Building my Drum Evaporator

[Dennis H.]

Howdy all, I had started to show my progress in another thread and it was hi-jacked by talk about Governors???

So I decided to start a new.

Well my plans are to use a 55 gal drum with a 20x34 pan.
I will post pics of my progress of building the evaporater for those who care.

Any tips, hints or ideas are more than weclome.

So far I got the drum and I have made the legs.
The legs are made from 1" black pipe 12" long I welded washers and nuts to ne end of each and threaded a bolt with a washer welded on the head. Now I will be able to level the evap where ever I place it.

[Grade "A"]

I made a arch like yours. The biggest thing that helped me was adding a small fan blowing in under the grates. The fan was one of the small (about 3 or 4 inch) square framed one that you can get at any hardware store. But you may have this already figured out.

[mwarren]

I started on the same exact rig in 2001. I would reccommend lining the arch with some half bricks to help it hold in the heat. Also, you may want to build a brick wall in the back of the barrel about 3/4 of the way back to force the heat and flames up to the pan and over before it exits the stack in the back. They do it with the half pints and it works great to keep the heat on the pan.

Good luck and enjoy...I only had my barrel for one year before I upgraded. Keep that in mind...

Mike

[Pete33Vt]

Sounds like your coming along.Keep up the good work and most important have fun doing it. Can't wait to see more.

[WF MASON]

Dennis if you don't have a door yet , you might want to pick up a barrel stove kit , the cast door has a frame, you just trace the opening , cut it out bolt it on, this might help having your door in place or knowing where the door is before you layout your cut line on the barrel. You can also use the cast flue collar on the back of your drum from the kit.It has a curve or arch to it so you'll need to use the hammer to help the drum match the curve. Don't be afraid of it, pound the crap out of it. If you over tighten the bolts in the collar , you'll break the cast. I know this,

[Dennis H.]

Never thought about adding a fan to such a small setup, I might have to look it that. I assume you mean a 4" box fan sort of what is in computers but bigger?

I was thinking about fire brick for the sides but not for the back. Once I get the top cut out I will have a better idea on the size of grates and I will also now look at arching it up to the flue.

I guess with the raised back portion I would not need to have a fire all the way to the back. I think that idea is starting to sound better already.

I saw in catalogs the kits you can get to convert a drum into a wood stove. The kit comes with a door, like you mentioned, a flue collar, and legs. It would be nice to get just the door but I could not find any place that would sell just the door. I have to stop at a local wood stove dealer to get 6" stove pipe maybe I will ask him about the door.

Thanks for the tip and ideas, going this morning when I get out of work to pick up some steel to finish the base for the barrel to sit on. I will post more pics as I get more done.

[3% Solution]

Hi Dennis,
Yup I started out the same way, with a barrell, and it just crapped out this past spring ( used it for 6 seasons).
Get the barrel kit as mentioned and as far as building up the back I used sand which was a mistake. I should have used vermiculite, it doesn't cause the barrel to sweat when it's hot out. Oh yeah, put brick on the vermiculite.
About the fan, hell use two!! That really works well, don't have to fight to keep the pan cranking. If you get the barrel kit, attach the fans to a "Y" duct and feed it right into the draft door. You'll need to keep it back about
18" - 20" as the plastic fans will melt from the heat coming back!
I used cast iron barbecue grates, they would last about 2 years and we'd burn them right out.
Most definately line the barrel with fire brick.
Send me a PM with your email address and I can send you some pics.
Have fun and enjoy. We sure have!!!!

Dave

[Dennis H.]

I never thought about using BBQ grill grates, I was going to fab myself a set out of small diameter Re-bar.

Fans, I have a few laying around here that have metal bodies but I think the blades are plastic. Keeping them back with a piece of duct work would help.

Thanks

[fred]

even large diameter rebar will "melt" in the fire you will need something tougher

[Fred Henderson]

An old cast iron radiator (house type) are the best grates you will ever find.

[brookledge]

Dennis
Like fred said don't use re bar it is soft steel designed to bend. You need to find something out of cast iron if possible. It will help your grates if you have a blower blowing cool air under the grates to help keep them cooler.
Keith

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

The fireplace grates at Lowes or somewhere like that work good too, just make sure you get a cast iron one!

[Grade "A"]

we made our grates out of a used screen (the wire was 3/8 or 5/16 inch thick) from a gravel plant, they are hard steel and can be cut to any size (if you know where to get one). The screen may not be the best thing but ours never burnt out and was free. For our fan we had a piece of thin wall pipe the same size as the blades about 2' long to keep the fan away from the barrel. You will have to have your fan so you can shut it off when firing the arch because ours would put the flames in your face if you didn't.

[Dennis H.]

I will have to stop at Lowes or Home Depot this week to see what they have for grates.

