post pictures of your homemade evaporators [Archive]

dhbiker1

02-18-2007, 08:19 AM

This is my second year sugaring and since my grandfather never through anything away, I have found enough supplies to build an evaporator from a 55-gallon drum. I am worried about the sides not holding up to the heat and possibly the grate, but I think it would be a good sticky or reference thread to start where people post pictures and explanations of their homemade evaporators/arches. This could give noobs good ideas and answer alot of questions. click on image for bigger picture

http://thumb9.webshots.net/t/59/459/1/27/65/2816127650077691729vbsnZf_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2816127650077691729vbsnZf)

LittleGuy

02-18-2007, 10:30 AM

Here's pics of my oil tank I just built.

Shot of the burner end.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/FishingFreak/DSC01536.jpg

Shot inside the fire box. 13"'s from face of burner to the slope in the arch.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/FishingFreak/DSC01537.jpg

Shot of the gap leading back under the pan. 1 1/2".
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/FishingFreak/DSC01539.jpg

Shot of the removable stack plate. Made this way so I can extend the arch when I get my new Pans.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/FishingFreak/DSC01543.jpg

Shot of stack plate removed. There is a 3 1/2" drop here, again to accomadate future upgrades.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/FishingFreak/DSC01540.jpg

The only thing left is to add legs, and Paint. (i think)

HanginAround

02-18-2007, 08:34 PM

They look good guys, thanks for the pics. I'll repost my pics soon (they're on here somewhere already).

Edit: Found the pics:

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/peteb/maple/HPIM0533.JPG

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/peteb/maple/HPIM0535.JPG

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/peteb/maple/HPIM0545.JPG

maplesyrupstove

02-19-2007, 06:33 AM

fridge stove in yahoo photos

royalmaple

02-19-2007, 08:19 AM

Welcome Mr. maplesyrupstove. I really enjoyed looking at your pictures you got. Looks really neat. You are pretty innovative, I'd say.

jtcinv

02-19-2007, 09:18 AM

Mine's made out of stacked firebrick, two buffet pans, and some aluminum venting for a stack. Doesn't take much else to get boiling except good wood and a little sap!

Maplehead

02-21-2007, 07:07 AM

This is last year's evap. It's galvanized sheet metal from HD riveted together. There's no insulation in it but old red brick piled up on the bottom.

It boiled close to four gallons per hour. I started late in the season and only hung seven buckets as I was coming off of a broken ankle.

I included a pic of my new pan. I have to scramble to complete building my new evap now as it's time to tap here.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jndewar/albums

Daren

02-21-2007, 09:04 PM

Might be the last year with steam table pans for me....just about have the wife sold on real pans....just gotta reconfigure the arch a bit and voila! I would like to try a hood this year to see if I can rework the preheater a bit. This setup takes the chill off, but it could stand to be about another 80 degrees or so. It is a work in progress......

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

02-22-2007, 08:38 PM

Here are some pics of my new homemade forced draft arch. The one pic of the round gauge is a pyrometer out of a Western Star to read my stack temp.

http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u99/MapleManVT/

HanginAround

02-22-2007, 11:49 PM

Wow, pretty impressive for h/m. Looks heavy enough to cause a local gravitational anomoly LOL.

802maple

02-23-2007, 05:28 AM

Good job Ryan, You are a good student, no matter what Bill S. says.Now maybe next year we will build a RO

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

02-23-2007, 06:13 AM

haha, lets give it a try.

and yes quite heavy! but it has leveling bolts all around, so it's easy to level...no picking up to shim it.

royalmaple

02-23-2007, 08:28 AM

Ryan-

Looks great. I'm gonna be working in the SH tonight, so I'll take those door measurements finally. Gotta get in the woods today more set up.

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

02-23-2007, 09:12 AM

Thanks. it won't be long...it's starting to slowly warm up around here. I had thought about those doors the other day too as I walked by them the other night.

