how to increase your turkey fryer efficiency

[Petroff]

for those using a turkey fryer for boiling sap, you can increase your efficiency a lot by putting it in a clean metal 55 gallon drum. I cut the top and bottom off, put a slit in the side for the propane hose, lifted it off the ground a little on 3 bricks and covered the top with some clean planks spaced apart to allow the steam to escape. to check that it worked I had a good boil going, then lifted the drum off and it stopped boiling. put it back on and it started boiling again. this will allow you to turn down the flame and conserve propane.

[Homespun]

Petroff - I like your adaption idea! My avatar shows a picture of my similar setup, where I protect the burner's heat from wind and funnel it all up to the pan. I have about 1/4" clearance around the pan where the wind screen reaches it, to let the heat sweep up along the pan's side. The reason I didn't continue the screen up higher than the pan is because I've read in several places that a breeze across the top of the boiling sap (but not under it) helps it evaporate faster. I don't know if that's true (I have nothing to compare to) and I wonder if you would get your same results with a half barrel height?

Happy sugaring!