sappytapper
02-21-2017, 10:07 AM
The barrel I acquired to build my evaporator was one of the ones with a removable top, meaning it has a rubber ring around the inside of the lid.
Like an idiot, I didn't remove/replace that with stove gasket and foil when I built the evaporator, and the first test boil using only water, I definitely had a pretty strong burning rubber smell from that and the paint that was burning off both the inside and outside of the barrel.
However, I assumed that this would pretty much be over and done with when it came time to do a second (first real) boil. I didn't get so much of a paint smoking smell or visual this time, but definitely got a decent amount of rubber smell and some visible smoke coming from the lid area.
For those who have built barrel evaporators both with or without a removable lid, how much time burning did it take to really feel like you'd alleviated any concerns of burning off paint from the inside/outside of the barrel.
I'm going to be tossing the concentrated sap/near-syrup from last night, as I don't really feel comfortable knowing that some of the stuff that I was smelling could have potentially infiltrated the syrup. Will be disassembling and hitting as many surfaces as I can with a wire wheel, and cleaning up the inside lip of the lid as best I can and doing another water-only boil to be sure I don't smell anything chemical-ish before I boil sap on it again. Steam pan(s) cango on the turkey fryer burner and/or firepit grate until then for now, i suppose.
Those with barrel evaps, any anecdotes about your first few firings/boilings?
Like an idiot, I didn't remove/replace that with stove gasket and foil when I built the evaporator, and the first test boil using only water, I definitely had a pretty strong burning rubber smell from that and the paint that was burning off both the inside and outside of the barrel.
However, I assumed that this would pretty much be over and done with when it came time to do a second (first real) boil. I didn't get so much of a paint smoking smell or visual this time, but definitely got a decent amount of rubber smell and some visible smoke coming from the lid area.
For those who have built barrel evaporators both with or without a removable lid, how much time burning did it take to really feel like you'd alleviated any concerns of burning off paint from the inside/outside of the barrel.
I'm going to be tossing the concentrated sap/near-syrup from last night, as I don't really feel comfortable knowing that some of the stuff that I was smelling could have potentially infiltrated the syrup. Will be disassembling and hitting as many surfaces as I can with a wire wheel, and cleaning up the inside lip of the lid as best I can and doing another water-only boil to be sure I don't smell anything chemical-ish before I boil sap on it again. Steam pan(s) cango on the turkey fryer burner and/or firepit grate until then for now, i suppose.
Those with barrel evaps, any anecdotes about your first few firings/boilings?