802maple

02-23-2007, 10:25 AM

Actually it is possible to build just a matter of the right pressure valves,switches,pumps and pressure vessels. Remember the first guy didn't have directions or someone that has serviced them

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

02-23-2007, 03:20 PM

an RO though is probably going to be smarter to by one complete, unlike the arch.

802maple

02-24-2007, 05:26 AM

It probably would ,but someday I am going to get out my box of tools and fire up old sparky and one never knows what the evil scientist from Lincoln will come up with.

Sugarmaker

02-24-2007, 08:01 AM

Wow great pictures of all the homemade rigs and set ups. Keep Up the good work. Looks like every one is having a good time making syrup. I like making stuff too. So these pictures are right up my alley. Thanks everyone for posting them You will be the inspiration for many future sugar makers to get them started. When you break it all down we are just boiling off the water. So its amazing the see the different approaches. I think the steam pan industry has seen some increased production ;)

I would love to get pictures of my friend Frank James' rig. Home made barrel arch on wheels with steam pans. He has just as much fun with under 20 tapps as I do.

Regards,
Chris

royalmaple

02-24-2007, 08:11 AM

1 tap or 100,000 taps, just varying degrees of mistakes and troubles to deal with but still equals the same amount of fun. And same basic principles.

saphead

02-24-2007, 10:19 AM

Ryan,
I will be making my own arch, sometime, for my 3x10 pans and I have a couple questions about your well thought out arch; Is there any under fire air? Does the overfire air in the door come through the square tubing that the door swings on? Did I see overfire air above the door? The draft controls I would guess would be one for the front air and one for the rear? How big is the arch and how many cfm is the fan? paddle or squirrel cage? I like to gleen knowledge from others so I don't have to reinvent the wheel! Thanks, Craig

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

02-24-2007, 12:04 PM

Yes air comes under the fire. Yes the air goes through the tubing the door swings on. Yes there is air above the door and blowing from the back of the fiebox. there is one control that adjusts the air under the fire, and the other one controls the air from above the fire (Door, front, rear). 2.5x8 arch. It is a 10 9/16" paddle style blower from Grainger's. It has a 3/4 HP motor. 400 or a little less cfm? But I'm sure you'd need a bigger HP one for a 3x10. I can run a 3/4 up to 1.5 hp on my same blower frame. 802maple would know a little more about the cfm's than me. GOOD LUCK!!

325abn

02-24-2007, 06:05 PM

maplehound

02-24-2007, 09:45 PM

I love the pictures. What a great little set up.

Pete33Vt

02-25-2007, 05:48 AM

Hey Ryan, great looking arch. I was wondering if you had a ball park figure of the total cost to build. My uncle priced a forced air asrch for his rig and the price was up there pretty good. We have all the equipment and techknowledge to build one just wondering the cost you came up with.
Thanks in advance

ibby458

02-25-2007, 06:19 AM

If your preheater doesn't work as well as hoped, try wrapping some ceramic blanket around the tubing and pipe. That'll heat it up.

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

02-25-2007, 06:32 AM

this is a VERY rough estimate. I came up with about $2500 in materials.(blower, steel, steel bending, bricks, welding supplies, morters, arch board, ceramic blanket, etc...) This number does not include my labor though becasue i worked on it a little here and there and kinda lost track. or include anybody else that helped me make it happen.

802maple

02-25-2007, 11:19 AM

Having built several of these like Ryans, if you are going to build a 40x12 you will be pushing 3500 dollarsfor materials. Most of your cost will come in the blower and refractory costs. It takes a high pressure blower to make them operate efficiently. If you wanted to build one like the Inferno it would be a quite a bit less expensive as they are basically a standard forced draft arch which doesnot take advantage of burning all the gases. It would boil just as hard but not as effiecent without the top and front air.

mapleman3

02-25-2007, 07:35 PM

Great pictures everyone, I still miss my homemade rig I had, before I sold dyrup I used to boil my Chickens eggs in the pan, giving the hardboiled eggs a slight maple flavor, you had to just crack them a hair so the maple would get in.....

