Suggestions on shutting down evaporator for the day

[Big Stoney]

We have a 2.5x8 D&G raised flu evaporator. We live 17 miles from where we boil. Each day we shut the fire down, clean out the ash and empty all of the pans before we come home. I've heard some people just leave a 60 watt light bulb on in the evaporator so that it will not freeze, but we still would need to wait quite awhile to get the heat out before we put a light inside. Any suggestions for making this process easier? We are boiling in an old barn that is not very airtight(understatement).

[Russell Lampron]

Just let it freeze, it won't hurt anything. If it were a drop flue I have heard of flues splitting but that doesn't happen with a raised flue. I fill my evaporator at the beginning of the season and don't drain it until the end. It has sat through temps well below zero with no damage.

[BreezyHill]

Our sugar house has a metal building above and is built into a bank with dirt on most of three walls. First part of season it is cold and stays cold. Now it is usually around 38 all the time except for when we boil. I have used the light bulb trick with success to keep her warm and have only drained a few times for extended periods. I have bought coals from the outside furnace to get some heat in her to warm the bricks and keep it from freezing. mine is a raised flue and we had a raised flue leader pop when it froze several years ago.

It is far less expensive to be safe than sorry.

Ben