Is this evaporation?

[toquin]

I placed a 3" 3/4 S.S bolt in my back pan to check the depth, and the boil? around it almost covered the bolt. What would happen with 30 bolts? Or is this the bolt chattering on the pan and creating the turbulance?

[jmp]

I am certainly not an expert but I dont see how this would increase your evaportion rate. Although you are adding more surface area within the pan itself, you are not increasing the amount of surface area that flue gasses come in contact with. That's why we use raised/drop flues: more contact.

[Spanielslovesappin]

Hmmm, just could not resist this one! I think that the bolts are transfering heat from the bottom of the pan to the sap by increasing heated surface area and thus evaporation; small welded studs are a common feature in heat exchangers and seemingly a great plan in your sap pan right up until you scorch the pan under the bolt head where you no longer have sap to cool the pan. That said you bring up an interesting idea for increasing flat pan surface area, i would proceed with great caution. Also i would be uber interested to see what would happen with a much smaller bolt like say a 1/4" as the head is much smaller and thus the contact with the pan is much less.