I am glad though being in a sugarhouse, I don't miss being out in the elements... that was rough, wind is terrible on a boil.

Keep up the great work guys, I love making things homemade, you get a real proud feeling when it actually works!!

Pete33Vt

02-26-2007, 03:51 AM

Thanks for the info. And yes it seems the blower and the refactory products are the most expense. Garth told us that the blower alone is around 1100-1500 for a forced draft unit. But still at 3500 thats about 4000 cheaper than new. Have to talk it over with my uncle. I love to fabracate and I have all summer to work on it.Ryan if we get a chance we may want to come down and check out your rig if thats ok. We are only about an hour north of you.I'll let you know.

802maple

02-26-2007, 07:46 AM

In garths price there is also the added expenxe of a complete stack with cover and roof jack, but I agree if you can do this yourself you will save some money.

Johnny Cuervo

02-26-2007, 02:38 PM

Bet ya never seen one with wheels !!

Click on slideshow

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jamangic/album/576460762326256181

HanginAround

02-26-2007, 10:52 PM

Very nice! And interestingly unique :)

Maplehead

03-04-2007, 08:37 PM

Here's a link to this year's evap.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jndewar/album/576460762392195170

I got this boiling at 6 gph today. It's first burn. If it holds out well it'll be a keeper. Now I just got to build a little sugar shack, get better storage tanks and then figure out a better sap warming system.

325abn

03-04-2007, 08:53 PM

Links not working.

Breezy Lane Sugarworks

03-04-2007, 09:10 PM

try this: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jndewar/

Maplehead

03-05-2007, 06:18 AM

Sorry all.

**** software. I had to allow everyone viewable access to it first.

It should be working now.

royalmaple

03-05-2007, 07:27 AM

Looks great.

WF MASON

03-06-2007, 03:31 AM

WOW, punched angle arch, now THAT is thinking outside the box (or arch), being smart enough to build something with stuff you can buy at the Depot and it looks like it works great. Arches don't need to cost $500. bucks. Very nice , fancy pan too.

Russell Lampron

03-06-2007, 05:10 AM

Very nice looking rig. Looks like it will do alot better than the old steam pan set up.

Russ

Cardigan99

03-06-2007, 07:49 PM

Maplehead, Very nice looking rig. Very creative. Great job!

Sugarmaker

03-06-2007, 08:03 PM

MapleHead,
Nice unit! Keep us informed how it works!
Sugarmaker

HanginAround

03-13-2007, 12:29 PM

My friend Ed and I made some mods to the homemade oil tank evap we made last yr. We found a restaurant hood and exhaust fan, and set up a "forced air" draught with a small squirrel cage fan and a driveshaft LOL. The only draught we had before was the door ports in the wood stove door we were using and that wasn't enough, left a big bank of coals in the firebox all the time, so bad that the wood would want to fall back out the door.

Custom made covers for when the pan is off:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/6695/hpim1344du6.jpg

The covers overlap so you can slide it back however much you want (if we could find a small pan to finish in):

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/7756/hpim1345mq1.jpg

Firebox detail, yup, that a driveshaft in the bottom, even still has the u-joint on it:

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/8185/hpim1346fx2.jpg

HanginAround

03-13-2007, 12:32 PM

Draught fan, we used the existing bung in the far end of the tank, the driveshaft goes up to it on the inside:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/3223/hpim1348se1.jpg

Fancy hood... the duct is only 6" with a 1/25 HP fan, do you think it will clear the steam enough? The hood is 3 x 8, and the pan is only 2 x 5, so we have lots of overlap.

