Questions from a novice

[nymapleman]

I am fairly new at sugar making, only three years in, and I'm just curious as to how deep the sap should be in the pans. I have a leader 2x6 and been boiling about two inches deep. I can never seem to draw off actual syrup but must finish off on a small gas stove.
Also, I have a gasket between the pans and evaporator. Is this neccessary?
All advice is greatly appreciated.

[GregMVT]

This was my third year too and also boil on a Leader 2x6. I keep my sap between 1 1/4-1 1/2 inches, only because my syrup pan has some warps. I draw off into my canner and finish in that. It is much easier to control the heat and get a large, about 7-8 gallons, finished at a time. I use a gasket under my pans. It is great at preventing heat and smoke from coming out under the pans.

Greg

[brookledge]

In your syrup pan you could come down to 1" or so it all comes down to how comfortable you are in recognizing whats going on in your pan. With a 2X6 it is hard to get a draw off in any sizable amount but you should be able to get a continuous trickle of syrup to come off the pan. The problem then is that it usually cools down to much to run it through a filter so you end up having to re heat it first.
On the other hand if you can close off the last section in your pan(some leader pans are set up with a gate valve) you can draw off a 1/2 gal to a gallon per drawoff and then put it through the filter
When you run it at lower levels you usually can make lighter syrup but have a greater chance of burning the pans.
Try reducing your level a little at a time so you can get comfortable with it.
I usually run at 1" to 1 1/4"
Keith

[HanginAround]

Yup, what they said... less is better, but more chance of an accident. I know some people with oil-fired vaps run not much more than 1/2" over the flues. The difference with the oil fired is that the heat and therefore the whole process is much more consistant over time, plus if you get in trouble, the burner can be shut off instantly either manually or with a low water detector.

[maple flats]

Yes, keep the depths closer to 1", but do it gradually to get used to seeing a problem as soon as one developes. Another very good thing is to have a full pail of sap resting on the evap to dump in if a problem developes. Keeping it closer to 1" you will boil faster and more efficiently (less fuel)/gal of syrup. In previous years I drew off in small batches with a 2x6, this year after reading others ideas I tried and did well drawing off almost continuously once syrup temp is reached. I then pour it into my canner and reheat it before canning. I often did batches for canning of over 10 gal and once of 15 gal, my canner max. I was close enough that I only had to "finish it off" for a few minutes. One time I actually had to draw extra off to bring it down in sugar to get the right %, (my 15 gal batch) but it didn't start out 15 gal. This continous draw method seemed to accomplish 2 things, lighter syrup and less finishing off while getting better efficiency. Next year with a 3x8 I should be even better able to draw continous syrup than this year.