Old faithful in the finishing pan

[Brent]

We've really had a lot of beginners luck with the new Half Pint and are getting wonderful light syrup... much lighter than the lightest in the Vermont grading kit I just got.

But we have a problem in the finishing pan. As we need the right density the syrup start a poping boil the shoots a small gyser about 10" straight up. The pops occur intermittenly at intervals of maybe 10 to 30 seconds. Strong enough to lift and rattle the lid on the pot, if we put one on it. We didn't have much of this happening previously.

Anyone know what causes it or how to cure it?

[mapleman3]

sounds like your trying to finish too fast, turn down the heat a bit... it shouldnt do that 8O

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Might have a "hot spot" in the part of the pan doing that. I know that sounds silly, but I have seen pans that certain spots are a lot hotter for some reason. :?

[Brent]

Well a new session tonight, got 60 gallons today from 54 buckets.

I turned down the heat till the banging and poping stopped and it co-incided exactly with the stopping of boiling.

Turned the heat ( propane ) back up slowly and within seconds of boiling starting ... with just a few tiny bubbles, the banging explosive bubbles started
as well.

I need to keep a lid on the pot because the drops fly out all over the stove top, and well, you all know what that means at the end of boil.

The lid bangs and rattles like it was being hit with a hammer.

The only thing different now from earlier this year and last year is that the syrup is stunningly clear. Just a pale yellow. Maybe I should find a fair to enter it into.

Hope someone out there has a good idea. Three or 4 more weeks of this will drive us crazy.

[mapleman3]

Hmm Darndest thing I heard of... but maybe like brandon was saying, it may be the heat is too concentrated in one area? I'm stumped :?

[sweetwoodmaple]

I've had this happen before. Not in the evaportor, but in the finishing pan. It's a real pain.

I didn't completely figure it out, but scrubbing the bottom of the pan clean seemed to help. It also seemed to subside once I got closer to finished syrup.

From reading the site below, sounds like you need to scratch up the pan a little.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/microwavewater.htm

[Michigander]

I have had this happen on occasion when finishing off the syrup in a large pot up a the house on turkey frier gas burner. It only seems to happen when the pot gets a layer of sugar sand on the bottom and I have always credited it to the fact that moisture works between the sand layer and the metal of the pan and you get a mini explosion as that moisture expands.

We have real hard water here and that same popping sound happens in our hot water heater all the time. I was told it was moisure that was getting under calcium buildup and creating a little explosion of sorts as the presure breaks the calcium loose. Might be wrong but it made sense to me.

[sweetwoodmaple]

I've had this happen in a clean pan. That is why I posted the link, since I don't have any other explanation.

Fortunately, I haven't had the problem recently.

[Brent]

well, later the same day, I dozed off with the Half Pint boiling outside. Same thing happened to it. Just as the last channel started to foam up and near the syrup stage. Pop Pop Bang. My wife sounded the alarm and the batch was saved. The evap pan had a considerable amount of sand on it.

Meanwhile I had tried cleaning the finishing pot with a green 3M scouring pad. That had little effect. I did observe that most of the eruptions can in the same pattern and that moving or rotating hte pot moved the site of the eruptions. It is somehow related to the the pot.

I dug through the cabinets and came up with a pot that had a thick aluminum base for heat distribution. This was much better. The phenomena did not go away but it was reduced significantly so hot spots seem to be linked.

It will be interesting to see what happens as the season progresses. Still getting blond syrup. It will darken soon I'm sure and maybe the poping will change when that happens.

For now, cleaner pans and thicker bottoms, a lid to contain it and ear plugs.

Thanks for the ideas guys.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sounds like you may have a hot spot on the stove also for 2 pots to do it. I have never seen syrup do that and the evaporator too. 8O Seems like you have some weird sap. 8O :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Brent]

Well the idea of hot spots seems to gaining credibility.

I started thinking about the difference in proceedure between this year and previous.
1) we're finishing smaller batches
2) we're using a hydrometer in one of stainless tubes.

So the syrup is too shallow to fill the tube for the hydrometer. We get what we can into the tube, stand it up and us a small plastic laddle to top it of and get it all up to temp.

After pouring off the batch, the bottom of the pot looks like a sky with jet contrails all over it.... from the laddle dragging across the bottom. Somehow the sand gets compressed and makes these streaks. Without them we don't get any or at least very few of the erruptions. With them we get lots.

So my finishing on the stove now is just boiling down to a safe point well short of needing to test. I pour from all the stove pots into a larger pot until I get a deep collection of this in a pot on the turkey frier.

No more eruptions, bangs, volanoes etc. Either indoors or outside on the turkey frier that finishes.

So it it the streaks making hot spots or the plastic reacting. Don't know and don't care.

The problem is gone.

Thanks for the ideas guys, helped along the way.