2013 test boil!!!!!

[whitetail farms]

did a test boil for a few hours today took about 2hrs 45 mins to get a boil going in the the syrup pan so i coul calibrate the gauge to the temp of boiling water,boiled hard in the front of the flue pan put really wanst a boil at all in the back by the smoke stack maybe it was just because i was running it long enough,the only problem I really noticed is alot of my fire wood is to big and i spend alot of time with the door open trying to get the pieces in there while im letting all the heat out.
thanks for looking ,nick
http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/niclperrone/IMG_5972.jpg

[whitetail farms]

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/niclperrone/IMG_5971.jpg

[whitetail farms]

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/niclperrone/IMG_5969.jpg

[whitetail farms]

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/niclperrone/IMG_5966.jpg

[whitetail farms]

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/niclperrone/IMG_5968.jpg

[Run Forest Run!]

My turkey fryers are looking pretty shabby next to all of these sugar palaces!

[jmayerl]

After looking at your firewood in the backround,mi would suggest splitting in half or 3's yet, it just looks way big for syrup.

[whitetail farms]

last year i started with 6 taps and a homemade evaporator out of a 55 gallon drum and whent all the way up to a 12X20 sugar house and a 2X6 for this year with 150 taps,yeah i know ill have to either take a couple days to go through it all again and split it or just split as i go,i guess thats what happen when you cut your wood before you even buy the evaporator.

[whitetail farms]

here is a picture of the forced draft im using,and the door that half of my wood doesnt fit through
http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/niclperrone/IMG_5973.jpg

[briansickler]

Nice setup Nick. Everything looks great! You want your firewood about the size of your wrist. Fire it every few minutes to keep it constant and hot. Have a good one.

Brian

[whitetail farms]

okay,thanks brian!!

[bowtie]

nice set up!! i bet you will want to expand your sugar shack in the future if you have the bug like the rest of us. you will most likely add taps for at least a few years. with your forced draft you should get a boil going in few minutes, like others said try splitting wood smaller or mixing it with pallet wood if you have it available. i like looking at the set-ups others are using and building, if i can buy the field next to my house this summer i am going to build my shack there, using the ideas i'm getting here. wanted a 16 x 16 but will probably build a 20 x 20 with lean-to, you can never have to much room !!

[mapleack]

Very nice looking set up Whitetail, something to be proud of. Like the others said, split your wood smaller, and fire it often, every 7 minutes used to be my schedule, timing varys for every rig and the wood. Don't fill the firebox full to the pan with wood, only 2/3 or so deep so you have room for combustion. With forced draft and dry wood you should be able to boil the syrup pan in 20 minutes or less, not 2 hours. Even with the blower you may find you need a taller stack to get a good draw, at least 12 ft total, and you may need more to overcome the bends you have. Good luck!

[crawflyer]

cool rig! looking at your legs and the way they are set at the edge of the cement blocks. that rig loaded with sap will be quite heavy..if that rear block cracked and gave way it would not be good. maybe some steel 'feet' to spread the load?

[whitetail farms]

okay thanks everybody i tested with 25 gallons of water and the block held up but i may look into ptting some plate on the bottom,as for the wood i will see if i can make time to split it smaller thanks for the tips and complements guys,nick

[325abn]

I like it!!!