End of season on a Smoky Lake hybrid pan

[From the woods of Maine]

Hello,

I'm new to the mapletrader site and not even sure if I'm in the right place to post a question, but here it is. I invested in a shiny new smoky lake hybrid pan with auto fill float box and auto run off valve. It's pretty cool. My season is going to run short this year as a vacation is in order to the carribean. NEVER AGAIN DURING MAPLE SEASON!!! so I'm looking to get all the syrup I can from the pan. Once the sap is done running, what is the method to boil out the last of the syrup? do I add water to the float box so that the gradient moves through the pan to the outlet?

[Michael Greer]

In answer to From the Woods, The method you described is often referred to as "chasing with water". I'm sure you can look it up on the site and read all about it. I prefer to close the gate and empty the back pan into buckets and re-fill (over-fill even) that pan with water. I then add the reserved liquid to the front pan a bit at a time until it's all in. This will get your back pan somewhat clean, allow the syrup pan to perform as designed, and draw off syrup in the normal way. Stop firing in time to assure that you don't over cook the last of the syrup pan, and after things have cooled, finish that last bit on the stove. After all of the good stuff is safely out of the way, you can dump a couple gallons of white vinegar into the pans, fill them to the brim, and build one last fire to heat it up. The mineral deposits will dissolve, and leave your rig pretty nearly clean.

[maple flats]

Isn't the the hybrid a pan with both a flue area and a flat area all in one pan? If it is, I think you need to drain the pan and finish the end on some other stove, in a pot. If it is a 2 pan set-up run everything into the flat pan, fill the back with water and boil until the front gets down to about 1/2-3/4". Then drain that pan and finish it on a stove. Bigger evaporators get by chasing the syrup with water, but a small pan will not do as well doing that.

[From the woods of Maine]

thanks for the info, once I figured out how to dial in the temps, on the output side and temper my auto valve to about 1/3 open, My draws last for about 5 minutes at a good drizzle with the temperature only fluctuating slightly up at the onset of the draw by anywhere from .2-.7 above my draw off temperature (I built my own propane fired arch) things are really going well. Been cold in Maine so my 25 taps only produced about 20 gallons in the last 2 days, however the early season was good and I have good trees, about 8 gallons so far of finished syrup. The hybrid pan was a bit of a learning curve too, my first batch out was a bit dark, but after reading some threads here, I've adjusted my auto fill level down in the pan from 2" to about an 1-1/4" and simply keep a good eye on it. Syrup is beautiful and very clear. I do run through an orlon filter while hot coming out.

[BCPP]

Hello,

I'm new to the mapletrader site and not even sure if I'm in the right place to post a question, but here it is. I invested in a shiny new smoky lake hybrid pan with auto fill float box and auto run off valve. It's pretty cool. My season is going to run short this year as a vacation is in order to the carribean. NEVER AGAIN DURING MAPLE SEASON!!! so I'm looking to get all the syrup I can from the pan. Once the sap is done running, what is the method to boil out the last of the syrup? do I add water to the float box so that the gradient moves through the pan to the outlet?

Just an fyi, you should have started a new thread! Entering a second unrelated question onto an existing thread is called thread highjacking and is discouraged because things get confusing as people try to discuss two different topics on the same thread.

[maple flats]

I have now moved this to it's own thread.
For others, new or old members, when you have a post that is not related to the thread it is in, start your own thread. To do that, go back to "forum", chose the right area and then click on "new thread". Then make the post there, as long as it is within the rules of this Forum.
Dave

[maple flats]

Which Hybrid pan do you have, the 3',4',5, or 6'? On the 2 longer ones you might be able to "chase" the syrup with water, but I don't even do it with my 3x8. I tried it, but find it easier to drain my flue pan (3x5'), fill it with water or permeate from the RO and then I open the valve between the pans after I have also drained the syrup pan, I do push the remaining syrup pan contents withg the water flow from the flue pan until the water just gets to the draw off float box. I then pump everything that was drained from both pans to my finisher where I bring it to proper density.
On a smaller scale, that would be to drain the hybrid pan completely and finish it on a turkey fryer or other large pot on a propane burner.

[Eberzin]

I drain my Hybrid hobby, both flu and syrup and finish on a turkey fryer, the right into my filter/bottler. The bigger your finish pan is on the fryer the quicker it will go. A little 16 x16 pan is nice for this.