Yet another barrel evaporator build!

[Galena]

Hey all, I am getting a friend to make me a barrel evaporator. Wondering what will happen to the paint lining the barrel and on the outside when a fire is lit in it. Will the paint burn off in one go or will it be toxic crap? Barrel was used for honey storage. Any advice or hints I should pass on?

[MapleCamp]

Hi Galena, I made one years ago. Used it for about 5 years before moving up. I only remember the paint smell burning on the first run. What I do remember is the heat it put out as i did not insulate it. When it was ripping I could only stand next to it for a short while.

[aamyotte]

I will be building one this fall for my first season in the spring. I plan to boil water on the first run to test it out and also burn off the paint and fumes. I might paint it with high temp paint afterwards. I think I will place roxul insulation on the sides of the barrel in an attempt to keep the heat inside the barrel letting me get close to without burning my legs.

I am only tapping 12 trees so i will be using full size steam pans for the first year to test things out before spending the big bucks on a fabricated pan.

[red/one]

Light a fire in it before you cut the opening for the pans. The paint will take a while to burn off and you wont want to breath it in or boil on it until the paint is burned off.

[aamyotte]

Light a fire in it before you cut the opening for the pans. The paint will take a while to burn off and you wont want to breath it in or boil on it until the paint is burned off.

Thanks for the tip.

[Galena]

Light a fire in it before you cut the opening for the pans. The paint will take a while to burn off and you wont want to breath it in or boil on it until the paint is burned off.

Thanks very much for that caution, I will notify my welder.

I have black stove paint for my cast iron stove, I assume that will be hi-temp enough to paint my evaporator with? And I will be putting it in my sugar shack, whish as a heat shield, so don't know if it needs anything more to help retain heat.

[CTguy923]

brick the inside to keep more heat in

[berkshires]

brick the inside to keep more heat in

Definitely do this ^^^.

For my first homemade evaporator, made out of an old wood-burning stove, I did not insulate the inside. After three years of use it was so warped that the pans no longer fit into the spaces I'd cut for them. Then the door wouldn't close. And it kept getting worse.

If your arch is running hot like it should be, uninsulated metal just can't handle it long-term.

Cheers,

GO

[Galena]

Definitely do this ^^^.

For my first homemade evaporator, made out of an old wood-burning stove, I did not insulate the inside. After three years of use it was so warped that the pans no longer fit into the spaces I'd cut for them. Then the door wouldn't close. And it kept getting worse.

If your arch is running hot like it should be, uninsulated metal just can't handle it long-term.

Cheers,

GO

I did use a cast-iron woodstove and used refractory cement on the various doors and welds. Can I use it in place of firebrick?

[Galena]

hey all, bumping this thread. Thinking of putting a layer of refractory cement inside my barrel evap instead of firebrick. Wondering how thick to go with it.

[Balrog006]

2197021970
hey all, bumping this thread. Thinking of putting a layer of refractory cement inside my barrel evap instead of firebrick. Wondering how thick to go with it.

I’m not an expert, but I believe that the refractory cement is just a filler for between the bricks or to seal up gaps and cracks-not to really be used for an actual all around coating of the interior-think mortar in a brick wall.

My barrel stove is bricked well and joints, gaps and cracks sealed with the cement. Above that I have ceramic (1.5”) insulation pinned to the skin of the drum. In the well insulated portions the paint on the drum doesn’t burn off. This means the heat is kept in and directed where you want it, towards your pans and not radiating out to heat you or your shack.

[Pdiamond]

Most use the ceramic insulation then firebrick over that. the refactory cement is how Balrog stated in between the brick and gaps

[Galena]

Thanks guys....now how do you attach the ceramic insulation? And how thick should the firebrick be? Going by HD site it can get pretty $$$...like $5-$9 depending on brand....and how do you attach the firebrick to the ceramic insulation?

[Galena]

2197021970

I’m not an expert, but I believe that the refractory cement is just a filler for between the bricks or to seal up gaps and cracks-not to really be used for an actual all around coating of the interior-think mortar in a brick wall.

My barrel stove is bricked well and joints, gaps and cracks sealed with the cement. Above that I have ceramic (1.5”) insulation pinned to the skin of the drum. In the well insulated portions the paint on the drum doesn’t burn off. This means the heat is kept in and directed where you want it, towards your pans and not radiating out to heat you or your shack.

Thanks, that's what I have in mind...so you just basically screw the insulation into place then brick over it using the refractory cement? How much ceramic insulation did you use? It sells on Amazon in rolls of 39'x24'

[Pdiamond]

Galena, the fire brick just lays up against the ceramic blanket which is tight to the outside wall. the ceramic insulation should be cut so it lays inside the arch where you want it nice and firmly with moving. you don't need anything to hold it there.

[Sugarmaker]

Galena,
I think your going to like the barrel arch! The blanket is about a inch thick, but is going to get squished in the round bottom of the barrel when the fire brick in in place. Yes all this can add up in cost. Another option is to just start in the bottom center place "splits" and keep placing them up around the sides. then fill in the cracks with sand. That way when you need to tear this down in a year or two for your new evaporator it will be much easier! Just sayin.....:)
Keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[hansel]

Thanks guys....now how do you attach the ceramic insulation? And how thick should the firebrick be? Going by HD site it can get pretty $$$...like $5-$9 depending on brand....and how do you attach the firebrick to the ceramic insulation?
Check nearby for firebricks at landscaping/masonry supply. Should be much cheaper there.

[Galena]

Check nearby for firebricks at landscaping/masonry supply. Should be much cheaper there.

Yeah, no kidding...I paid $3/per brick at a local masonry place, and had earlier in the week stupidly bought bricks at $7/ea. Ow. At least now I have 26 full size fire bricks so that oughta do me. Looks like 18 in the bottom, another 6 on the sides and a couple for the back. It's been suggested that I put a layer of sand as dead space fill in between the insulation and brick layer, up to halfway for the lower half of the barrel and 3/4 up the back. Thoughts?

Thanks guys for all the feedback and suggestions!

[levic900rr]

Not sure if this is too late but if you haven't already started to build your barrel stove I built a cube out of 6mm steel to fit my pan. It wasn't very much money at all for the material and it might be easier to insulate. Here's a little video that shows it. If you have question let me know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCjlkuMM5Nc

[Galena]

Thanks, but my barrel evap is now built, insulated, sanded, bricked (chose to not mortar) and smokepiped. Gave it a test fire yesterday and burned some snow. Holy liftin what a difference - heat where it was needed, and I could stand next to the barrel without my legs catching fire from heat leaking out. Your buiid sounds interesting though, I will check it out :-)

Watching...very sophisticated setup! Keep in mind that water can boil at different temps depending on atmospheric pressure. I've had it boil at 208 and 210. One thing I would change though is putting hot syrup through the filters and into the plastic bucket. Even food-grade plastic will melt and leave an unpleasant taste. FWIW everyone I know, from lil old me who's been tapping 13 yrs now, up to and including a 7th-gen producer, draws off nearup into stainless steel. Just sayin!