Pre-heater for a steam table pan?

[jdircksen]

Anyone have any ideas for a sap pre-heater on a full size steam table pan? I've been pre-boiling on the stovetop then dumping it in, but I'd like a more hands off approach. I was thinking of placing a 1/3 size steam pan that's 6" deep inside the pan with a weldless bulkhead and stainless steel valve to control the dripping. Best I can tell the steam pans are 22g stainless steel. I could probably make it so it sits 1" above the boiling sap. It would end up blocking 1/3 of the pan so it could affect the path of boiling steam.

I don't have an exhaust stack to wrap copper around as a pre-heater, so the idea I mentioned is all I have for now. Thoughts?

[jrm]

Last year I boiled on a 2 burned camp stove due to shoulder surgery. For a preheater, I used a SS stock pot that could balance perfectly across the 2 steam table pans. Doing in this way, reduced the amount of steam I was blocking from my boiling pans. I definitely brought my sap temperature up. Because I was in a temporary solution, I did not add a drip-valve to it, so was doing the ladle method. If I were using that set-up again, I would add a valve to control flow. (In fact, I may be doing that anyway this year when I go back to my 55 gal drum.

[barnbc76]

How are you currently boiling? Turkey fryer or block arch or something?

[RileySugarbush]

Any warming pan that sits above the pans runs the risk of dripping condensation off the bottom and back into the sap. That almost completely negates the benefit of the warmer sap since you have to boil this drips again.

[jdircksen]

19428

I'm using 2 steam pans on a gas cooktop. I have a 5th burner in between the steam pans that could possibly be used for warming in some way. But I'm looking for a hands off method. I'd rather not have to constantly ladle out of a pot. and my pans are 6" and 8" tall, so I'd need a really tall pot for the middle if i was going to do a drip valve. And a pot that tall probably won't warm up very quickly. Hmm if I had some way to raise that 5th burner up, like an extension of some sort.