Canners

[royalmaple]

Hopefully this year my setups should result in some sizeable syrup production, I am looking to get away from the cone filters and buy a real canner.

I'd like to open up the discussion about what you like / dislike about the canners you may either have or had.

The main thing I was looking at was the round vs. the tube burners. I see one is roughly 525 bucks for the round burner and it is 16x20, and the other was 16x20 and had three tubes for burners for 700 bucks.

I can see the three burners would be nice to get good even heat and also allow you to shut one or two off once you are at temp. But I was wondering is this version really worth the 200 bucks more?

Or am I missing something else?

If I can save 200 bucks but still be happy with the canner than I would like to. If I am going to hate using it, then to me the extra 200 bucks would be well spent.

THoughts?

[Sugarmaker]

Matt,
I built a canner from a good SST pan and a discarded gas grill. I put in a new burner and did some modifications to hold and tip up the pan, time invested 15 hours, burner $20, some high temp black paint, I had to have two threaded SST nipples welded in place, I also built a SST tray for the jugs to set on, and added SST fittings and ball valve in for the draw off and the temp probe. The pan I paid about $50 for so for about $100 it made a good canner. I just like trying to build something from nothing. Its in the blood I guess. I love new stuff too, but like to build it if I can.

Regards,
Chris

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

I have a Leader 12x20 finisher/canner. It has an H pattern burner. I like it's size a lot and the adjustable stainless shelf if REAL handy when filling different height containers! The only bad thing I have to say about it, which is kinda important, is that the threaded nipple for the valve is welded about 1/8" or a little more off the bottom of the pan. I also have a Dallaire 16x32 canning/finishing unit and the Inside of the threaded nipple is flush with the bottom of the pan!

[royalmaple]

Thanks guys,

I agree chris, I too like to make stuff. I am the king of saving everything and making things from nothing. I spend so much time inventing stuff which is fun, but I rarely have time to actually complete them.


Breezy- I agree those nipples should be right on the bottom and many of them aren't and does mean a bit of tipping and screwing around. Too bad when you buy one you have to still mess with them. They should crease the bottom with a break so the bottom drains fully. Especially for the money, might take 10 more mins for the fabricator to do this.

I was going to use my modified turkey pot and burner to can, which did work ok for me so far. But as far as filtering goes I'd like to get more surface area like you get with the flat filters. I have several of the milk tank strainers that go on the top of bulk tanks, and I was going to use one of them and put the filters inside that and have it pour into a milk pail. Just have to pour it out of the pail into my pot to can. Not the end of the world I guess.

[Ash Cat]

Hi Folks,
Can someone explain to me the canner/finisher concept, since I am considering a new cone fiter or a small canner/finisher. I usually draw off and filter directly from the evaporator. Later on, I finish the syrup to proper brix, refilter and bottle. Using the flat canner/finisher, my finished syrup is below the filter. With these units are you finishing the syrup on the evaporator and just reheating the finished syrur to canning temperature in the canner? Am I just being anal about filtering twice?

[mountainvan]

I get it to syrup on the evaporator, first draw is always off unless I'm lucky, draw off into flat filters, and then tranfer it to my canner. If things are going well I don't have to reheat more than 20 degrees to put it in bottles or pails or barrels. This saves on my propane bill.

[royalmaple]

Some guys use gas finishers to "finish" and get density right, then go into a filter press or filter again and then into the canner for bottling. In theory if you are at density, you are only going to bring up past 180 in your canner but not boiling again, so 180-195 lets say and start canning and run low heat just enough to keep the syrup over 180 for bottling.

If you don't bring the syrup back up to a boil you shouldn't have to refilter it.

[hookhill]

For our canner/filterer we use a 24"x24"x10" stainless pan with the 36"x36" flat filters and prefilters. The pan sits on a double burner purchased from Northern tool. In the pan there is some mesh to hold up the filters about 5" up from the bottom of the pan. We draw off before its syrup into the canner since it runs through the filters easier. Once the syrup filters through we remove the filters and then run the gas for around 30 minutes till its syrup. The pan has a drawoff valve for filling jugs. This was the cheapest most efficient setup we could come up with. Running the gas seems to quicken the time it takes to get it to syrup. Getting it to syrup in the front pan seemed to take 2 hours longer than on the gas. I think that has to do with the front of the arch not being as hot as the back. I plan on insulating the front of the arch with some plate steel and some arch board. Will let you know how it works.

