approximately the same size and I am only able to boil between 5 and 6 gal/hr. A fellow I know has a Leader Half Pint which is 24" x 33" and he only boils about 6 gal/hr. You may not be that far from capacity. I am assuming your pan does not have flues.

Dave

[steve J]

correct it has no flues I am just going to have to scrap together the pennies to buy a new 2x6 for next year.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If you can rig up a blower, it will help you get to 8 to 10 gph or possibly a little more. :)

[Russell Lampron]

Steve j you will get a hotter fire by only having a layer or two of wood in your firebox. I have one layer going lenghtwise then put one more sideways on top of that. When I fire the evaporator I straighten the wood that is in the firebox and put another layer sideways on the top. This lets the most air get thru the wood for max heat.

Russ