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/495/hpim1349ys6.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1339/hpim1352fs6.jpg

HanginAround

03-13-2007, 12:33 PM

Exhaust fan:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9628/hpim1351kr3.jpg

Inside the arch, we built a baffle for in front of the stovepipe so we could ramp the gases up next to the pan:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/2439/hpim1356nw6.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5634/hpim1355vf5.jpg

I will admit it's about the funniest looking setup you ever saw, but it works... and $ invested is only the cost of a few elbows and stovepipe. It's not exactly what I would do in some cases, I would get rid of the crushed rock for one thing, it absorbs tons of heat, the thing simmers for a long time after the fire is dead. I would have made an ash pit and grates too, but this setup only took an hour and very little effort, and will be much better than what we had.

HanginAround

03-14-2007, 10:31 PM

Well... the steam exhaust duct and fan isn't near effective enough... seems only getting a bit if the steam out that way... we had steam filling the garage 3 ft down from the ceiling, so had to open all the doors to help get rid of it :(

The forced air seems to work pretty good, we got the door glowing red. Still seems we only get 75% of the pan boiling, but what is boiling is a lot more vigorous than without it.

I left the camera there by accident, so no pics to post.

325abn

03-15-2007, 06:38 AM

If you lower your hood right down onto your pan somehow I think that will take care of your steam issue. Maybe cut some acess holes into the hood.

325abn

03-15-2007, 06:40 AM

Does the sides of your arch get red hot? How much insulation do those holed bricks offer?

HanginAround

03-15-2007, 08:25 AM

We can't really lower it since the darn thing is way too big. And I think we would still pretty much have the same issue with duct and fan so small. We do have another fan, if we can find some larger duct now.

The side of the arch doesn't get too hot, can't really feel it on your legs or anything, but we did burn a it more paint off last night, was kinda stinky. The door and the door frame were the only things glowing.

brookledge

03-15-2007, 09:40 AM

Are you getting good air transfer in the garage? If the biulding is too tight it might prevent enough air movement to maintain air flow up and out of your hood, even with the exast fan. Also try lowering the hood like 325abn said.
Keith

RileySugarbush

03-15-2007, 09:52 AM

How about just using the fan to clear the garage? Maybe the hood is drawing clear air from down low and the water vapor that misses the hood is blocked by the hood walls and trapped against the ceiling. Try taking off the duct and pulling the top air out of the garage. May not work but it's a pretty simple experiment.

maplehound

03-15-2007, 02:53 PM

You may also want to keep your wood furher in so the door doesn't glow. If it gets to hot you may crack it and it is also a waste of heat.

HanginAround

03-15-2007, 08:27 PM

The man door on the garage was open, but a strong breeze from the west (the side the vent it on) didn't help anything. We also uncapped the tee in the duct to see if it would draw anything off the ceiling, but no luck, couldn't see any difference.

We started pushing the wood in a little further, and shut the fan off a few times when the door glowed... it's got ports in the door, so we opened them for a few minutes and the door cooled down pretty good.

I'll post a pic in a bit. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Edit: Added pic. How's this for steam? LOL

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4104/hpim1359th8.jpg

Johnny Cuervo

03-16-2007, 02:12 PM

What is your fans CFM? With that size hood you would need about 2500 CFM s to have Neg pressure around rim.

John

HanginAround

03-16-2007, 08:28 PM

The fan was marked 1/25 HP, and the amperage, which I forget.... not near enough obvioulsy :)

We do have a bigger fan, but gotta find a bigger duct to go with it, don't think the 6" is going to cut it.

Pete S

03-17-2007, 07:30 AM

Without putting too many varibles into the equation, a 6" round duct is good for about 100 CFM.

Pete

saphead

03-17-2007, 05:04 PM

802Maple,I'm thinking/planning on building an arch like Ryans and I hear you are knowledgable about cfm for arches of this design.Mine will be for a 3x10 set of pans,also curious about duct size and pressure.I know pressure has a huge effect on cfm actually getting into the firebox.thanks Craig

RileySugarbush

03-18-2007, 10:51 PM

This weekend we fired up our new evaporator. I bought some pans and a hood from JasonS and designed and built an 2x6 arch which is now in a converted bunkhouse. Both based on lot's of information learned here.