[brookledge]

Hookhill
The only draw back filtering it before it is syrup is that you need to filter it again.
Matt
I have three canners
One is a 16X24 which when full to the top holds around 20 gallons. I usually will fill that container and get it hot and then run it through the press. Then it goes into one or two of my smaller 12X20 canners and I'm able to maintain 185-190 until I can it in containers or else straight into a keg (15.5 gal.) This has worked great for me.
I learned along time ago that once you filter it not to go over 190-195 or it will release more nitre.
I have never used them for filtering. Prior to my press I used a round container designed to hold one cone filter. Many have said that the flat filters work good.
All three of them have a H style burner
Keith

[royalmaple]

Keith-

Thanks the local dealer has two, I looked again tonight, 1. is the 16x16 with round burner that one is the 525.00ish , the other is 12x20 700.00ish and has a triple burner. So these are similar in volume but one is roughly 200 bucks more. Is it worth the 200 bucks extra for the three separate burners? Or is there some other feature I'm gonna wish I had in one that the other does not have. Or the other will just plain out perform the other? Both have flat filter racks, so I could use them. Or I am going to limp through another season with cone filters or some rig-a-jig with flat filters.

[HanginAround]

I think I would save the 200 bux. I can't see any real good reason to go with the more expensive one.

[brookledge]

Matt
Ask what the difference in BTU rating the two have. I'm sure the larger burner will be a major difference. So you need to look at the time saved in heating if that is a factor for you.
Also with the round burner you would have no heat under the front and back of the pan just the middle.
Keith

[danno]

I was canning through a coffee urn, but just finished making a 12x20 filtering/canning pan.

new 12x20 ss steam pan $15 (from local supply store in scratch and
dent section - it has one dent the size of a dime)
ss cover - $9
brass ball valve and elbow - $8
grill to hold filters - $16
ss bolts through pan to hold grill 5" from bottom of pan - $3

complete - $51

And about 1 hour labor.

Rather then welding nipple, I just drilled through pan and bolted valve on both sides - no leaks.

Same store had new 24x24 ss steam pans for about $50.

[royalmaple]

Dan-

Good idea on that set up. When I started I use to boil on some of those steam pans. There is a company not too far from me that all they have is used restaurant equip. Might have to go back there and sniff around a bit.

Or I was going to get some sort of insert basket / rack to hang in my turkey fryer and use the flat filters. Since I already added a valve to that, it has a cover, it is ss, and fits the burner I already got.

I'll worry about the canner later on. My dealer keeps pushing me to get one but I need sap first. He almost fell over when I purchased over 25 rolls of 5/16 this week alone. I got to make syrup before I worry about canning it.

Keith-
I'm not sure on the btu rating, I'd have to guess the triple burner is more. How much more??

[bobsklarz]

I have a question about canning. I am new to this thinking of buying a Leader, "American, 2x6 evaporator. Would the Leader 12x20, 5 gal. capacity, canning unit be enough, or should I go w/ the 16x 24? This year I'll still be on a small scale, so there's no hurry. I'll be tapping 125-150 trees. Thanks for any info you can share.

[3% Solution]

bobsklarz,
We put out 130 taps last year, our canner measures 12" x 12" x 12" ( I think it holds about 5 gallons) and we were all set.
We would boil all the sap and then start canning after the last fire.
Yeah, I'd say you should be OK!!
Hey if worse comes to worse, start canning!!!
Hope this helps!

Dave

[tuckermtn]

we use the leader 16 x 16 canner unit...we also used to have a 12x 20 Grimm- they both hold closer to 9 - 10 gallons when full...so for 125-150 taps and a 2 x 6 you should be all set.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Canning 5 gallons gives you about 4 1/2 cases of 12 OZ........54 bottles do you have the space to let that many bottles for inside storage? To big of a canner and not enough space to bottle leaves you problem of keeping alot of syrup hot in the bottler for reheating.

[bobsklarz]

Thanks you guys. Appreciate the feedback!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Spend a little more up front and get the bigger canner if you can afford it. If you expand down the road, your canner will be big enough and if you buy the small one now, you will need to sell it and buy a bigger one later.