Flat pan or continuous?

[TonyL]

Hello everyone! First post from a longtime lurker.

I'm building an evaporator out of a fuel oil tank, and really need to purchase a pan from someone soon. I'm going back and forth on which style to get, and could use a little guidance. The boys and I will only be tapping 25-30 trees, and would like to boil everytime we accumulate 50-60 gallons of sap, with multiple boils over a few weeks. We plan to finish on a single burner over propane.

I like the idea of the lighter finished product that a continuous flow pan can give, but on such a small scale it seems that a 2x3 or 2x4 pan might not be able to reach its full potential, at least not on one boil. How long, or how many times, can one add to a pan of partially reduced sap before suffering problems?

I read stories of a flat pan turning out stronger syrup, basically due to the sap being boiled over and over again, rather than drawn off. How big of an issue is this?

I realize that both pans of the size I'm talking about will leave a fair amount to be finished off, due to the necessity of maintaining an adequate sap level in the pan while boiling., I'm just wondering which one would be best for our application?

I would be grateful for any and all advice.

[jmayerl]

My 2 cents..... Been there at that size and I would go with continuous flow. In a 2x4 size from smoky lake you are talking about $400 for just a flat pan and only $100 more for continuous. Yes a gradient wil get started after a boil as short as an hour. This will then allow you to draw off smaller amounts to finish in the turkey fryer. Cost wise if $100 won't break the bank then it's a no brainer.

[SeanD]

I agree with jmayerl. Go with a continuous flow, though the question you should be asking is continuous vs. batch, not continuous vs. flat. A flat pan doesn't inherently may darker syrup, batch boiling does. I have a continuous flow set up on flat pans and I made almost nothing but light syrup this year.

If you batch boil on a 2x3 or 2x4, you'll need some way of picking it up and pouring out the sweet when you have syrup or near syrup. That was my biggest incentive when I made the jump you are making. It's hard getting helpers to pull a 50 lb. pan of boiling syrup off of an inferno at 11:00 at night!

If your pan has a valve on it already, you won't need to pick up the pan anymore, but then again at that point you are only a few dividers away from a continuous flow.

Good luck,
Sean

[maple flats]

Go continuous flow. When I started I had a 4 section half pint by Leader. It came with a pre heater and I boiled several times before I had anything close to syrup. I then finished the 1st batch on our Kitchen Stove, I had made about 3 pints of syrup. It was still almost colorless, but it tasted right. Then as the season progressed I started to get some color, about mid season I got medium. I got no dark amber until my final clean up and finishing. I started that year with 28 taps and added slowly as I thought I could keep up. When the sap ran real good I got too far behind. At that point I'd put in 70 taps and had to boil around the clock for 2 days and still didn't catch up. In the process I was hooked, I got a 2x6, a 16x24" canner/filter rack, built a 16 x 24 sugarhouse and went to 132 taps the next year.

[Big_Eddy]

So - I'm going against the consensus, but for 25-30 trees, I'd recommend a 2x3 flat pan and batch boils.
With a 2x3 pan, your suggested 50-60 gallons will boil down to about 10-15qts of syrup and will be <3/8" deep in the pan when done. You're going to boil 10-12 hours including a very easy fire for the last half hour. Then pour all 10-15 quarts into a canner and finish off on propane.

Start a new batch the next day.

If you go with a continuous flow pan, you need 100+ gallons to sweeten your pans (at 1/2"). At any given time you have the equivalent of 100 gallons of sap tied up in the pan, and on average your sap spends LONGER on the fire.

Personally - for a small operation - I like to boil a batch, bottle it all up, and clean things in preparation for next boil. I don't like to leave 2 days worth of partially boiled sap sitting in my pan - that's a lot of "investment" that hasn't been converted to syrup yet.

[bowhunter]

I tend to agree with Big Eddy on this one. I have a half pint and you can make really nice syrup doing batch boiling. The pan was designed to be continuous but I never used it that way for the reasons Eddy states. I always drew off most of the semi-syrup at the end of the day and finished it on the kitchen stove. Everything I made was light amber or amber and I didn't clean the pan every day. I left some semi in the pan for the next boil. If you think you'll ever go up to 50+ taps in the future then consider a high output continuous pan.

[TonyL]

I appreciate you guys taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter...it's been very helpful to hear the opinions of those who have "been there" before.

Last year, I tapped 5 solitary trees, collected 10 gallons of sap over the course of 5 days, reduced it over an open wood fire, and finished on the stove....one time. Just to see if the experience was something I would like to repeat on a bigger scale. And I made a small quantity of tasty syrup....at least, I thought it was tasty until I tried some made by a large scale outfit in my area. Wow! now THAT was good syrup! I knew mine wasn't strong on Maple flavor, but didn't know what to expect having never experienced real maple syrup before. As soon as I tasted the product from the big boys, I knew the flavor I was tasting in mine shouldn't be there....smoke.