I got time this evening to make up the base for the barrel. I wanted the bas to be seperate from the barrel so the whole evap can be moved around in more manageble pieces.

[RileySugarbush]

The way you can weld, you should make a grate out of steel angle. I made mine with 2x2x1/4" angles. Open side up with a half inch gaps for air. The ashes that collect in them insulate the steel. If you keep the ash pit clear of embers, which you will if you have a blower, the steel will stay cool and should last for a very long time. That way you can make the grate any size you want.

On my old set up, I used the cheapest electric leaf blower I could find, $23 I think, and stuck it into some galvanized duct and under the grate. Ran all day without problems, very hot fire!

[Dennis H.]

I like the idea of using angle iron to fab a grate.
I don't mind buying a grate but for some reason I like making up stuff from a pile of parts too.

Right now I am trying to see if I can get just the door from the barrel stove kit made by Vogelzang. They have two versions and I see on their web site that they are only come in kit form. I'll email them to see if I can get just the door.
Besides the grates, I am also trying to find fire brick and what the measurements are of them.

[RileySugarbush]

Full bricks are 9 x 4.5 x 2.375 thick. Splits are half as thick. You can sometimes find a few at a big box like Menards, but I got mine and some ceramic blanket at a refractory supply place in Minneapolis.

[Ahnohta]

"Right now I am trying to see if I can get just the door from the barrel stove kit made by Vogelzang"

Dennis

Did they let you just order the door???

[WF MASON]

Out of the stove kit you can use the door with frame and the flue collar , the two leg pcs are all you'll have left.
In the past they wouldn't sell just the parts or if they did it cost as much as the whole kit at True Value.

[Dennis H.]

Ahnohta, I emailed Vogelzang yesterday to find out but they never sent a reply. I have their phone number now so I might give them a ring once I get home after work.
Right now I am waiting on the door to determine the placement of the grates and how much of the top to cut out for the frame that will hold the pan.

My welding fun has ended for now, out of gas for mig. Because I use co2 in a small bottle and its been a few years since it was last filled, they have to test the bottle before they will refill it. They said it would take a couple of days. I hope I get back by the weekend.

[Dennis H.]

I finally got ahold of someone at Vogelzang about the door.

They will sell just the door and frame for $65.00. The guy I talked to said it was still a better deal to by the kit but if i didn't need the legs or flue collar that it would make no sense for me to get the kit.

So for anyone who cares, call Vogelzang at 616 396-1911 to order just the door and frame.

I also checked locally here at a store that sells wood/coal stoves. He has fire brick that measures 7x9x1 1/2" for $1.60. He told me he doesn't care flue collars but told me to check with a local steel dealer for a short length of 6" pipe to weld to the drum for the flue collar. I will have to look into that.

[Dennis H.]

I picked up my CO2 bottle for the mig welder and I am back at it.

I got part of the frame made that will hold the grates and fire brick in the firebox.
I also made the frame that will hold the pan. As you can see in the pics I will be adding some 16ga steel to fill in the area between the barrel and the pan frame.
I trial fitted several fire brick in the see how everything fits and looks. It will take 2 brick standing on end in the firebox area.

I also made up the flue collar, I used a piece of 8"x8"x1/8" steel plate and a 3" long piece of 6" ID pipe. I cut a circle out and fiited the 6" pipe in and welded in place.

You can also see I finally got the door and got it installed too.

[Grade "A"]

Its looking good. You will be test boiling in no time. Keep us posted.

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
This is going to be a SWEET unit (no pun intended)! Nice work on the details!
Regards,
Chris

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Dennis, you get any where with your barrel evaporator?? Been watch'n this post, wanted to see the finished product...

Where you at in pa. Seen you where in south central somewhere. Im up here in slatington on the east coast..

Charlie

[Dennis H.]

Hey Charlie, I got the flue collar made the other day but that has been about it.
I had to help and replace a boiler for the wifes sister and husband. Just when it starts to get cold around here there boiler decides to let go out the bottom.
So I have been busy with that. I did think I was going to end up with a oil burner for maybe something down the road, No Luck.:rolleyes:

I am hoping to get up to the garage this evening or this weekend. With Veterans Day this weekend I will be working most of the weekend to get a little extra money. So I probably will not get as much done as I would like.

I will keep posting pics and updates, you can count on that.

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Your picture are great and they open fine. Any tricks you can share on posting these?

Still struggling with pictures.
Regards,
Chris

[Dennis H.]

Well I managed to get an hour or so this evening after getting up to work on the Evap.

I got the sides put on, there is a few small things to do before that is finished, Then I will work on the frame that supports the fire brick in the back half near the flue.

