Pan Keeps Scorching

[Springfield Acer]

Early this season, I had a float stick on my front pan and it scorched and actually flashed on fire. It happened before I had any hot condensate off the hood/preheater so I had to hit it with the hose.
Of course, the cold water instantly warped the bottom of the pan in two of the four compartments.
This is a 2 x 2 parallel flow soldered pan that I have now used for five seasons.
It still does not leak!
I warped it once before.
Now, for some reason, the one compartment wants to scorch for no apparent reason.
One time, it scorched the entire third compartment and half of the second.
The next time it scorched a 6" square section of the third compartment in a warped area that the syrup would actually be the deepest.
Once a pan is severely warped, does it start causing these kind of problems?
Maybe just a seasonal thing with the sap?
This is an A&A pan that I bought new.
Does anybody know if they are still in business?
I heard that the father split off and started Sunshine Metals.
I've wanted a spare anyways so now's probably the time.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Not knowing your setup I can't be specific, but in general you probably need both more depth and better flow (scoop towards the draw off and check for aproning more often).

[jmayerl]

Is the bottom of the pan perfectly clean and shiny? If not and there is any niter build up, it can scorch easy. That is why you reverse flow every day or clean the pan.

[Sugarbush Ridge]

Springfield,,,, did you or have you scratched the bottom of pan. I think I remember somewhere written,,, said that scratches will cause more niger to form thus causing to scorch quicker,,,,, Just my 2 cents So shine the bottom as much as possible. Also heard that scratches on underside also causes more suet to stick to under side

[Springfield Acer]

What is 'aproning'?

[Springfield Acer]

Does anybody know if A&A is still in business?

[Sunday Rock Maple]

What is 'aproning'?

Perhaps you call it sheeting, but the syrup will do this off the tip of your scoop before the pan will scorch. When it does get it moving.

[Springfield Acer]

I do not ever use a scoop when I'm boiling or anything.
I always just let it boil and draw off.
Never have had any problem until this year (5th year on this rig)
It sounds like 'sheeting' or 'aproning' is when the syrup doe not come off the scoop in a single stream or thread and instead it runs off in a wide sheet.
Do you regularly have a scoop in the syrup to check for this only or are you actually doing something else important and you also keep an eye on the sheeting?
Apparently, I have been doing something wrong?

[mellondome]

Does anybody know if A&A is still in business?
Andy is still there. Was just over there yesterday. If you need a new pan, now is the time to get it.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Wrong is a strong word, could we all be improving? Probably. We boil 8 percent on a 5 by 14 King and switch sides with each boil. When we start up we often get syrup in the third tray over before we get it in the tray we are drawing off with (and the one that has the thermocouple). Checking for aproning with a scoop in the third tray will alert us to that so that we can start the draw early and (if need be) move it along to avoid scorching.

Back in the days before hydrometers and thermometers that's all they had.

[DrTimPerkins]

I do not ever use a scoop when I'm boiling or anything.
I always just let it boil and draw off.

Same here. A scoop is to hang on the wall as a nice decoration or if you want some syrup for your donut. The sap/sweet will move naturally as you boil. Moving it around will just disrupt the natural process of gradient formation. You simply need to add sap at the inlet, and take syrup off at the outlet, and the gradient will form. The gradient formation is much more of a "leave it alone" thing than an active thing you need to do. About the only other action you might want to do would be to start drawing off early (slowly) to draw the sweet around a little in order to avoid overshooting syrup.

It sounds to me like either your pan was not dead-level, the previous scorches have made high/low spots in the pan which will tend to scorch easier, or the scratches are causing niter to build up rapidly in that area. The solution is to either 1) level the pan, 2) run the pan very deep or 3) switch sides or stop and clean more frequently. If those don't work, then option 4) replace the pan. It is also possible that you have naturally hot and cold spots in the pan (pan edges are typically a bit colder than the middle), but since you've had the pans for a while, you're probably well aware of that nature if your pans were that way. If I were you, I'd try doing #1, 2, and 3 above (all at the same time), and if it scorches again, go to #4.

[RileySugarbush]

We don't excessively "scoop", but do find it handy to have one. Mostly when we reverse flow mid boil. We take several scoops from near the old draw and put it in the new. Helps avoid the third channel syrup event.

Plus showing the aproning to guests is educational and entertaining.

[DrTimPerkins]

Mostly when we reverse flow mid boil. We take several scoops from near the old draw and put it in the new.

Ah....I see. We do essentially the same when switching sides by drawing off a bucket of syrup and pouring it into the new draw-off floatbox.

[RileySugarbush]

Another handy use of our scoop: checking for niter by tapping on the bottom... "Tink , tink" sound = no problem. "Thud, thud" = time to reverse.

[Springfield Acer]

So, does reversing just buy you more time or does it actually remove niter?
Yes, my pan boils hardest in #2 & #3 since the pan bears on the side wall covering a good 1" all along.
I too transfer some syrup but usually after a down period where all of the chambers have equalized. Then, once I get a boils started, I draw off a couple quarts from #4 and put it in #2 & #3. This is to avoid weak material in the draw off box and to keep for betting two plus chambers that all need to draw off at once.
Thanks for the help.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Removes, reversing is in the owners manual from Leader for our pans and given the heat pattern from our guns we will sometimes get syrup in the third tray before the flow that Dr Tim talked about is established. We do start the draw early to compensate, but we also check that tray with a scoop when it gets close. I should also confess that I sometimes fish with worms (horrors) not very cool but simple and effective.......

[Sugarmaker]

Not knowing your setup I can't be specific, but in general you probably need both more depth and better flow (scoop towards the draw off and check for aproning more often).

Brian,
3000+ taps and you know what aproning is too. Not many folks left! Thanks. You comments were right on the money.
Regards,
Chris

[Springfield Acer]

OK, so how deep on average should the syrup be in the front pan (assuming a flat bottom)?

[mellondome]

It all depends on your comfort level. I prefer to only have syrup in the draw off box!
With a 2 by x i would think most run between 3/4" and 1". Only reason to run deeper is if you have a high spot in your pan or if you are new to an evaporator and learning the work flow.

[Springfield Acer]

Sounds like I'm OK. I probably run 3/4 at the float box and one inch in the deepest warp.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I found out many years ago for me I have minimal problems when I run syrup pan 1.5" to 2" deep and everything runs a lot smoother and gradient stays established a lot better.

[Springfield Acer]

Thanks everyone. I ordered a new front pan today from A&A. I will look at running deeper next year. I have been told that shallower is faster but on the other hand, at 3/4" deep, my float is almost touching the bottom of the float box leaving very little margin for error.

[maple flats]

I tend to run my front pan at 1-1.25" deep, some minimal warp in 2 sections, I get no scorching. The warp came when I forgot to open the valve between the flue pan and the syrup pan one time. Before the warp I ran 3/4-1" deep. I actually have 2 front pans, one with the warp one no warp. I still use the pans regardless, sometimes one sometimes the other, while the spare is being cleaned by my homemade pan washer.

[Springfield Acer]

Yeah, before the scorching, I wanted a second pan to keep rolling while cleaning or in case I had a really bad episode that melted the solder to the point of leakage. I should pick up the new pan in about a month.