Square firebox with mineral wool insulation behind full bricks.
Forced draft with 190 CFM blower
Ceramic blanket insulation in the flue
8" x 14' stack
Arch welded and bolted together from 1.25x.125 angle and 16ga steel
Front from .12 steel and doors from a cheap barrel kit
Home made float system.

Works great, but haven't measured productivity yet. Way faster than my flue tube steam table pans.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jabushey/album/576460762394145412

royalmaple

03-19-2007, 06:30 AM

John-

Real nice looking arch.

parsissn

03-19-2007, 07:10 AM

Home made float system.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jabushey/album/576460762394145412

Tell us about your float system. I can see from your photos it looks like a stock pot but tell us about the other parts and how well it works.

Mark

SapSuckers

03-19-2007, 07:17 AM

Riley--

great looking set-up, the new "sugarhouse" looks great. I to am interested in the homemade float

SapSuckers

03-19-2007, 07:21 AM

also wondering what the sides of your arch are? is it sheet metal, or tin. also, how did you attach it? looks like rivets to me

finishing mine, looking for input, again yours look great

thanks
Chris

RileySugarbush

03-19-2007, 07:59 AM

Thanks for the kind words.

The arch is welded from 1 1/4 x 1/8" angle steel. Very light weight compared to some I've seen, but the narrow rails don't move and expose the maximum pan area. I welded the entire frame, then skinned it over with 16 gage steel, except the front which is 1/8. I attached the steel with self drilling, self tapping screws, so it was kind of like attaching thin plywood to a wood frame with sheet rock screws... no pre drilling needed, just clamp the sheet in place and drive the screw home. Around the firebox I put clamp strips (those were pre drilled with clearance holes) so it sealed up well. I put a bead of hi temp silicone along each joint to make it air tight, figuring I was going to insulate it well. So far, so good! After an hour or two you could touch the sides, but not hold you hand on it for long. The silicone is holding up fine, so I guess I have enough insulation. The sheet steel is just plain carbon steel and is unpainted for now. I'll paint it black after this season.

The float system is just a home made version of what I imagine some commercial systems have. The cheap stock pot, (set of 3 from Walmart for $14), has a 1/2" fitting soldered in the bottom and screws into the input port on the flue pan. I built a little shelf to support the pot so it doesn't hang on the fitting. The float is a rectangular stainless tray that was laying around the house. I cut a stock pot lid and soldered it on to the top. That was a pain, very difficult to get the last bit of edge air tight. I soldered a nut to the top surface and threaded a stainless rod on that slides up into the feed pipe. A faucet washer seals directly against the bottom of the feed pipe when the level gets high. I needed to add some guides to the inside of the bottom of the feed tube (which is 1/2 copper pipe, adjustable up and down for level setting) and the top of the guide rod to keep things lined up. It worked pretty well, thought I did get some vapor lock from the preheater. It didn't stop flow, but did interrupt it now and then. I'll post pictures if you want, but I'll have to take them tonight.

I have to say, watching this thing run was really fun. I'm guessing 20+gph and we were not very diligent on the firing.

This list is great, and I doubt I would have got the project complete without it.

Many thanks to all of you!

HanginAround

03-19-2007, 10:14 AM

Wow, looks great... sure is prettier than ours LOL :)

RileySugarbush

03-19-2007, 06:28 PM

I just posted photos of the home grown float assembly for those interested.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jabushey/

JasonS

03-19-2007, 06:40 PM

John,
It's Great to see my old pans at work, I'm really glad you were able to get it all together for this season. The arch looks great, better than mine from Leader.
Good Luck,
Jason

Cardigan99

03-21-2007, 09:07 PM

Riley, great looking setup. where'd you get the door to the fire box? I've got a cast door (kit to a barrel stove from Vogelzang) on a 275gal tank, but I think eventually it's going to crack.