Hey Chris about the pics, I use the tools that are here on Mapletrader.
Just below the "Submit Reply" button when you post a reply there is another button "Manage Attachments". Click on that and upload your pics. It does everything for you.
You are limited to 5 pics per post and you are limited to the size of the pic.
For a jpg file the limit is 97K. Not real big but as you can see plenty big enough. I use Photoshop Elements to crop and resize my pics before I upload them.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Dennis, your doing some nice work there...I like your idea. If i wouldnt have found this big oil tank, i think i would have like to make something like that..

Im gonna keep watchin for updates on your unit...Gettur doneeeeeeeeeee

Charlie

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
I reduced the size of my picture ( Atachment using photoshop) Thanks, I think this is a eaiser way. What is the typical size you reduce to? This one seems a little to small when you click to enlarge it.

Regards,
Chris

[Dennis H.]

Hey Chris I sent you a private message with more info on posting pics.

[royalmaple]

Chris-

Kinda OT, but I was wondering if you saw any decrease in sap when you switched from buckets to the tubing and totes systems? Of course it depends on the year but it would be interesting to see how the same trees did for you with two different set ups.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Dennis,

Nice looking setup. You may be already planning on it, but make sure you build a wall in the center or something to that effect to push the heat up into the pan.

[Dennis H.]

I am making a wall one fire brick tall, 9", at the rear of the grates.

I am working on that right now. I am also putting in a piece of 3" round duct that comes into the drum in the rear below the flue and goes under the area where the grate will be. I also bought a cheap electric leaf blower and I already have a speed control for my router to adjust the speed. So once the fire gets going I will be able to really get the fire going.

I wasn't able to get any pics of the work I did today, I will try and get a few when I work on it next.

[Sugarmaker]

Matt,
I used 250 taps on tubing and the other 175 on buckets in 07 and I really did not see any difference in sap production. My goal is to pick the best trees possible and skip the poor producers, and we got one of the best runs ever one day last year.
So my plan is to go to almost all tubing to reduce labor in 2008. I want the 5/16 lines as tight as possible and with as much slope as I can get. 12-16 taps on a line seem to work well. I have several more cords of wood on hand an picked up another 50 good taps. I just need the new extra steam removal system on the flue pan.

I did build a simple snap on line lever for hanging on the tubing to see if the slope is OK. I will try to get some pictures.

Regards,
Chris

[royalmaple]

The tubing, although you have to take it down each year, has got to be better as far as gathering labor goes. Glad to hear you didn't lose any production with going to the tubing.

I was thinking about running some in place of some buckets I normally hang and taking it down since it is in people's front yards. It is either that or don't tap them and look for more woods trees since I just don't have the time to gather that many buckets.

[Dennis H.]

I got the grate made today, cutting 1/4 in steel is slow going!!

I also have the frame that will form the arch in place it is just not complete, as the vise-grips show.

I also got a few pics of the 3" duct that will blow air in from behind the evap. I will have an electric leaf blower with a length of flex duct attached to it.

You also can see in a few of the pics the 1/8" steel plate that I put in the bottom to help protect the drum from burning through and also make scooping out the ashes a little easier. The plate is just below the ash door opening.

You also can see the pic looking into the firebow the fram that will support the fire brick. The back wall will be cover by fire brick also.

[royalmaple]

Looks good, I am surprised you are even using the drum. Seems to me like you have very good welding and fabrication skills, you could have just framed up the fire box etc and tacked on some sheet metal for sides and you'd be right there.

[Dennis H.]

Yeah I know I had that thought once also, but for some reason it seems to me that when you start out you start out small and a drum evap. Any thing smaller would be 4 cinder blocks and and a bunch of fire wood.

If I decide to go larger down the road it gives me an excuse to fab a new evap, larger of course.

Anyway, I love arcing and sparking and having something to show in the end.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I am curious to see how the grates will hold up for the evaporator?? Any opinions how long they will last with cool air blowing on the underside all the time??

[Dennis H.]

Yeah Brandon I am curious my self.
I looked for cast iron type grates and couldn't find anything that was close to the size I needed.
RileySugarbush gave me the idea to fab a set from 1/4" steel angle.

We'll see, if they last only a year or two that won't be too bad. I think I spent something like $10-15 on the steel.

I did get to work on the evap this evening, I think I got everything fab'ed and trialed fitted. I had to take everything out to fire caulk some of the seams. The fire caulk is rated to 1000 deg so I am hoping that being behind firebrick it will help to protect the caulk from burning out too quickly.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

I dont think the cool air will hurt them. I would think the heat will be worse.

RICH

[RileySugarbush]

As long as you keep forced air on them, they should survive fine. They look just like mine except for bigger air gaps. I've got two seasons on them and they are untouched. I think what kills them is when coals get down in the ash pit. With lots of air, those that fall in don't last long.

