Sap Pan Thickness

[mapleburner24]

Say does anybody know if a 10 gauge pan is too thick I tried boiling on it with water last week and I had a hard time getting it to boil

[maplerookie]

I think you have to start a fire underneath the thing! lol. then air under ,over and in between .. I don't know that seems awful thick. it will take a lot of heat to get it going and then keep a full rolling boil. I think ideal thickness is 18-22 but I am no expert.. any thicker than that and you are fighting just to keep you metal hot let alone all of the sap in it.

[maple flats]

If it is SS it will be far harder to get and keep a boil. SS does not transfer heat well, and the thicker it is the harder it is to boil. However, if that's what you have, make it work as best it can. If you make sure the wood is dry and split wrist size or less it will help. Also, try somehow to put a blower on it. Add fuel by the clock and you might do best at 6 or 7 minutes. Have the wood ready before you open the door, add as fast as reasonable and get the door closed as soon as you can, without slamming it.
Try to find a lighter ga. pan for next year.

[Sundown]

I boiled on a 2'x3' 10 ga. mild steel batch pan for years with no problem. I have now upgraded to a Leader 2x3 continuous flow. I do finish on a 12"x 30" 10 ga. stainless pan, but it is on a gas burner and that works very well.

[VTmaplehobby]

I have a whole bunch of 12 ga stainless sheets laying around. I was thinking about having a v-shape raised flue pan (2x3) and attached flat bottom (2x1) pan built with 14" sides and 3 alleys over flues and 2 on the flat.
Does anybody think I am wasting my time with this heavy a steel?
Pan is to go on an oil tank homemade rig with AOF and AUF. Dry wood and alot of it is not a problem, but time is a factor.