First Boil Question

[wmick]

Forecast is looking awesome and will likely be firing my new evaporator up in the coming days.... Been spending a lot of time on here, studying and asking questions, and have learned a lot.. Thanks to everyone.

I'm getting really pumped and nervous about my first boil.... One thing is still gnawing at me a bit though... Hopefully someone can help me out...
I have a 50" drop flue flowing into a 24" flat pan.... and I presume the flue pan is going to get a lot hotter and boil faster and quicker than the syrup pan... On the very first boil, before everything is sweet and a gradient is formed... I am imagining syrup starting to form in the flue pan before the syrup pan thickens up.... Does anybody draw some raw sap off the front and pour it into the back for the first while... until things get rolling and displaced properly.???... or just let it ride and things will work out???

[berkshires]

As you boil, you'll be constantly adding new raw sap to the flue pans. That's why you don't get syrup there. However the only sap flowing to the syrup pan will be the partially cooked sap coming from the flue pan. And because you're boiling off so much in your flue pan, you're pulling a lot of fresh sap in.

Hope that helps allay your fears a bit.

Have fun!

Gabe

[wmick]

Thanks Gabe - Yes it helps...
From everything I've read... I think I have a decent understanding of how the gradient works now.... once, you've got one going... It was just that "Start Up" part that really had me wondering.... Starting with a syrup pan full of raw sap, rather than sweet from the sap pan... But I've not run across anyone talking about altered startup procedures either... so I guess I needn't worry...

[BCPP]

We're also about to (hopefully!) start making syrup on our new mini pro evaporator. We bought it to demo modern syrup making process at our maple festival but so far weather has not cooperated! We have been boiling water for the past week for demo purposes. One advantage is that it has allowed us to play around with stoking etc.to see the effect on the boil in both the flue pan and the syrup pan. Excited to actually get making syrup. Share your concerns about establishing the gradient and getting it producing but I guess that's something we will just have to learn from experience (aka trial and error!).

Hope the weather holds!!

Ps: don't run a lot of water through unless you have to. We did because of the festival and I'm not looking forward to having to clean the pans of all the mineral deposits from the water!

[Run Forest Run!]

Good luck BCPP. Welcome fellow Central Ontario sugarer.

[Dave Puhl]

I don't worry about the flue pan for gradient...not sure if your sugar pan has divider's in it ..when I start from zero in the 2x6 sugar pan with divider's...I help the gradient along after I start to get some color I draw some off the put it back in the center... I keep this up for several times..starting up with a sweet sugar pan I do the same ..watching it don't make syrup in the middle and get the gradient started