[RileySugarbush]

oh... and I used some high temp silicone on my home built arch as well. Mine is a frame welded of angles and sheet steel. The sheets are attached with self drilling/self tapping screws and sealed with the hi temp caulk. In the firebox, I have fire box over arch board and in the flue area, one inch of ceramic blanket. The caulk is holding up fine.

[Dennis H.]

Well I think I got all the fab'ing done and it is now put together.

I fire caulked all the seams and also even painted it flat black stove paint.
Not sure how long the paint will stay on once I fire it up but man does it look cool flat back. It gives it that finished look.

I now have to stop at the local wood stove dealer to pick up more fire brick.

I have seen in other posts that other people us a blanket type material in the arch area instead of fire brick, where do you get the blanket at. Is it very expensive? I know I don't need much.

I also have to get the pan made now. I was looking at getting a 20x34x6" pan made. Since I don't have the tri-mix gas and for what little would need to be done I will pawn this job onto a local guy who does SS work. He gave me a quote about a month ago for about $120, I cant imagine the cost of SS going up that much since then. I also want to put 2, 3/4" bungs on bothe ends so I can put a draw-off valve in. That will add a little to the quote he gave me.

[maplekid]

wow that is nice it kind of looks like the older barrel type half pint.in all it should work out good for you.by the way how much room will you have between the bottom of your pan and the arch?

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Looks very good! Nice Job. What is the gap width on the grates? It looks a little wide to "hold" the fire. Hard to judge from the pictures but you will be able to tell by the amount of coals that might fall through.

This is going to be a really nice rig for you.

Regards,
Chris

[Dennis H.]

Chris the gap are about 1".

I will find out how well t holds a fire soon enough. I just got to get the pan then I will fire it up.

With the angle iron V side up they should hold some coals, we'll see. I can always modify it if I need to.

[RileySugarbush]

Dennis, that looks really nice. When you add the brick, make sure the back edge of the fire box is bricked up close to the pan. there doesn't need to be any more area for the gases that your stack. That will keep the most heat on the pan.

I bought my ceramic blanket from a refractory supply company here in Minneapolis, but I don't imagine every town has one. I've seen it on ebay, so maybe you can find some there.

[Dennis H.]

I got my pan today!

I got a call yesterday evening from the guy who was welding up my evap pan, it is complete.

For $160 it is not bad. I got two 3/4" bungs put in, so I can flip pan and draw off either side of the evap.

I wasn't able to get pics today. I am trying to take it easy, I had a steel roller fall on my toe at work and break it. Oh Joy!!:rolleyes:

I am hoping to pick up 2, 3/4" plugs Friday so I can give the evap a test boil.

I also got all the fire brick put in, I shocked the guy at the store when I asked for 44 brick. He said that in 28 years that was the most brick he sold at one time. At least I will be known for something.

I will try and get pics of the pan and post them in the next day or two.

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Ouch!:(
Cant wait to see the pan!

Chris

[TapME]

It's a real bummer that you have a broken toe, hope you heal fast. Can't wait to see the pics.

[Dennis H.]

I got some pics today of the pan sitting on the evap.

I also took a pic of all the fire brick. I couldn't find a good way to put any around the flue collar. I tried to use a hammer drill to drill alot of holes in a brick to do 1/2 of the flue opening, but when I tried to chip out the 1/2 circle it just cracked the brick. I will see how it holds up with out fire brick. I might have to get some refractory blanket, we'll see. The plate that the flue collar is welded to 1/8" plate so it should hold up well I think.

I am also going to add 1/2"x1/2" square bar steel to my grates between the angle steel that is already there. I was told I might run into a problem with the fire falling through the grates, so I figured it would be easier to do something now.

I am also making a plate for the top so I can finish the syrup in SS steam pans. I will be placing an 1/8" steel plate the same size of the pan on top with a cut out the size of the steam pan that I am getting. This way the bottom of the steam pan will be down into the evap in direct contact with the flames and heat.
I'll post pics as I make it.
With the price of propane now I figured that this would cost a whole lot less.

[royalmaple]

There is one thing you might want to consider on your steam pan idea for the finishing. Nothing wrong with that at all, but you'll find that when you drop a pan into the firebox you'll tend to get a burn line at the sap level, and the lower the level your sap/syrup gets in the pan as you finish you'll continue to get that scorching down the sides, and then as you fill up your next batch you'll be in contact with the burnt stuff. It's not a horrible thing but just something to consider. If you can keep the pan on top of the fire and the liquid will always be in contact with the portion of the pan that is in contact with heat, I think you will be in good shape.

Just a thought to consider. Your rig is taking shape very nicely.

[Dennis H.]

Thanks Matt for the heads up on the burn line in the steam pan. I didn't think about that.