Thus began the research, and my discovery of this site. I decided I needed a better system, and since no great deals on a used, smaller evaporator turned up in my area, I decided to go the homebuilt oil tank route. I want to get away from the smoke flavor, which is one of the reasons I started comparing boiling methods, batch or continuous. I always hear that continuous produces lighter syrup...as in color, or flavor? I prefer a little darker syrup, ( not like very weak tea), and enjoy a well-defined maple flavor, so taking into consideration my very small scale operation, (I would be happy with 2-3 gallons of syrup over the season), I am leaning towards a batch operation. However, if continuous produces a much better finished product, then I will go that route.

I am also going to be boiling indoors this upcoming season, in an enclosed shelter building with electricity. With the smoke vented to the outside, I'm hoping that will allow me to make a product that is closer in taste to what I THINK real maple syrup should taste like.

I guess that's a long-winded way to ask a simple question...What is the difference in flavor between batch and continuous, realizing that taste is objective? With the setup I described, will batch produce a good product for me, assuming I do everything right, or should I go with continuous?

[twin6]

I'm in the continuous flow camp as well. I made an oil tank arch, and had a 4 section continuous flow flat pan made to fit, with drawoff valves on both sides. Am stubbornly staying at about 50 taps. I have never had trouble emptying the pan solo when I've needed to (the valves sure help, but don't get it all). Our climate is cold enough so that leaving the pan at operating level for several days between runs/boils is rarely a problem. We do not finish in the pan, but on a re-purposed gas stove in the sugarhouse. Can't speak from experience on batch boils, but I have to believe the quality you seek will be easier to achieve with a CF pan because you'll avoid overboiling. By the way, a friend batch boils over open fire, and loves the slight smokey taste. Everyone has a different slant on things, so you are wise to ask those who have done it and then make up your own mind. Good luck!

[psparr]

I made an oil tank arch, continuous flow. I really like it, but when the flow isn't there, you fire it up just to shut it down right away cause your out of sap. It would serve you well to put up a quick block arch for the poor runs.

[Rangdale]

I have zero experience with anything but a flat pan heated by propane. I am like you and not making a whole lot. Made 5 gallons last year and hope for the same or a little more this year. What I like about the flat pan and propane is that you dont need a ton of sap or a ton of time. I can get the first 5 gallons boiling in just over 5 minutes and can have a quart of syrup in just over 2. I usually make it a quart at a time so the syrup isnt constantly being cooked. Have always gotten a great color and taste doing it this way. It's certainly not as effecient or as cheap as wood but it only costs me about 3/4 a tank of propane for a gallon of syrup which isnt too bad. For the rather small amount we make, this is the perfect setup

[sap seeker]

I think you'll find that 25-30 taps will keep you busy enough for either a 2X3 or 2X4 pan if the sap is running good and you are only doing it as a hobby with your family like a lot of us. When I entered into this hobby with my kids I didn't want to invest a lot not knowing if they would enjoy. Coupled with only being able to boil outside and only having 15-20 taps, the decision for me was fairly easy to go the batch route. What I didn't foresee was the quality syrup you could make batch boiling once you found your rhythm. I found a used 22"X32" homemade pan from Bascom's that was warped pretty bad in the middle and threw it on a very crudely made 55 gal. barrel stove. Since then we have boiled 100's of gallons of sap and made some beautiful clear syrup batch boiling on that setup. I take it down as far as I dare (given the warped up middle:D), transfer it to a smaller flat pan (lasagna pan keeping with the el-cheapo theme) placed on a propane cooker, then finish in a s.s. pot on the kitchen stove. We made over 3 gallons of syrup last yr. in 5 different boiling / finishing sessions, it all came out looking great. (What you see at the bottom of the jars is not sugar sand rather a reflection from the dish towel)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r106/gamefisher_photos/aa0c36f7-31ef-4546-8a8c-be98234813ad_zps90459b64.jpg

My point is I wouldn't let the notion of not being able to make quality syrup batch style be the deciding facor on which way to go. If you have a place to get out of the weather, can boil more frequently, or see an tap expansion in the future, I'd encourage the C.F. pan idea. If not, a flat pan won't hurt you a bit IMO.

[Big_Eddy]

And I made a small quantity of tasty syrup....at least, I thought it was tasty until I tried some made by a large scale outfit in my area. Wow! now THAT was good syrup! I knew mine wasn't strong on Maple flavor, but didn't know what to expect having never experienced real maple syrup before.

It's likely your syrup wasn't quite syrup. Most newcomers are anxious to taste their syrup and take it off early. Even with an accurate thermometer, it's easy to make weak syrup. Investing in a hydrometer and learning how to use it is a good idea for everyone.

Tell us more about your open fire. Was this a pot on a grate over a fire, or did you have any kind of arch? The amount of smoke flavour is affected by your arch design and smoke "flow", not whether you're inside or out, continuous or batch.

[mike z]

I would get the continuous flow pan, and if you'd like, you can batch with it. I made some very light syrup batching, but prefer the ease of a continuous operation.