Does high sugar mean higher evap rate?

[treehugger]

A Canadian friend of mine who is also a maple producer told me that I should expect to see higher evaporation rates with higher sugar sap when compared to low sugar sap. Is there any truth to this claim?

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Your rate of evaporation will not change but you will draw more syrup per hour because of the sweeter sap and thus there will be more throughput of sap per hour.

[Brian Ryther]

The amount an evaporator evaporates is a constant regardless of sugar content. You may see a increase in raw sap consumption that will be proportionate to the amount of syrup you are drawing off.

[treehugger]

The amount an evaporator evaporates is a constant regardless of sugar content. You may see a increase in raw sap consumption that will be proportionate to the amount of syrup you are drawing off.

So more sap moving through the evaporator due to more syrup being made per hour. Which in turn equals more raw sap being consumed?

[Ausable]

A Canadian friend of mine who is also a maple producer told me that I should expect to see higher evaporation rates with higher sugar sap when compared to low sugar sap. Is there any truth to this claim?

Kind of a mute point. The higher the sugar in solution - the higher the boiling temperature. If we were splitting hairs - I would say it would be in reverse. Water boils at approx. 212F at sea level and if that is true we are at maple syrup at 219.1F. So it would take a hotter fire to boil more sugar in solution. LOL - However - We have so much overkill with the fires in our arches ------ It becomes a mute point. ----Mike-----

[Brian Ryther]

. Which in turn equals more raw sap being consumed?[/QUOTE]
Raw sap consumption and evaporation rate are different. When you purchase an evaporator it will be rated for evaporation rate. That is a number based on how much water will be turned into steam over a given period of time. That number is relatively consistent no matter what the sugar content is. The amount of raw sap consumed by the evaporator will change as the sugar content changes. The simple formula for raw sap consumption is evaporation rate / x time + syrup out put / x time. For example my evaporator averages 300 gph of evaporation. If I feed the evaporator %15 sap I can draw off about 45 gallons of syrup an hour. So my sap consumption is 345 gph but my evaporation rate is still 300 gph.

[treehugger]

. Which in turn equals more raw sap being consumed?
Raw sap consumption and evaporation rate are different. When you purchase an evaporator it will be rated for evaporation rate. That is a number based on how much water will be turned into steam over a given period of time. That number is relatively consistent no matter what the sugar content is. The amount of raw sap consumed by the evaporator will change as the sugar content changes. The simple formula for raw sap consumption is evaporation rate / x time + syrup out put / x time. For example my evaporator averages 300 gph of evaporation. If I feed the evaporator %15 sap I can draw off about 45 gallons of syrup an hour. So my sap consumption is 345 gph but my evaporation rate is still 300 gph.[/QUOTE]

Good explanation!