I think the pans have a slight taper to the sides, I will see when I get them. If they do I might be able to cut the hole so that only about 1" of the pan is below the top plate.

Thanks again.

[royalmaple]

I've been there done that, so that is why I mention it. When the heat/flames can lap up the sides where there is no liquid then you'll get the burnt on stuff sizzling all the time.

I don't know for sure, but if you can keep the pan depth greater than the amount you have it in the firebox, I think you'd be all set. I always had my pans dropped in, and yes they do taper, at least mine did. And they have a flange around them that will keep them from falling in.

[TapME]

What if you just cut the hole to fit the bottom like the old kettles that use to fit in the wood stoves. Work well for us at camp for hot water. Doesn't take any time to start boiling.
By the way your evap looks great

[RileySugarbush]

I finished syrup in pans dropped in like that for 10 years. You do get a burn line, more like a burn zone as the level drops.
But the evaporation rate is faster and the burning doesn't hurt the syrup, just a little, sometimes a lot, darker and stronger maple flavor. I loved it and miss the stronger flavor now that I have a flat syrup pan.

Another thing to remember is that as the strips of steel between and around the pans heat up, they will expand and distort a little. Don't let that surprise you.

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Hope the foot is better.
The guys are right on with the burnt zone in steam type pans. You want to try to keep the fire under the pan not up the sides. Friend of mine has similar problems. But he still makes 4-5 gallons of syrup per year. Maybe you can come close to finish syrup on the evaporator and move the pan off? Use the sheet steel to cover the top while the pan is off?
Nice pictures of the pan and the brick looks very nice should work great for you.

Regards,
Chris

[Dennis H.]

I added some 1/2" square bar steel to the grates today. I don't think I should have any problems with the fire falling through now. I do have to agree that once I added them that it might ave been a little wide before.

I wanted to test fire it today but it is getting late so I will try it Sunday.

With the steam pans, thanks for the input. What I might do now is to make the hole just a little bit smaller than the steam pan, by maybe 1/4".
After finding what propane cost right now I am going to try and do something so as I do not have to use gas.

[TapME]

Dennis, is the gas is for finishing the syrup on a turkey fryer?

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Grates look very good, Should hold the fire well too. Don't be surprised if they do warp some.
On the steam pans seems that they should work with the hole 1/4 larger in the plate. Then you can remove it and handle it easier than a big pan. Maybe save the plate cutout and add a lip to set it back in the hole to finally finish with one pan?

Regards,
Chris

[Dennis H.]

I was planning on using propane to finish, I have one of those large 3 burner stoves and thought I would have a little more control of the heat. The last I checked, it's been a few months, propane was over $3 a gal around here! Wood is free. So I just figured if I could make something work on the evap I would be better off. I guess right now using the electric stove would be cheaper than propane.

I kind of figured the grates would get a little deformed with all that heat so that won't bother me to much.

Hey Chris that is an excellant idea of using the cut-out. I am planning on placing a pan on the back half of the plate,to warm the semi-concentrated sap, while I was finishing the syrup in the steam pan on the front half with the hole cut-out under the pan.

Checked the weather, doesn't look good for a test boil on Sunday. They are calling for rain/freezing rain most of the day, Monday is looking better.

I am realling looking forward to the test boil, I want to find out what kind of evap rate I will have or if the thing will evan boil water.:rolleyes:

[Ahnohta]

Dennis

You did a super great job. Enjoyed the pix. We are in process of completing conversion of a 265 gallon oil drum and look forward to improved effeciencies over our flat pan up on concrete blocks. For cutting fire brick, if you have an angle grinder w/ mason disc, you may be able to cut angles and get close to rounded flue collar.

To others reading this and interested in drum arches, does any one have a source for a heavy duty 8" flue collar w/ backing ring. Can not find one locally. Volksvang sp ONLy makes 6". With larger wood box 38" long, we know we need at least 8". We need a flat one that goes out the upper back as our pan covers the entire top length of the 265 gal. drum. If you know a source for 8" flat flue collar you can hit us direct at blueoak@ncis.net thanx

[Dennis H.]

Well I was able to get out there this morning and do a test boil. Man was that cool!

Once I got it out of the garage and set up with water in it, 2" depth, I fired it up. It took about 15-20 min to get to a good rolling boil. I checked the temp, today it was around 208 for water to boil.
Once I got the rolling boiling I slowly put somemore water back in till it was right at 2" deep.

Then I started my timer for 1/2 an hour. In that time I had evap'ed 1 1/8" of water. So if my calculations are correct I was evap'ing right around 6.6 gals/hr. (pan=20"x34"=2.94gals/in depth, 2.25"x2.94=6.61 gals/hr)

I hope that is a good evap rate. Since I will only be able to boil every other day I should be able to do the amount of sap I will collect in those two days in about 2-3 hrs.