RileySugarbush

03-21-2007, 09:59 PM

Thanks,

It's a door from a barrel kit much like a Vogelzang but a bit bigger. No higher quality, though I insulated it and the arch front plate with 1" ceramic blanket and it doesn't get to hot.

325abn

03-31-2007, 08:38 PM

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/reagantrooper/Evaporator/testboil004.jpg
Last test boil of the year!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/reagantrooper/Evaporator/testboil007.jpg

SS hood with 5' stack. The stack goes up though the vent in the roof.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/reagantrooper/Evaporator/testboil008.jpg

Pre heater we will see how this works.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/reagantrooper/Evaporator/testboil014.jpg

Sap hauler

I am getting 22- 24 gal/hr with htis rig now. I am running a 1.75 hollow nozzle @ 70 degrees with a F22 cone head. I amy put a 2.25 nozzel on and see how it runs.

Sap is going into pan @ 75 if I could get this up to 150 - 200 I bet I could hit 27 - 30 /HR.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

03-31-2007, 09:35 PM

Pretty impressive setup!!!!!!!! What size are your pans and are they flat our do you have flues also??

325abn

04-02-2007, 08:32 PM

My pan is a Small Brothers Lighting 2 X 4 raised flue with a 30" flue pan and a 18" 2 section syrup pan. The flow is reverseable.

Today I switched burner nozzle to a 2 Gal/hr, Hollow @ 70 degrees.

I am boiling as I type this and I am getting 29 - 30 Gal/hr. This is great I just wish I would have tweeked the rig this well at the start of the season.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

04-02-2007, 08:55 PM

That is an awesome rate with that size pan! Glad you have got it where you want it!!!!

325abn

04-02-2007, 09:15 PM

I have got a 2.25 nozzle Iam going to try IF (thats a BIG IF) I get another boil this year. I was hoping for 27 - 30 I started the year at 13. Changing the cone head on the burner made all the difference.

Sugarmaker

04-02-2007, 09:25 PM

J. Bushey,
Nice pictures and great looking set up, and sugarhouse. Nice detail on the float! Keep it up!

Regards,
Sugarmaker

RileySugarbush

04-02-2007, 09:59 PM

Thanks Chris,

I've been have lots of fun with this set up. I'm learning to trust the float, it hasn't let me down yet.

Next year I'm going to build an air tight front and maybe add some top air.

John

Grade "A"

07-01-2007, 02:28 PM

I just build a 2x5 ss flat bottom pan this year and can't wait to try it out. For now I am cheating by having made a oil burning arch (no time to cut wood now). Waiting to complete my sugarhouse set-up before my first test boil to see what she can do!. With the amount of work I put into the pan I hope it works well (or untill the sugaring bug makes me get something bigger). I have not sugared for 15 years but wanted to get back into it. I forgot how much work it is starting all over again but it's fun and I like to see syrup coming out of equipment that I made myself. I am also about to make a tubing tool. I looked them over and said "I can make that" so I'm going to try it. we will see how it turns out.

This is a great place to get info about what works and what don't. I have already found some simple everday things here to use that I would of overlooked otherwise. Thanks to everyone that post what they are doing out there.
Matt

325abn

07-02-2007, 12:52 PM

How is using oil cheating?

