Tiny evaporators

[highlandcattle]

How about every o ne working with a tiny maple operation show off their evaporators! There must be lots of you out there with great set ups. Start posting about what you're using this year. Wood fired,electric,gas?! Lets see some pics!

[NhShaun]

Depends what you consider tiny. Still interested to see some of the other sugar makers ingenuity in this thread.

[mol1jb]

Bout the smallest pure evaporator I have heard of is 18x36. I will be building something similar for my Dad next year for his two dozen taps.

[berkshires]

How about every o ne working with a tiny maple operation show off their evaporators! There must be lots of you out there with great set ups. Start posting about what you're using this year. Wood fired,electric,gas?! Lets see some pics!

I think mine is about 1' x 2'. :) I built it out of an old sheet-metal wood-burning stove. I get about 3.5 GPH out of it.

Here's a pic of how it looks now: http://mapletrader.com/maplegallery/data/649/mod4_with_trough.jpg

And here's a thread I wrote about the making of it: http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?29303-Evaporator-from-small-wood-burning-stove-cheap!

The only bad thing about it is that the firebox is so small that there isn't room for insulation and brick, and so the sides of the evaporator are all warping. I'm actually afraid to add AUF because it works pretty well now, and if the fire were any hotter the whole thing would just melt into a heap!

That said, it works pretty well, and I was able to keep up with 15 taps last year, even though I was only boiling a couple times per week max. Made four and a half gallons of syrup.

[Craig M]

This is the 18"X36" drop flue I started on a few years ago. There is a local Amish tin guy that makes them and ships them all over the place. I had a lot of fun with it and learned a lot too, but eventually had to upgrade to a 2'X6'.

17718

[Trapper2]

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40 X 40 firebox with a 36 X 40 flat pan on it. The whole front is a hinged door. Conveyor to roll the pan off when near syrup.

[MaplePittsburgh]

Here is my setup. It is made from a heating oil tank and some steam table pans. I put a video of it on my youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEpoo4PExzs 17723

[Haynes Forest Products]

Berkshires Exellent use of the sign post with the holes. I applaud your ingenuity. I saw it and ther first thing I thought is (1) I have a pile of them (2) you could weld them together making a tube with holes top and bottom making it stronger (3) put a blower onto them (4) Crap I fire with oiul.....DANG IT. But really great job.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Trapper2 I would get something like bricks or even a small piece of angle iron and close off the opening in the front rail. Having that open will allow cold air to form a curtain at the front of the pan of cold air. It will get drawn in and cool the fire down a smidge and that adds up. I know it seems trivial but every BTU is important on the smaller rigs. Give it a try and see if things boil a little harder. Your bringing back some of my best memories about being a back yarder.

[berkshires]

Thanks Haynes!

So far all the other evaporators mentioned here are way bigger than mine. Anyone have one that's tinier, or do I win? :)

Gabe

[MaplePittsburgh]

Well, my first ever evaporator was a 5 gallon stock pot on a fire but after 14 hours of boiling with very little progress I abandoned that one...

[Twin Chimneys Syrup]

I’ve upgraded this year and I’m really liking it so far. I built the ever popular barrel stove evaporator with SS serving trays last year and it worked pretty good, learned a lot and had fun! So for my third year I got an 18”x2’x6” flat pan. Sealed it in good with stove gasket and a tight cut. I added a pre heater from the old SS serving tray that I’ve been able to preheat the sap to 115 degrees with. Also got a 100cfm fan to boost the evap rate to about 5.5 to 6 gph, so I added a few more taps as well! It been fun

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180221/7611608fa29e372d432ec920d13c5197.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180221/035e1af1cfe6050b747218f8db808928.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180221/3c511c442acf365c1ec6047dbb7c729d.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MaplePittsburgh]

Wow, Twin Chimneys, that thing looks awesome! How do you vent the steam?

[Hoppy]

Last year I boiled in a steam pan on my coleman camp stove out on the porch. This year I built a framework to fit on my Blackstone griddle (with the griddle removed). The framework holds 2 pans. It worked ok. I think I only got about 2 gallons per hour. I was hoping for more. It was convenient though. I think I may try to build a 55 gallon drum arch for next year. I'll keep with the 2 steam pans and try for some kind of preheater.

