GBM Evaporator Experiance???

[Panheadguy]

I am considering buying a 24-48 Outdoorsman as my next step up from a drum arch with buffet pans.
I was wondering if anyone out there had any experience or opinions regarding this evaporator.

[Gavin W. Hooks]

I bought the 2x4 with the hybrid pan last year and I'm pretty pleased with it. It was rated for 18 gph (I think) but I have not gotten that yet. I had some design issues I admit that were of my own making. I think I have corrected them this year. I had an after market hood made for it that leaked pretty bad back into the pan. I think for this reason I didn't get the evaporation rate I'd hoped for and also had a hard time getting syrup in my front pan. I would draw off at 217-218 degrees and finish on a propane burner. You have to keep the fire right up against the door to keep the front pan boiling well but that is a minor issue. I am still working with the best arrangement for fire brick. The arch is pretty sturdy and the pan/float box worked as I expected. It's not "high end" by any stretch but I thought it was well built. I got pretty good customer service when I needed it.

Over all I like it so far. Hoping to do a lot better with it this year with the minor changes I've made.

[Panheadguy]

Thanks for the reply Gavin. I'm not sure but I don't think 18 gph is what they advertise. What do you think your actual gph was?. What kind of bricking issues are you having a problem with?

[handtapper]

I'm not sure what this hybrid pan is. My understanding is they only make flat pans. A 2x4 pan has 8sq ft. So the general consensus is it won't boil much more than 8gph. A half pint has a welded pan and GBM's are soldered. I'd really reccomend looking for a used half pint or such on craigslist. Many people upgrade from this size to a 2x6 and the smaller units go up for sale fully bricked with a blower for 800$. When your ready to upgrade you can sell it and get all your $ back. If you invest in a new one, buy brick etc your going to be into it more then resale value.

[whalems]

here is a link to there evaporators. http://www.gbmllc.com/Evaporators.aspx I don't see anything about a hybrid pan but do see that all pans are tig welded not soldered.

[fhedmark]

The 2'x4' hybrid pan, it's back half is a flue pan and the front half is a flat pan with partitions. A very nice pan. Check with any GBM dealer for more information.

[handtapper]

Maple guys website lists it as soldered.... I guess I'd trust the manufacturers website though

[Gavin W. Hooks]

"If you invest in a new one, buy brick etc your going to be into it more then resale value. " Very true. I thought I was buying for years to come so I bought the 2x4 hybrid (the GBM pan I have is tig welded) but the veterans on this site will tell you that is a rookie mistake. You are never done growing once you are in. So starting with a good used one would probably be a good idea.

I bricked mine just like the supplier described with a wall of brick that pushes the heat up to the bottom of the pan and through the drop flues. I get a raging boil where the heat hits the front of the flues. The rest of the flue pan boils pretty good when under way for a while. I learned I had to keep the fire right up against the door to keep the syrup pan boiling well. One thing I would do different about bricking is to put fire board or blanket in before bricking. The other (which I am doing) is to put a row fire brick in front of where the stack goes out of the arch to restrict the outflow a little and keep the heat under the pan better.

The maximum gph I figured I got was 15 after getting under way for a while. Most of the time it was more like 12 gph. I checked the link on my suppliers site and they rate it at 18-20 gph max. I really think my hood was dumping a lot of condensate back into the pan. Hopefully have that fixed this year.

I hope you have as much fun as I did getting the whole thing together and making a few gallons pure joy! My first year I borrowed a 2x3 flat pan from a friend who's been sugaring for 20+ years just down the road and made 1 1/4 gallons using 2 propane fish fryer burners. Our second year (with the GBM 2x4 hybrid) we made 19 gallons. I'm hoping to make 40 this coming year. Can't wait!

[Panheadguy]

The 2'x4' hybrid pan, it's back half is a flue pan and the front half is a flat pan with partitions. A very nice pan. Check with any GBM dealer for more information.
Can you post a picture of this hybrid pan?

[Gavin W. Hooks]

http://mapletrader.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=10101&d=1417879944&thumb=1&stc=1

Will have to get a pic of pan. Here is the bricking job almost done. I filled in the chamber nearest the stack with insulation and brick.

Also a pic with pan and hood (that I think was leaking into the pan).

[Gavin W. Hooks]

Pics of pan and how bricking looks from fire box door...1010410105

[mellondome]

Is there any space between the outside flues and the brick?

[Gavin W. Hooks]

Yes. There is an 1 1/4" of clearance on each side. Pic does not show that very well. I also (after this picture was taken) filled the cracks with refractory cement.

[Panheadguy]

How do you get the sap/syrup out of the lower drops?
Did you insulate with brick or matt below the pan aft of the wall you made? In the picture with the brick mortared it looks like only sheet metal.

[Gavin W. Hooks]

I don't get the sap/syrup out of drops until end of season. I boil 2-3 times a week and it stays plenty cold in the mean time. The sap is fed in through a float box from the head tank in back. It comes out the valve in front as syrup. Then, at the end of the season, I just lift the back of the pan and let it drain as much as it will to the valve in the syrup pan.


Yes, that's what I was saying above. The area that looks like tin is filled with vemiculite then covered with fire brick.

[bowtie]

A 2x4 properly bricked, with a blower should get 8-12 gph, I purchased a smokey lake 2x4 hybrid pan last and got 20 gph on the high end. That said with my flat pan ,blower, and my homemade copper coil on stack with super dry hardwood pallets, I was able to get 13-14 gph, but that was eating up the wood like crazy, not practical for all day boiling. I am looking for a 2-3 x 8 evap, would like to get 60-75 gph. Always buy bigger than you think you need, much cheaper in long run.