Boiling down 38+ gallons of sap

[Samuelvw1]

My issue is I have a 2x4 pan run off propane and I'll have to boil down 38+ gallons of sap as quick as possible I need help with suggestions on how to boil that much sap in a little amount of time

Thanks Sam
Shelton,Connecticut
40ish taps and drop lines

[TerryEspo]

Pour the sap in until you have two inches of sap in the pan. Crank the heat to high and get it boiling, add sap to hold 2" of sap in the pan as it is evaporating. Lower the heat once you have no more sap to add to the pan. Now it gets tricky. Once you have about an inch in a 2x4 pan you still have boiling to do but need to be careful not to burn it. If you can simmer it you looking for maybe 1/2" of liquid left and your close to syrup.

Maybe around 3/4" left in pan, bring it inside to finish. Filter before bringing inside if you can.

Hope that helps.

Terry

[DASH]

A trick that works quite well is to put your sap in 5 gal pails with lids, leave them outside so they freeze then pull the ice out and boil. That's natures RO, it works real well.

[Sugarmaker]

How fast is FAST?
Generally this is where size matters.
Freezing the sap and getting just the sweet is a good option.
If you want syrup in the morning for the kids pancakes, you might want to get some from a producer close by and keep boiling!:)
Regards,
Chris

[Samuelvw1]

Just got my new refractometer today and my sap tested around 1.5 and I have more or less of 52 gallons my fridge is packed and the rest of the sap is packed in snow under my deck which gets no sun in 4 gallon pails to boil it down as fast as I can I'm using my 2x4 evaporater that runs on a double burner propane my fire pit with 2 hotel pans I took from my work and a 5 gallon stainless steel pot goes on top of a turkey fryer anybody else have any thoughts about what I can do to speed my boil down warp speed

Sam
Shelton, Connecticut
40ish spiles and buckets with taps and drop lines

[DuncanFTGC/SS]

You could build a small RO unit, you already have a pan that is getting too big for your volume of sap/finished syrup level. You are preheating your sap. There is not a whole lot more that you can do.

[Sugarmaker]

Freezing it and removing the sweet from the center of the ice block is probably the best approach.
Ahhhhh, "warp speed" and making syrup on small pans does not go together in the same sentence. :)
I sense there is some driving factor here we don't know about! OK out with it! Are you really Dr. Tim Perkins long lost son????

example: We boil at a rate of about 140 gallons of raw sap per hour which in the maple world today is like I'm in a 69 Rambler American coasting up hill with the brake on!

Nothing at all wrong with making syrup in any type of set up that will contain sap and have a fire under it. Maybe just set your expectations a little lower for the equipment you have? Kick back put your feet up and make some awesome syrup.
You will need about 60 gallons of your sap to make a gallon of syrup. At a boiling rate of 3 gallons per hour your looking at about 12 hours of boiling.
Gather the family around to watch with you! have a "Is it done yet"? party.

I probably didn't help much?

Another concept is to dump half of the sap on the ground. You only have to boil half as much and will be done in half the time.
Don't laugh this does work. Only down side is the pancakes will be a lot drier.:)

There I go not being very helpful again. I do wish you luck and let us know.
I started out boiling on a little bigger flat pan years ago maybe 3 x 4 feet.


Regards,
Chris

[bigschuss]

I'm with Chris here. Sounds like your "hobby" has become a job that you don't have the time for. Maybe dump some of the sap? Otherwise, gather your buds and some brews and just enjoy a full day of boiling. Pitching the ice is really the only thing I can think of that will help you out. But it's not going to help in a warp speed kind of way.

[wnybassman]

Boiling on your current set-up should provide you plenty of time to think about your next set-up. I believe we all still do that no matter where we're at with our evaporation rate.

[Russell Lampron]

What I can suggest is to run your sap depth as low as possible to keep the boil as rapid as possible. For that a pan that size if it is perfectly level you should be able to run it about an 1" deep and be safe. If you are going to leave it unattended for any length of time you will need to run it deeper to keep from having an "awe ****" moment. It is going to take about 10 to 12 hours to boil in that much sap if you are getting an evaporation rate of about 3 gallons per hour.