Grade "A"

07-02-2007, 08:18 PM

Well, to me it's not but cutting wood is a big part of the work load for sugaring (if you burn wood). But I do work hard to make the money to pay for the oil.

thackerymaple

02-10-2013, 08:17 PM

Insulate the coil

antelope76

02-11-2013, 08:10 AM

66946695Here is a few pics of mine. Should have it finished this week.66846685

GV2

02-11-2013, 09:02 AM

Wooden shelter only used when its precipitating.

jake22si

02-11-2013, 10:12 PM

6709671067116712

psparr

02-12-2013, 06:35 AM

671367146715

jimbo

02-12-2013, 11:55 AM

Here is my first attempt welding so it isnt smooth, but it is strong. I call it the beast. Cause it weighs about 200 lbs. I will see how it burns Friday. Just gotta get the air vent/ash hole (haha ash hole) cut. I cant believe I spend all this time and money so I can spend more time and money to tweak things to make them work better to save time and money.67236724672567266727 Hmm.. Keeps the winter blues away I guess.

whatever

02-12-2013, 12:05 PM

672867296730

amherstmaple

02-12-2013, 03:33 PM

67316732
Not yet insulated and bricked. Still waiting on new pan. Better be done soon, tapping is right around the corner.

Flat Lander Sugaring

02-12-2013, 05:18 PM

dont know if any one been following the other topic but will post here in this one also. So far about 1200 in steel and insulation, had 12 fire bricks laying around. 802 says the blowere I need will be around 410.00. so looking at a 1600.00 arch no labor cost, that other manufacturers would get 4500 for.
http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/New%20Arch%20Build/

Sandersyrup

02-12-2013, 08:31 PM

Po-boy evaporator. Total cost was about $100. The pan is tall and the sides get hot so I run the sap slowly down the side to preheat. Does about 3-5 gal an hour depending on how hot I can keep it. When you've only got 18 taps on Norways and Reds it fits the budget and gets the job done.
6741

Waynehere

02-12-2013, 10:02 PM

I converted my Half-Pint into a 2x6. I have about $2000 into it with the pans and a lot of recycled material. Talk about going green... :)

Ohio Maple Blaster

02-13-2013, 06:52 AM

I call it the Ohio Maple Blaster.. But I debated naming it the Craigslist Killer, given her pedigree of parts acquired cheaply through the internet's own localized trash sale.

6757675867596760

lfdiaff

02-14-2013, 07:56 AM

Well here is mine. I dont have any picture of my drop tube pan. I am too embarrased to post them. The frame was built from 2x2 3/16'' angle iron. Painted with 2000 deg flat black then tinned with 22 gauge mirror stainless. The only reason I did stainless was because I got it so cheap. I only paid $70 for a new 4x8 sheet at the local recycling yard. It was new still banded to the pallet. It was then insulated and bricked. There are over 250 stainless rivets in this beast and let me tell you the best investment I have made in the build was an air rivet gun. I think I went through 7 #20 drill bits drilling all the holes. It is amazing how hard stainless is to drill. I was planning on doing AOF/ AUF but ran out of time. That will be a summer project so for now just have a blower set up in the back.

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HyeOnMaple

02-14-2013, 09:16 AM

Ifdi,

You have nothing to be embarassed about re: your pan. So long as the result is sweet maple, it's all GOOD. And this beauty makes up for a multitude of sins. Shazaam, I wish mine would look something like this. That ain't gonna happen.

Tap, tap, tap

Flat Lander Sugaring

02-14-2013, 06:01 PM

FunnyFarm

02-14-2013, 07:09 PM

It isn't much but i built her myself. 3x5 pan pre-heater and copper hood. I've since added a blower to it...6797

madtrapper

02-14-2013, 08:56 PM

See if these pictures post. made it jan-feb of 2012. finally got brick in her, never seen one outside of pictures. should have invested in a proper pan then built around that. oh well. lined with 2"x4.5x9 inch fire brick. has AUF set up no fan yet hehe but has great draft from below the grate when i open the door wide. can't wait to use it here soon in the new part of the shack we built over the winter.6799680068016802

deckers007

02-14-2013, 09:36 PM

My homemade steam pan evaporator, ready for sap.

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madtrapper

02-15-2013, 06:01 AM

deckers007 thats an nice set up. must have got a better price on the pans than i did haha spent more on my steam pans than i did the steel i needed to buy. like the siphons. i just got the stuff to do mine last week. got to get em together now!!

