a wave in the pan

[tcross]

i'm thinking of purchasing a used pan from a friend of mine for next year. it is a 3'x3' flat pan with dividers. There is however, a wave to the bottom of the pan. it's noticeable, but not super bad. he did it from not having enough sap in the pan at the end of a long day. would the wave in the pan effect the boiling process/syrup quality? it doesn't appear to be burnt at all so I wouldn't think so, but would like a little advice weather it'd be worth it or not. if I decide to buy it, the set up is a 3'x3' front pan, and a 3'x5' preheater... all for $500.

[PerryFamily]

I would think if it was not warped too awe full bad it would be ok. Might just have to run it deeper.

[PerryW]

I don't think so. My 3x3 front pan got burned twice (over the pat 25 years) and it's got a pretty serious wave in two of the sections. Probably a good 1/2" between the high and low sections. I run a little deeper now, but I make more fance grade than ever. Last year, about 2/3 of my syrup was fancy, so i wouldn't worry about it.