How to fire up a new evaporator?

[TradeRiver]

I have a new 3'x10' evaporator with raised flues, continuous flow, pre-heater in the hood. I've spent over 10 years cooking on a 2x5 flat pan so this is a major upgrade for me.

I am going to fire up for the first time this weekend - I assembled everything myself so I have a good idea of how everything works. I'm sure I have a lot to learn though!

One question that I can't figure out:

When I fire up for the first time in the season and my system is full of raw sap what prevents me from making syrup across all the pans? I know as the evaporation starts and fresh sap is called for in the float box I will start to get some flow but is that enough? Do I need to draw off hot sap a few times to get some type of flow going through the system? I guess I'm wondering if anyone has a typical start up procedure.

Also, at the end of the year or at the end of the batch how do you chase the last bit of syrup out of the system? Add water? Or do you just have to give up on the last few gallons of potential syrup?

Thanks,

Jason

[motowbrowne]

Good morning Jason,

Moving up to a real cooker is a big step. Congrats on taking the plunge. You will not regret it. A 3x10 from Jim is a very nice rig. There's definitely some tips and tricks to get started. You have my phone number. If you want to chat sometime I'd be happy to share what I learned when I went from flat pans to a real rig.

[stewardsdairy]

Sap will flow continuous. Just start up with raw sap at proper levels. I go about 3/4 inch over flues and 1 1/2 in to 2 inches in syrup pan. Get floats adjusted for proper flow and watch it like a hawk. New sap coming in will move towards front as the sap in front of it evaporates. You won't make syrup in all the pans, but it will seem to take forever to finally get syrup in front pans. At end of year push with water and then you can take whats left to someone with a smaller evaporator or finisher. Last year my final boils started producing some pretty crappy syrup so I just sacrificed it. At the end of a batch just leave it in evaporator for start of next boil. Be sure to stop feeding flame before you run out of sap, especially with wood fire. Learning when to stop feeding takes time and have water available just in case you need to add. Never let flues or pan go dry or get too low! Would be helpful if you got someone in the know to help you run it the first time!

[pls009]

This was great advice - not to hijack this thread but I am new also - What do you do when you are going to have a string of days with weather in the teens and you know you won't be boiling? Do you need to drain the pans somewhat or all the way to prevent ice issues? I also just purchased a Vortex with Revolution pans. Thanks




Sap will flow continuous. Just start up with raw sap at proper levels. I go about 3/4 inch over flues and 1 1/2 in to 2 inches in syrup pan. Get floats adjusted for proper flow and watch it like a hawk. New sap coming in will move towards front as the sap in front of it evaporates. You won't make syrup in all the pans, but it will seem to take forever to finally get syrup in front pans. At end of year push with water and then you can take whats left to someone with a smaller evaporator or finisher. Last year my final boils started producing some pretty crappy syrup so I just sacrificed it. At the end of a batch just leave it in evaporator for start of next boil. Be sure to stop feeding flame before you run out of sap, especially with wood fire. Learning when to stop feeding takes time and have water available just in case you need to add. Never let flues or pan go dry or get too low! Would be helpful if you got someone in the know to help you run it the first time!

[psparr]

The pans should be fine. If your worried, put a light in the arch. That should be enough the keep it from freezing.

[bowtie]

Let me/us know what you are getting for gph, i am thinking about that rig but would like to be at least 150 gph, I know they quoted around 120 from a fully decked out 3x8. If not I will look at 3x12 or 4x12.

[motowbrowne]

Let me/us know what you are getting for gph, i am thinking about that rig but would like to be at least 150 gph, I know they quoted around 120 from a fully decked out 3x8. If not I will look at 3x12 or 4x12.

Personally, I think a 3x8 is a bit of a waste of efficiency. Just think of how much heat goes up the stack after 8' of pans versus a 3x12, where you have 4 more feet of pan before you're done extracting heat. Just my thoughts on the matter.

[stewardsdairy]

This was great advice - not to hijack this thread but I am new also - What do you do when you are going to have a string of days with weather in the teens and you know you won't be boiling? Do you need to drain the pans somewhat or all the way to prevent ice issues? I also just purchased a Vortex with Revolution pans. Thanks

Sometimes when I know it's going to be real cold extended time I drain the flue pan and possibly the syrup pan. Probably not necessary, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

[stewardsdairy]

My 3 x 10 with steam away does about 250 gallons of sap per hour.

[DaveB]

You don't need to draw off any sap to build up a gradient. That will happen automatically because sap is being evaporated off across the entire evaporator. On your size evaporator, you will need to boil off about 400 gallons of sap if you keep a 2" depth which is a good place to be when first learning the idiosyncrasies of your new rig.

Good luck! There's nothing like firing up a new rig...just don't burn your pans! Have a spare bucket of sap ready to dump if needed!

[Sugarmaker]

It will boil faster than you can imagine!
that 3 x 10 doing 250 GPH must be over the top!
Watch for syrup being made in the center sections first, Have a bucket of sap handy!
The sap should push the syrup towards the draw off port. A drop of defoamer after each firing, at the draw off point will help bring the syrup to that point too.
Have fun with your new rig! Sounds like a nice one. I would guess your at 150 Gph?
Regards,
Chris