For those with cinder block evaporators, I have a question.

[Swingpure]

If you have or had a cinder block evaporator, with pans whose lips sit on the edge of the concrete blocks while boiling the sap, how would you go about lifting one of the middle pans? The end ones, you can grab by the side, but the middle ones are hard to remove at the best of times.

Is there a tool that you used to pry them up?

Thanks

(Today I picked up two 5 quart stainless steel induction compatible pots, that will sit on the hot plate on the evaporator to preheat the sap for the four 20x13x6 pans. I also will get later tonight a 16 quart stainless steel induction compatible pot that I will use as my finishing pot. When I first start to boil, I will also put sap into this pot and boil down some sap in it on a portable induction stove, to gain just a little more boiling power.)

[Super Sapper]

As far as your hot plate goes, I would cut it open enough so that a majority of your pots are in contact with the heat/flames while having them sit high enough to drain into your other pans.

[Swingpure]

Thanks. On my first attempt, all of my pans and hot plate are on the same level. There is no draining to other vessels. All of the sap will be transferred from one pot or pan to the other by ladel.

The hot plate will be tight between the last pan and the stove pipe vent block. The heated gases will pass under it by a couple inches. I am not sure how hot it will get, but it should be enough to preheat the sap pretty good, before going into the first of the four 20x13x6 pans.

[t-ciccarello]

On my original cinder block evaporator, I got a length of angle iron and a length of flat stock from the scrap pile at the metal shop. I bolted them together, with the angle iron running the length of the pans. The lip of the pans sat on the upright section of the metal, which gave me a lip to grab onto. 2246722467

[DairyVet]

I used 2 stainless u-bolts per pan as handles. Drilled them in high on the long sides of the pan and at opposite ends. Bent the last 1/2” or so of threads so that they curve up above pan height. That said I think I’m upgrading to a single flat pan this year but keeping the block arch for now.

[Swingpure]

Another question for those with 3 or 4 pan cinder block evaporators? How many gallons of sap would you boil in a 10 hour day? I am just trying to set some real world expectations.

Thanks

Gary

[$1000 Pancakes]

varies on a bunch of factors like wood, how attentive you are, if you can pre-heat, etc but my experience is around around 5 to 7 gph for 3 pan and 6 to 9 for a 4 pan.

[Swingpure]

One other question, a friend told me that once the cinder blocks were hot, that if water hit them, let’s say from rain or heavy snow, they would break. He is known to pull my chain from time to time.

I will have my evaporator sheltered with a metal roof above and two sides covered except at the top. The stove pipe end will have some siding to keep rain or whatever away from the pans, but not necessarily the bottom of the blocks at the stove pipe end and the front will be mostly wide open with the door of the evaporator 4 to 5 feet away from the opening of the shelter, but strong blowing winds could blow in some snow. (The front will likely be fully closed over night)

Do I have to have a big worry about the cinder blocks getting wet while evaporating?

I can at more expense, close it in more at the stove pipe end.

My shelter is something I put up prior to the season and take down after it, so the evaporator will be totally snow covered until such time it comes to build the shelter. It has plywood and poly over top of it to keep it dry inside and I will shovel as much snow as possible away from it. I am sure there will be some traces of snow around it, when I start my first boil.

[Pdiamond]

Anything that remains will disappear shortly after you start working and evaporating. I wouldn't be to concerned about the blocks getting damp while you are cooking,
they should be warm enough to evaporate that type of moisture. Even after stopping for an overnight they will be take a long time to cool down.