The grates held up great. Now I did only fire it for about 1 1/2 hrs, but they still look good.

Ahnohta, I made my own flue collar. I did get the collar from Vogelzang, I just couldn't make it work. So I made my own. I got a 3" piece of steel pipe(6") and a piece of 1/8" steel plate. I cut a hole in the steel plate and then welded the steel pipe into the hole. Worked great.

The 1st pic is right before I fired it up.
The 2nd and 3rd pics are at full boil, Its sooo cool when all that steam is coming off.
And the 4th is of the grate after the test fire.

[maplwrks]

Dennis,
When I was a teenager I built one similar to yours, though not nearly as nice!! You can take a great deal of pride in this--It looks awesome!!
Good Luck and Happy Sugarin'

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
Congratulations on the successful test boil. I was talking your construction up to a local sugarmaker Frank James in Girard PA. He uses the steam pans on a drum arch too. You have gone to great lengths to set yours up right and the boil rate sounds good. So at that rate about a gallon of finished product every 6 hours.

Nice job and thanks for sharing the nice clear pictures. Include one of you and the rig too.

Regards,
Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Dennis,

You should be able to do a little better than that as it takes a while for the firebox to get good and hot and as the sap cooks down, it will develop more sugar content which will boil faster than just water.

[PATheron]

Dennis- Your going to have a blast with that thing. The quality is tremendous. Your going to find the syrup is going to taste great too becouse its there boiling for quite a while. Ive been doing mine on a similar rig, not near as nice, for years and everyone loves the syrup. That is one beautiful evaperator. Theron

[TapME]

Dennis very nice rig it makes mine look like an amateur built it. Welcome to the sickness.

Ahnohta, have you thought about adding a small section to the back of the oil drum and making the pipe come out after the pan. You could use store bought parts after that. Something shaped like a v with an 8'' cutout for the stove pipe.

[jemsklein]

looks good lots of work and time went in to that

[Dennis H.]

I think I made the last addition to the evap for now.

I wanted to be able to finish the syrup on the evap so I wouldn't have to use propane or the electric stove in the house so I got a piece of 1/8" steel plate the same size as the pan, 20x30.

Then I cut a hole in it for a full size food steam pan to fit in, then I put some flat gasket material around the hole to give a better seal. As you can see in the pics I can also set a 1/2 steam pan on the back part to pre-heat the sap before I add it to the full pan for finishing.

And I also made an adapter so I could use the 1/2 pan to finish if I only had a small amount to finish. I also put some flat gasket around that opening to get a better seal.

Now I am hoping I can do all my evap'ing and finishing outside with wood and save myself some money not using propane or electric.

I also got the fittings and valves to put in the evap pan to draw-off/drain. just did't get any pics of that, sorry.

[Dennis H.]

Sitting here going through the pics to find the ones for the last post I got to see the before and after pics, WOW.

Thanks again for all the help everyone gave me while I was building my evaporater, I now know if I didn't have the help I would have done several things wrong and would have had to go back and redo them.

[MR Electrician]

dennis if i can toss in my two cents
forget about pipes and valves just add some hand grips to the stainless pans so you can remove them from the heat when the sap is ready.
we found that we had to finish the sap in the kitchen due to the fast burning of the pans

allso you will find the sides of the pans to burn real quick when you have a good boil going so if you can drop in a liner pan to protect the sides from scorching and over darkening yr syrup.

[Sugarmaker]

Dennis,
The finished product looks great. I think you will like the addition of valves.
All you need now is sap and wood, and time. Get some good action shots for us.

Regards,
Chris

[SeanD]

Hey All,

I'm new to the site and before I jump in I want to give a huge thank you to Dennis H and all the people who helped him along with his evaporator. I learned SO much through his great questions and everyone's answers. You all have saved me years of mistakes (though I'm sure I'll manage to make plenty, yet).

I don't want to steal any of the spotlight, but I have a question that ties in with the last few postings. I have a 2 x 3 flat pan on a cinder block arch (very caveman compared to Dennis H's) and I'm considering draw-off valves.

The trouble I'm having now is that when it's time to concentrate the sap to a couple full-sized steam pans, I have to pull the pan off the blocks and pour it into the smaller pan. This usually leads to a few burned wrists and face as I get hit with the blast furnace that I've just opened, not to mention the unwieldy, moving, molten weight of all that hot sap as I try to aim it into the next vessel. A second person would be ideal, but I'm usually boiling by myself. Perfect situation for draw-off valves, right?

If I draw off from the pan as it is still over the fire, how do I keep the pan and sap from scorching as the last couple of gallons get poured off? Do I have to add drop-ins at the same time as the valves or is there a different method batch boilers out there use?