Pete S

02-15-2013, 10:11 AM

Purty much looks this way today, other than there's an 8" stack, and it's sitting inside my nearly finished shack!

The one on the far right was our "first". it was made from an old parts cleaner, using a lagasana pan and a Nesco roaster pan for pre-heat. Lining it with "common" bricks made a HUGE difference. Many scorched knees prior!

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Sapster

02-15-2013, 11:10 PM

My homemade "brick oven" evaporators - built in 2008. They are made from firebrick with Heat Stop II mortar and lined with Insul Stick refractory insulation. The 32"x32" evaporation pans are made from 16 ga. stainless steel. Stack is Ø8in steel flue pipe with cast iron damper for draft control. Door assembly is welded from steel plate and angle

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HyeOnMaple

02-16-2013, 06:19 AM

007,

Can you explain the siphon syste to me? I have a 4-pan set-up, and could benefit from something like what you have.

Thanx,

deckers007

02-16-2013, 07:42 AM

007,

Can you explain the siphon syste to me? I have a 4-pan set-up, and could benefit from something like what you have.

Thanx,

Just a "U" shaped copper pipe contraption, I soldered 1-1/4 copper pipe caps to the 2 end leaving about a 1/4 gap too allow flow. I have adjustable height brackets to keep them of the bottom of the pans about 1/8 inch. This prevents boil bubbles from forming in the cap and stoping the siphon. To get the siphon working you just need to dunk them in the pan of sap and fill it up. You can then pick it up straight by the top. The sap will remain in the tube because of the caps. Hope I explained it ok, let me know if I did not.

MapleLady

02-16-2013, 08:29 AM

Sapster

02-16-2013, 01:04 PM

Very nice set up. What do you finish on?

Thanks MapleLady. I only have time to manage 33 taps for now, so I am able to finish on the stove in one or two batches.

nbaynes

02-17-2013, 06:32 AM

valleyman

02-17-2013, 06:46 AM

Deckers-
That's crazy man! Awesome setup. I was thinking about trying the siphon crosserover but never followed thru. Again, very nice work.

deckers007

02-17-2013, 06:57 AM

Thanks valleyman, I admit I went a little overboard with a float box and all, but it was just really fun to design and build.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

DVodzak

02-17-2013, 08:33 PM

2012 Crude, Dry piled masonry arch, with 24 x 36 continuous flow pan from Wegner Metal Works LLC (Wisconsin); 34 taps, all buckets
2013 Home made evaporator, welded steel frame, hot dip galvanized, lined with fire brick, with 24 x 36 continuous flow pan from Wegner Metal Works LLC, 47 taps, all buckets

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HyeOnMaple

02-18-2013, 05:37 PM

I'm not sure it is worthy of all the noteable projects on this thread, but this is my submission (thus far).
Day two:
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HyeOnMaple

02-18-2013, 05:42 PM

Day three:
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More to come as the project advances.

Sapster

02-18-2013, 08:15 PM

I love the double brick evaporater. Can we see more pics, like without the pan in place and around back of the unit? I have had somthin like this in mind, i like the fact you could use only one side for a easy short job or both for a bigger job also maybe make it into a barbecue for summertime fun
Nate

Here are a few more angles and a short video to show the ovens better. A few notes:
1. There is an internal brick wall separating the two ovens.
2. Even with the firebrick mortar and refractory insulation inside, some of the bricks (especially near the stack) need to be reset every couple of years due to the intense heat.
3. There are some loose bricks stacked behind the ovens in some of the pictures, which hides the fact that the flue attachment protrudes from the back of the oven.
4. I wish I would have used 18 ga. (thinner) stainless instead of 16 ga. (thicker).
5. The space below the door is sized so bricks can be placed to block airflow. This, along with a damper in the stack, provides excellent control of airflow and maximizes wood burn time.

Hope this helps.

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http://youtu.be/G4ul2QSbhzI