steam pan/stainless gauge question

[ckkrotz]

Last year we bought 2 steam pans and used them on a block arch. They got a bit warped from the heat. I've done some research and I think these are the basic steam pan, I believe 24 gauge... Now we are building an oil tank evaporator, and need to add 2 more pans. Should I spend the extra money for the 22 gauge pan, or is the difference in gauges so small it won't make much difference? I've seen that there are also 20 gauge pans, but it seems like these are really hard to find. We plan on eventually building/buying a real pan, so the steam pans would be for 1-2 years.

[happy thoughts]

Last year I bought some of the 24 gauge ones new and ended up returning them after finding some used Volrath pans at a restaurant supply house. I think most Volrath pans are 20 gauge. Used, they were less than half the price of the thinner gauge new ones and there's definitely a difference. You can feel it in the weight of the pans and they look thicker. I haven't used them yet, still waiting on a block arch, but they should hold up better than thinner gauge ones. If you're really lucky you may find ones that are even thicker gauge. I lot of institutions like colleges and hospitals buy the really good stuff. I saw some half size ones that came from a big university that were probably 16 gauge. Too bad there weren't any large ones left as they were all going for the same price. As I remember. I paid about $15 each for the full size ones.