[Dennis H.]

Hey Sean glad to see you are joining in on the fun at Mapletrader.

I know someone else will be able to give more advice that is backed by years of experience but I will try to help also.

On my evap I will have draw off valve to help and transfer the concentrate to the steam pans but that will be only after I have let the fire die down. I am like you and will not have anyone to help side off the pan with hot liquid in it. I think once I have the fire almost out I will be able to almost completely empty the pan and then lift the pan off and empty the remaining liquid into a steam pan or bucket with out the risk of scrotching the pan. I have found also on my test fire that if I turn off the blower it kills the fire in no time.

[NedL]

I've also been trying to figure out how to get the flat pans off the fire without a trip to the ER. I was thinking of trying to set up a table at the front of the "furnace so I can slide the trays off when I'm ready to transfer. Haven't had time to think it through. yet. I am setting uo a similar cinder block fire and flat pans.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Why not just let the fire die down, let it go out or shovel out the remaining fire. This is much safer and easier. It would be easy to add a draw off value. Just weld on a 3/4" stainless sleeve on one corner of your pan and then lift the opposite side of the pan and put a couple of brick under the pan while it is still on the arch and as the pan empties, also tilt the back.

You could also build a wooden, steel or cinderblock frame next to the arch at the same height to slide the pan over on it. I used a backyard setup for 10+ years and I just let the fire die out and drained it next day or started back up boiling without drawing off.

[Sugarmaker]

Several other thoughts:
When boiling for a neighbor he made syrup in batch mode in one side of a 2.5 x 10 rig. Any way when he went to draw off he would stop firing and lay a piece of tin or metal attached to a stick over the coals to reduce the heat to the pan.
Another approach that I used on my caner might work. I rigged up a eccentric pan lifter on one end that was operated with a simple lever/ handle on the outside of the heated area and therefore reducing the chance of burns trying to lift the pan and drain the last bit. (in other words it just lifts the pan using a external lever arm.)
Also the old Warren I mentioned had the pans hinged and when the batch was done we lifted the opposite side with a rope and drained the entire batch. (about 2-4 gallons).
I agree the if your syrup gets to shallow you will not be able to control the biol and might scorch the pan. I would think that you would not want to be much lower than 1/2 inch of finished syrup depth? If that sounds like to much then the only option would be to drain it into a smaller container and finish boiling on a stove or like Dennis.
Also if you would use the hinged idea, this needs a good fool proof easy to use valve. And you need to have some raw sap, or water to put in the pan when you let it back down on the arch to avoid scorching.

Regards,
Chris

[SeanD]

Ideally, I'd like to keep the fire going to save on wood and time. Unfortunately, this is not my full-time job, so I have to bang out as much as I can at a time when I can put a full day to it.

I try to get the sap down to only a couple gallons outside so that I can finish off inside where I can see better (it's dark by the time I reach that point) and control the heat.

I'm too timid to go too far below a couple inches, so when I'm done in the big pan, I still have about seven gallons in there - too much to bring inside and probably too heavy for the hinge idea - though very creative.

I think my best bet will be to have some kind of block stand to slide it onto where I can ladle the sap into the smaller pans, get those going back on the fire, and then just add to the smaller pans as they boil down. That way I avoid lifting the thing and the risk of dumping it out all over my driveway.

I'm thinking of covering the open space around the steam table pans with a piece of 1/8" sheet metal I found in my garage. Is that thick enough to handle the heat?

Thanks for all the input. I appreciate it.

[Dave Y]

If you go to my pics you will see I used to lift the pan on my old rig to draw syrup. I would not dump it all, but I also keep a bucket of fresh sap to flood the pan when I sat it back down. And I did it many times by myself. I had a pulley set up that would lift the pan and set it back down with ease. I did this with the rig running wide open. No balls no babies!

[Dennis H.]

While up at the NY conference I got a look at a evap made by a company in Wisconsin it's called Lil'Shaver it had aset of "Sugaring-off" legs off to one side. all it is is a fram that is even with the top of the evap and it made it possible to slide the pan off when it was time to stop. Very cool idea.

I have to imagine that you can do something like that on any setup.

I attached a pic of a setup that I saw on ebay which has the same idea.

I may even add this feature to my set up, I just have other things to do right now.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

But you still have all the heat and fire danger now uncovered in the fire box unless you let it die down or nearly out before sliding off the pan.

[RileySugarbush]

If your fire is down to embers, even a lot of them, covering them with a couple of sheets of metal works great. I used some $1.50 rectangular ductwork sheets from home depot. It blocks 90% of the heat, but of course your draft is all messed up and if you are indoors the combustion products will stay indoors with you. I was outside on a block arch.

