Propane Hobby Evaporator

[Paul01036]

Hello and welcome to 2022 maple season.
I searched this topic and found something posted back on 2017 with little information. My apologies if its out there and I missed it. I bought a 2' x 4' divided pan propane evaporator to be used as my main hobby evaporator. While the system looks to be well made this will be my first time using it. I have had a 125 gallon propane tank installed so I am confident I have enough pressure to supply the evaporator the question is how quickly will I go through the propane. Eventually if I enjoy this enough I may buy a standard wood fired arch. Does anyone have experience with this type of set up? I would like to hear your thoughts both pros and cons. Last year I boiled on a turkey fryer and it was just so inefficient this seemed like a reasonable price to pay for a hobby to do with my grandson exposing him to the outdoors and the responsibility and safety aspects of making maple syrup.

[MISugarDaddy]

I have no idea of how much propane you are going to use, but it is really great that you are doing that with your grandson. Who cares how much propane you go through, the time together is priceless!!! If you have to have the tank refilled to finish out the season, it is still worth it.
Gary

[Mr. Bucketsworth]

I had a Smoky Lake finisher/evaporator as my hobby evaporator last year. The pan was 16" x 30" (smaller) and I went through 5-6 lbs. of propane per hour. It was a really nice, really well-made unit but I ran into issues with the propane line freezing up after about 90 minutes. The recommended fix was to go with a 100 lb. tank, so I am glad to see your tank is more than large enough. The major upsides with propane (for me) were the ability to start and stop as I needed to, very short times from start to boil, and the relative cleanliness of the whole operation. Downside was the propane consumption (cost) and my reluctance to get involved with a larger tank. I've moved to a wood-fired arch this year.

[Paul01036]

Mr. Bucketsworth, you are correct, you can't put a price on these special times, thanks for the feedback.

MIsugardaddy, I too have a Smokey Lake evaporator they appear to be of high quality, I am eager to use it. I suspect we will be tapping soon enough. Were you able to go from sap to syrup in the unit you had or did you finish it inside?

I like the ability to shut it down as you mention, being my first time on a real evaporator and all I need to gain some experience. How many gallons did yours take to keep it at the 2" level?

[TheNamelessPoet]

Hello and welcome to 2022 maple season.
I searched this topic and found something posted back on 2017 with little information. My apologies if its out there and I missed it. I bought a 2' x 4' divided pan propane evaporator to be used as my main hobby evaporator. While the system looks to be well made this will be my first time using it. I have had a 125 gallon propane tank installed so I am confident I have enough pressure to supply the evaporator the question is how quickly will I go through the propane. Eventually if I enjoy this enough I may buy a standard wood fired arch. Does anyone have experience with this type of set up? I would like to hear your thoughts both pros and cons. Last year I boiled on a turkey fryer and it was just so inefficient this seemed like a reasonable price to pay for a hobby to do with my grandson exposing him to the outdoors and the responsibility and safety aspects of making maple syrup.
http://mapletrader.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=22068&d=1614595575
I have a propane evaporator that is essentially 3 turkey fryer burners on a 37ish inch wide grill. that baby can get CRANKIN. I will say I probably went through a regular store tank (20# right?) in 8-10 hours, but now that I have a regular divided pan, I don't expect to go through as much. Just giving an idea of what I went through at 1st.
Myself... I would not do wood. again that is ME, my preference. It may be more expensive, but if I have to go pee, or want to go inside and grab something to eat, I can turn off my burner and go in, then turn it back on and have it boiling in minutes again when I come out.
If you have free wood, that is a bit different (I do not) but man, wood is a LOT of work. Again, tis is MY opinion, and generally not the majority lol. I made a gallon for the 1st time last year tho, and am shooting for 3-4 gallons this year, so it also depends on how much you are trying to make and/or sell.

[TheNamelessPoet]

I forgot to mention... I planned on getting 2 40# tank's this year, but spent my $ on other upgrades instead. my plan was to have 2 tanks on a splitter, and every 2 hours or so, rotate which one was on. I wanted a tank bigger than 40# but then it gets harder to handle it. And I want to be able to lay it down on my trailer to get it refilled and you have to get a horizontal one for that.

[Paul01036]

I forgot to mention... I planned on getting 2 40# tank's this year, but spent my $ on other upgrades instead. my plan was to have 2 tanks on a splitter, and every 2 hours or so, rotate which one was on. I wanted a tank bigger than 40# but then it gets harder to handle it. And I want to be able to lay it down on my trailer to get it refilled and you have to get a horizontal one for that.

This is a great idea, thank you for sharing...... If I run into issues this year, it could be the plan for next year. Again, it is a hobby set up but didn't we all start that way?

[mayohill]

I have been using propane for 6 seasons. The first 5 years were with a 14x27 divided pan and two home made pipe burners. Last season I converted a wood fired evaporator to propane. It was fired with 5 home made pipe burners 1¼" x 44' long. I used 98.3 gallons of propane at a cost of $279.8. I made 9.4 gallons of syrup. This season I have converted the pipe burners to jet burners and it increased my heat and and appears to boil a lot faster and harder with water. I use two 40 lb. propane tanks because it makes it easy to get them refilled. My shack is too far away from our driveway to have a large tank installed and filled from a delivery truck. Hope this helps.

[Paul01036]

I have been using propane for 6 seasons. The first 5 years were with a 14x27 divided pan and two home made pipe burners. Last season I converted a wood fired evaporator to propane. It was fired with 5 home made pipe burners 1¼" x 44' long. I used 98.3 gallons of propane at a cost of $279.8. I made 9.4 gallons of syrup. This season I have converted the pipe burners to jet burners and it increased my heat and and appears to boil a lot faster and harder with water. I use two 40 lb. propane tanks because it makes it easy to get them refilled. My shack is too far away from our driveway to have a large tank installed and filled from a delivery truck. Hope this helps.

Mayohill, Thank you for the feedback, I think I am in a situation. Again, this is just a hobby for me so if it costs a few bucks so be it. What you went through in propane and produced provides an estimated cost of 29.50 per gallon excluding any labor and incidental materials. I think with your improvements you could reduce that cost a bit by quicker and more efficient evaporation. I do not have a shack or shed, I will be doing this out in the open so I expect the winds to be somewhat of a challenge for me. The good thing about propane as others have mentioned is when you are done, shut it down. I have a cover for the pan and the preheater so I am good from that perspective.

[BoerBoel]

I have a cover for the pan and the preheater so I am good from that perspective.
I don't think you want to be using a cover on either as the idea to for the steam/water boil away leaving syrup.

[CasualObserver]

Get a small RO unit. I built one myself from parts several years back with double RO membranes and a booster pump. I basically recirculate the sap until I reduce it to 1/4 the original volume. I have found practical limits on a small RO system is 7.5% to 8% sugar content. I then boil it off with a small 12" x 24" pan that was originally a finishing pan for a larger operation. It's 12" tall and has a built in drain spout on it which is great.

I make about 3.5 to 4 gallons of syrup a year. The RO unit - even a small one is a game changer and pays for itself within one to two years at most in fuel costs.

[CasualObserver]

I don't think you want to be using a cover on either as the idea to for the steam/water boil away leaving syrup.

The cover is great for the small pans with propane. If you have to walk away for an extended period of time while it is off or leave it until the next boil - the cover keeps bugs and other stuff out of it.

[Paul01036]

Sorry, yes the cover is only for when I am done for the day.

[TheNamelessPoet]

Do you have a picture of your setup Paul?