End of boil

[Jerome]

I was woundering how is the best way to stop for the day. I was finishing up yesterday and was just waiting for the fire to die so that I could take off what was in the pan but it would not die the coals just kept going. The arch I had last year leaked so much heat that it just died. I thought about spraying it with water but then thought better, and ended up just lifting the pan off (its only 2X3) there has to be a better way. I thought of building a lifting device and putting a plate under. what do you guys with the big rigs do????? ':?'

[Salmoneye]

I can literally run out of sap in my tanks and kill my boil from full tilt within minutes, but I don't like to do it...I try and keep a watch on the tank and when I 'know' I will be running out soon, close off the last two section and scoop all the 'sugar' into them...I then flood the back pan with what is left in the tank (maybe 3 inches over the flues) and that also raises the level in the first front section to the same...Then I rake the coals to just in front of the doors and leave them open about half way...Stand around a bit and make sure that nothing will boil dry...Then take my syrup into the house for reheating and canning...

You can even leave the firing doors wide open if you have to and are not worried about coals falling on the floor...The cold air across the bottom of the pans pretty much kills any boil and helps the arch cool faster...

I have no idea how to help in your case due to needing to actually move the pan...

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

The best way to take advantage of the hot coals is to quit boiling when you have enough sap left to flood the pan. What I mean by that is put several inches of sap in the pan and let it cook down for several hours with the hot coals. It will cook slowly, but you could add six inches of sap and come back the next day and find 2 or 3 inches of sap. Be careful as it takes time to get used to doing this. As you perfect the art of doing this over time, one thing to remember is the longer you cook, the more sap you will need to add or the deeper the level because you firebrick are hotter and there are more coals.

Sure is a good way to cook off a good amount of sap without any wood or extra work but be careful as not to scorch the pans.

[Fred Henderson]

I am on useing a 2'x6' 6" and I can saftely say that no blower will cool mine down in 10 minutes cause I had a blow on it for 2 years. I did away with the metal float cause it was not a positive shut off. Instead I use for a float a piece of foam blue foam board 11/2"x4"x10". I leave enought sap in the tank, shut the draft door and leave, never ahd a problem but I could.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have used the same type of setup for years and I always tried to gauge how much sap I needed and flood the pan with several inches of sap. That way the coals will cook real slow for several hours and evaporate off extra sap while you are doing something else or sleeping. Like I stated earlier, start out overly cautious and go from there. Better safe than sorry and after a while you will get the hang of it and will know about exactly how much you need to add to the pan based on how long you cook and how many hot coals you have under the pan.

Say you add six inches of sap when you finish and come back the next day and find three, that is quite a bit of sap cooked off and you didn't have to do anything.

[Jerome]

Thanks for all the help!!!!! I think I just need more experance with the new set up guess I'll need to make some more :D

[Fred Henderson]

Lobstafari;
I made a float ladder out of alu and a flat piece on the bottom, sandwiched the foam board between the 2. The metal float has bee on the shelf fo 3 years now. remember my float box is external.

[mapleman3]

I can shut down within an hour, I don't flood the pans, I just open the doors, shut the blower down, start cleaning up, keep an eye on the syup pan leve(i don't worry too much about the sap pan as long as there is enough to go to the syrup pan if needed) rake the coals back.. go in the house and check again in a little while. Last night I had near syrup when I shut down, so into a 5 gal blue poly can it went, and newer sap from flue pan into the syrup pan.. not much tho, next firing I will slowly add the near syrup at start to sweeten just the last 2 sections quicker. I don't like reheating the whole pan as a batch.. darkens and easy to make syrup in ALL the sections if not carefull

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jeremy,

WOW. I never realized that. As I stated earlier I boiled last year six times in the same flat pan adding sap each cooking and when I finished it off, I had around 14 gallons of syrup and it was a Grade A medium with as good of taste as any syrup I have made. The first batch I made last year, some of it was cooked three times and you could almost read the newspaper through 2 or 3 inches of it. It was clearer than any I have ever seen, almost like water. :? :? :?