Evaporating Question - How to best not scorch my pan...

[HawkeyeMike]

Hello, new poster here...getting ready to start my 4th year of boiling, with maybe a couple of (maybe stupid) questions. For context, here is my process:
- This year I will have around 50 taps.
- I boil on a Leader half-pint evaporator.
- I boil twice a week (usually Tues and Sat) during the season.
- For each boil, let's say I have 100 gallons of sap, reduced to 50 via my ROBucket.
- So I'm boiling 50 gals down to around 2 gallons of syrup.
- But, I can't let my pan get down to 2 gallons, or it will scorch the pan. So I let it get down to about 3/4" depth in the pan, which is usually around 4 gallons. Then I finish each batch with a turkey fryer, filter and bottle.
So, to my stupid question - right now, to stop the boil process on the evaporator, I stop feeding the wood maybe 10 minutes before I hit that 3/4 inch, and I need a buddy to help me lift the pan off the evaporator and move it somewhere cool, where I can safely let out the 4 gallons into my SS pot. That is a pain, because sometimes I don't have a buddy around, and it is almost impossible to do this myself. And I can't just empty the 4 gallons while still on the evap as that would scorch the pan for sure, right? So...what am I missing? Is there an easier and safe way to do this?
Thanks for any advice anyone could give!
Mike

[MapleMark753]

Hey.. Have you tried "chasing" the near syrup out of the pan with an equal amount of water? Like where you open the draw off into a pail or whatever, and at the same time you pour water into the pan at the other end at about an equal rate. Then when the clear/water visually reaches the draw off, stop. Don't know if that would work for you, but I've done that (different evaporator though) as have others. Good luck!

[Haynes Forest Products]

I used to batch cook on a big square evaporator and feel your pain. My solution was to put the fire out by removing the big wood and put the fire out right where it was with a garden hose. Now its a messy steam/ash mess with water flowing out of all corners of the arch.

Now have you thought of one of those $150.00 Harbor freight lift cranes. You could lift it up and out of the way and it wont drink all your beer.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Here you go cheaper than I thought

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-60732.html

[tcross]

one thing I would be inclined to try... say you evaporate 10 gallons per hour on your set up. you have 4 gallons of near syrup left in your pan. could you save some sap (10-20gal) and not send it through your R.O bucket and when you are at your 4 gallon/3/4"depth mark and ready to be done, start adding the un-r.o'd sap keeping your 3/4" depth and just draw off syrup at the proper density? would save you time finishing it off on a separate rig and by adding the un-r.o'd sap you'd basically be skipping the R.O process for that little bit you put in at the end? just an idea... not so sure I conveyed my thought clearly though?

[ronintank]

HAWKEYEMIKE
I run my evap all by my self and my flat pan is 30 x 60 and have to remove the pan to get the syrup out.
i set a couple of saw horses with a sheet of 3/4" plywood up so the plywood is right up next to the pans bottom.
then right next to the pan sitting on the plywood i lay a cut off broom handle.
I can lift the pan just enough to get the end of the pan sitting on the broom handle then grab the end of the pan lift it up from the arch and roll it on the broom handle until the pan is off the arch and on the plywood.
I have a sheet metal cover i put on the arch while i am draining the pan and the syrup never gets burned. i hope to this year weld up a cart on 4 wheels to replace the saw horses and make it even a little bit easier.

[Sugarmaker]

Hawkeymike,
Just be real careful! We dont want any one getting burned out there. I think you rig was made to draw off from the pans on the arch? Yes/ No? Has a valve on one corner? I would start to consider/ learn ways, methods, to keep the pan on the arch and the hot syrup being drawn off from that port. Much safer and less work for you in the long run. Good that your reducing your boil time by removing 50% of the water. That's huge. Now just leave the near syrup in the pan when you shut down and start it right back up next time, pushing the syrup with new sap. You will eventually get to syrup and be able to draw some off from the pan.
Regards,
Chris

[tcross]

if you have a draw off port, I'd say that sugarmaker's response is the best... keep the sweet in the pan and just add to it the next go around. it shouldn't spoil if it's that close to syrup!

[Sugarmaker]

Just hit that 4000 post sweet spot too! (pun intended) I have a problem!:)
Regards,
Chris

[HawkeyeMike]

Thanks for all these responses - I appreciate the input. I don't want to get burned either! :)
My Leader pan does have the three sections and draw-off valves on each side...I've just never had much luck creating/keeping a good gradient. I definitely like the idea of finding a way to draw off the near syrup without moving the pan. I will experiment with a couple of the ideas listed. I also like the idea of setting up a station next door to the arch, using something like a dowel to make it easy and safe for one person to move the pan off the evaporator.
Thanks again,
Mike

[Biz]

I boiled on a Leader half pint for 18 years. I would draw off 2-3 qts of near-syrup every 2-4 hours and finish it off and bottle up in my kitchen. It was not easy to draw off syrup of the correct density. I did not drain the pan every time, just leave the partially boiled sap in for next time, then you pick up with sap already partly boiled. This is the way most people use this type of sectioned pan.

Dave

[HawkeyeMike]

Is it ok to do that if I'm only boiling twice per week? This is the issue I have with leaving it in the pan. I'd hate to leave partially boiled sap in the pan late Tuesday night all the way until Saturday morning...I could see if someone were firing up the evaporator daily, but what about if twice per week? Is is still a common practice? Thanks!
Mike

[DrTimPerkins]

You might get away with leaving it for more than a few days if the weather turns real cold, but if it is warm (later season), then no, don't leave it for more than a day or two without either draining the pan or firing it up to a boil every day or two.

[Big_Eddy]

When I used to boil with a 2x3 non-divided pan, when I got to about an inch, I would stop adding wood, and start adding twigs. A handful of fine twigs every few minutes as the coals cooled down and I could coax the depth down to 1/4".

Then I would position a pail on one side of the arch, rotate the pan 45 degrees, and then tilt the pan up and pour out the lower corner of the pan. Flop it back down, pour 5 gallons of sap in and stoke the fire back up.

[maple flats]

As long as you have the draw offs, as it is ready for you to draw off, if you plan to finish on another heat source, just let the fire slow down, with a bucket of sap ready, draw it down to about 1/4". If the pan is not perfectly level, the 1/4" should be the shallowest, but it should be level. Then immediately add the bucket of sap and stoke the fire back to at least get the pan to a full boil using smaller sticks. Then let it go out unless you have more syrup to boil. This being a 3 compartment pan, you should also be able to draw off slowly at one valve while you are adding near the other valve. Just add at about the same speed you are drawing, this will push the sweet towards the draw off. Doing it that way, you can keep the fire going until your sap is nearly gone, then stop fueling.

[Sugarmaker]

I agree that you may have problems getting a gradient in the small evaporator. Heck I have trouble on our old 3 x 10 King some days too. Maybe you could batch it off, if you have can plug off a partition? Made syrup like that for years. I just dont like the idea of sloshing hot syrup as you move the pan.
Regards,
Chris

[MapleMark753]

Lots of good experienced suggestions for you to check out and/or try, good to read them for me too. If you decide to go the water/chase the near syrup out route, its worthwhile to know that permeate (from your RO bucket) is a pretty good pan cleaner by itself. At least some of the deposits between boils seem to just dissolve right off after a soak in that RO water. Good luck, and let us know what works for you.