2 evaporators in one sugarhouse

[Mike in NY]

I know can't be the 1st to think of it. Just bought a 2x8 to put beside our 2x6 we have run for 5 yrs.anyone else try this?
We have the help to run it,the firewood to burn,the extra sap and trees to add to the lines.Just silly enough to try and make it workwith my dad and 2 boys helping out as time permits...
ran 335 last yr,plan is for 500 this yr. goona be sold out on syrup by early august

[ennismaple]

Wheelers run 2 full size evaporators plus a large finishing pan in series - all oil fired. There are pics on their website (http://www.wheelersmaple.com/production/).

It'll definitely get you more processing per hour but it also increases your fuel consumption, more effort to monitor 2 evaporators and more effort to clean the pans.

[Mike in NY]

they both run the same front pan and after losing time this yr on cleanup I had already ordered another front pan made. And now it fits both. I think we can make this work

[maplecherry]

yup my RO was an 18x63 sportsman set on auto pilot that helped feed the 2x6 next to it. There's more than one way to get concentrate into that rear pan:D

[rchase]

people have been doing this for years. But the only one that comes to mind right now is harlows sugarhouse in Putney Vermont. But they don't do this anymore. now they have an ro.

[brookledge]

Back in the 70's and early 80's there was a producer near me who had two 6X18 side by side. It was before RO's really became popular. Anyways he had one up in the air so it would feed the other one. When he didn't have a lot of sap he would just boil with the one set up with a syrup pan on it. When he got a lot of sap he would use both of them. The one up in the air if I remember corectly had all flue pan.
So you may want to do something simular where you only use one on slow days and when youi get swamped fire up the second one. Doing it this way you only have to watch one syrup pan and less likely to get in trouble with burning a pan when you are watching the other.
Keith

[TheMapleMoose]

There are a two producers in Maine that I know of that were doing this. They both were running parallel rather than series, and as soon as they both got an RO they've since gone to using just one. I think Canadian Organics in New Brunswick still runs 2 but I think they have 120k taps. it shows them both running at the end of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BD3QiedrRA

[Russell Lampron]

Richard Patterson in PA runs 2 back to back. One is a 6x16 and the other a 6x14 if I remember correctly. He also has an RO with 10 towers and 3 high pressure pumps. Theron could probably correct any misinformation or updates. It has been awhile since I was there.

[mapleack]

I think Pattersons usually only run 1, the other is a spare.

[maple2]

i used to run a wood fired 4x12 and an oil fired 5x10. being a one man show, and a lot younger, i stayed pretty busy.didnt take long to invest in an r.o. and get rid of the oil rig.

[nymapleguy607]

I know Pattersons said depending on the run they would use both evaporators. Said both will fill a barrel an hour.

[jmayerl]

Wegners in tillida runs 2. I think they are 6x20 but oil fired. He was doing it all himself the couple times I was there. He usually goes through 30,000 gallons of sap every day.

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

I know of a guy in Pa a ways from me that runs 2 2x6s side by side with an ro, and i believe one or maybe both have steamaways and he has if i remember right a couple thousand taps.

[argohauler]

My uncle runs 3 evaporators. A 3x10 flue, a 3x8 flue, and a 2.5x8 finisher.