[raptorfan85]

Here's my homemade oil fired evaporator. Got the barrel for free from Scm on here (thanks!) The gun was one of several my old man had lying around so that was free, I just had to pay to insulate it. Runs a .75 gph 80* solid nozzle and boils at about 4gph.
http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l343/raptorfan85/IMG_20180221_174623988_zpsc3icbdcr.jpg (http://s328.photobucket.com/user/raptorfan85/media/IMG_20180221_174623988_zpsc3icbdcr.jpg.html)
http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l343/raptorfan85/IMG_20180221_174618061_zpszn5xub6u.jpg (http://s328.photobucket.com/user/raptorfan85/media/IMG_20180221_174618061_zpszn5xub6u.jpg.html)
http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l343/raptorfan85/IMG_20180221_174611996_zpssdm8ainy.jpg (http://s328.photobucket.com/user/raptorfan85/media/IMG_20180221_174611996_zpssdm8ainy.jpg.html)

The best part is that when I want to turn it on I plug it in, when I'm done I unplug it and it shuts off. No warm up or cool down. When I go bigger I think I'll stick with oil, it works well for me.

[jrm]

Twin Chimneys Syrup ...

Looking at your pics, am I right that your AUF duct is rigged to the barrel stove door venting? If so, what are you using for that transition? Sheet metal? Last year, I completely jerry-rigged flexible dryer duct, from a bouncy house fan to the door vent... it worked, but not the best.

[Fyreaway]

18" x 18" electric http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?25802-e-Vaporator

[Twin Chimneys Syrup]

JRM

The transition is just foil tape doubled up so the sticky part isn’t exposed. I turn it off and move it when I add wood then put it back. My original plan was to drill a 4” hole below that door vent and put a short piece of duct in it but this was just easier and I didn’t have to alter the evaporator.

[Twin Chimneys Syrup]

MaplePittsburgh

Thank you it’s come a ways since last year. As far a venting, I take the ridge vent out and open the doors if it isn’t too windy. I havnt sprung for the fire brick yet so that stove put out plenty of heat to warm the “shack” even with the doors open. Only once did I have a rain storm inside from condensation off the metal roof, it was very cold that day.

[jrm]

JRM

The transition is just foil tape doubled up so the sticky part isn’t exposed. I turn it off and move it when I add wood then put it back. My original plan was to drill a 4” hole below that door vent and put a short piece of duct in it but this was just easier and I didn’t have to alter the evaporator.

Thanks. I think it'll help if we get it figured out when we're not working with a hot evap. :)

[Sinzibuckwud]

Here's the new rig all 1\4" steel red brick on bottom and fire brick up the sides and along back, still have to insulate the door. Won't be small long though have the steel to add the back section just debating how much to add 4 6 8 ft.... Course gonna need a bigger shack too...and more storage...and..and...and lol
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[weldable]

This is a 20in x 56 inch with a lot of goodies. is it possible to be addicted to the fabrication of this equipment? I am having a lot of fun with it my 3rd evap build I sold the other two after running them for a couple years. I am getting some good numbers with a drop flue pan of copper and a preheater with float setup. waiting for more sap to nail down what this little thing will do.Sometimes smaller is better.

hthttp://mapletrader.com/community/images/attach/jpg.giftp://mapletrader.com/community/images/attach/jpg.gif

[Trapper2]

Trapper2 I would get something like bricks or even a small piece of angle iron and close off the opening in the front rail. Having that open will allow cold air to form a curtain at the front of the pan of cold air. It will get drawn in and cool the fire down a smidge and that adds up. I know it seems trivial but every BTU is important on the smaller rigs. Give it a try and see if things boil a little harder. Your bringing back some of my best memories about being a back yarder.

Thank you, Actually after my first boil last year I had a buddy cut me 2 pieces of 1/4" plate steel 40" X 4" to close off that area in the front and another for the back. Good catch!

[gfm]

17785
Lapierre 18x48 with custom Leader hood and preheater. 20-23 gallons hour

[weldable]

sorry about that too many buttons sometimes.

[fisheatingbagel]

I'll bet that copper flue pan really boils. How is it connected to the syrup pan?

[weldable]

to answer your question the back pan is not connected to the syrup pan I watch the waterfall and maintain pan level in the upper corner of the syrup pan just got done today and very pleased with 5 quarts of the light stuff I am impressed with this for making light syrup all I could do is make dark before.it is a lot of regulating to maintain a level but when set with the fire I was drawing off slowly for over 15 minutes at one point.