[ontario guy]

My technique for draining the front pan of syrup.


i also cover the fire with a piece of metal when drawing off. it does cut down on most the heat. When i have slab wood i also cover the entire bed of coals with boards and layer them two or three deep, placing them nicely to cover up all the heat. It takes them 5 to 10 minutes to ignite and by that time i am done drawing off and ready to boil again.

The wood works best cause you don't have a red hot piece of metal to worry about.

Mark

[NedL]

Thanks for all the ideas! I'll try to test a couple of these in the next few weeks before I have to test on the real stuff. Going from boiling a few gallons on the gass grill to boiling 100 gallons on a weekend is going to be interesting.

[peacemaker]

heres a few ideas one take your pan to your local tin smith or someplace that bends metal have them soder or tig weld in you a front section maybe 12 inchs wide depends on the size of your pan drill two wholes one on opposite corners of that section and one in the same corner back section pipe the two sections together with a valve .. run it with the valve open when it gets low enough pull it to the front section flood back with fresh or water and finsh it there ..or for 50 buckets get a turkey freyer and finish on it .. ad some lights a coleman latern worked for me for a few years .. and i used the same concept as the slide off on a side rack for me it was adjustebale saw horses steel saw horse .. if set just right very easy to wire brush of the bottom pans real quick before sliding back on and dont forget to put some colsd sap in before you go backon... and a sheet of tin roof the size of your arch works fine to keep the smoke down ...
and run your pans lower then 2 inchs i try to never get my old flat pans deeper then a inch until the end of the night lol less is more

started off with 17 taps up to 300 and homemade arch and now looking for a set of raised flu pans and gonna add a 2x2 prehaeater
55 gal drum wood stove cut to fit the pan ... nice place to send the access coals from the arch and can always crank it if i cant keep up...
oh between 25 50 on buckets rest on tubing wicked pitch to th shack yippie little gather

[GOwin]

Hi everyone.

Has anyone made their own gas-fired evaporator? What are the things I should consider when designing one?

[Mac_Muz]

Well I just read every page. All I can say is WOW! Nice piece of work, very nice indeed. This rig is a far cry from anything I ever had and is still so considering I am on the season with nothing and plan to make sugar any old way i can... WOW!!!!

[Nemo5]

Dennis, I wonder if you could tell me the total height and width of that door you bought. Also how far down from the top does the main door end and the ash door begins, so I can rough sketch where to put the grate. I'm trying to draw up a plan for an evap like the one Davy Jones built but use your door. I'm thinking of using 16 gauge steel on front and putting door to that.Is that the gauge of the barrell you used or is it thicker? Thanks...

[Dennis H.]

Nemo, I will get you the measurements for the front. I will try and do it this afternoon.
I think the barrel itself is somewhere around 18ga. steel, not real thick.
I used mostly 18ga for the parts that I added. There is a few pieces that are 16ga, but they are located where they will be in direct contact with the fire and heat.

[RileySugarbush]

Erwin,

You will probably get lots of replies if you start a new thread for your gas fired evaporator question. I bet everything except the burner is the same as an oil fired rig, and there are lot's of experienced folks here.

Is it sugaring season in palm country now?

[personandy2]

I hope this thread is still being monitored.

I am going into my 3rd year, 20 taps this past year, possibly 25-30 this spring (2015). I have large trees that I get decent output from and while I am purely a hobby sugarer, I'd like to improve my gph/efficiency as much as I can.

I'm looking into making a barrel evaporator like Barrel Boiler, just curious why there are so many bricks added to the drum? Do you not want the fire spanning the length of the pan?

any other tips are greatly appreciated!

thanks

Andy

[psparr]

You do want a decent size firebox, however you want to force the flames up to the bottom of the pan.

[VTmaplehobby]

Andy, You would probably do better to start a new thread, but since I'm already typing here's my two cents:

You need to line your evaporator (barrel) with a refractory composition be it blanket or brick to keep the
heat from dissipating through the sides of the barrel. Shaping your firebox to heat only the pan and not the
barrel is key. I put a large 20x24 storm drain grate in my barrel and a large cinder block at the back of
the grate. I then filled behind the block with sand on a ramp type angle up to the top. This keeps the hot gases
in close contact with the pans. This is a huge efficiency gain.

Another fairly cheap way to improve efficiency is to add any type of blower. My first was from an old air conditioner
and now is from an old propane water heater power vent. Hope this helps

John

[Dennis H.]

Wow this sure was an old Thread that I started!!

You will need to insulate the barrel someway other wise the barrel will not last that long. The kind of fire that we use to boil the sap will destroy the barrel quickly.

Other thing to think about is if is possible do not use the barrel. Working with all those curves can be a real pain, but if that is all you got go for it.