Half pint draw off advice needed

[penfrydd]

The last time I made syrup was in 1972. Every four years my family and aunts and uncles would set out around 350 taps and make enough syrup to last all of us four years or so. We boiled on an old 2 X 8 Grimm, with no deep flue pans, but just a 1 inch depression and rise to it. When time to get near draw off, we'd plug off the finishing pan and let it boil down until done. Then we'd open the draw off until the level got fairly low, then open the plug to let the unfinished sap push the finished sap out.

Now to the present. I'm going to set out 20 taps or so. I just got a used half pint. It looks just like the intermediate pan that we used to use. But the question is; do you just rely on the gradient, or do you block off the last segment somehow? Alternately, am I better off to take the unfinished syrup off at around 218 and finish it in a kettle using propane?

I'm looking forward to tapping again. It's been a long time.

penfrydd

[Biz]

I was never able to draw off finished syrup on my old half pint. I would take some off when it was close, simmer it overnight on the woodstove, then finish it off in my kitchen. Same problem with my 18x48" CDL - too much mixing between pans, unless they are modified somehow. Used to have no problems drawing off good syrup with my old 2x4 or 2x6 evaporators. I think some of the lower end hobby pans aren't well set up for finishing off.

Dave

[Wanabe1972]

I found when I ran a small divided pan like that it's easier to draw off heavy syrup. Then you can correct before you can it up. It's way easier to add some fresh clean sap to correct than to reboil it to correct. Jeff

[buckeye gold]

I used a half pint for 4 or 5 seasons and learned to finish on propane with a stock pot. You can finish on the half pint, but it will be a bunch of really small draws. I would let it cook until the whole syrup section and part of the middle was near syrup and draw a good size draw and finish on propane. The temp at the draw off would be 218-219 and would fall to 216 in the middle and all mixed you'd have around 1.5 gallons of near syrup, probably around 217, and would finish about a quart to half gallon of syrup. I would push the near syrup to the draw off by opening the feed more and that will keep you from scorching. I now have a hybrid pan and still finish on propane, Old habits die hard.