Drawoff Pail

[Amber Gold]

I wanted to get a drawoff pail for next year and saw that the s/s pails cost about $150. Can a galvanized sap pail be used instead? I'm sure those are 1/3 the cost.

[802maple]

I wouldn't use galvanized. When I had a small operation I used SS stock pots that you can get very cheap from Walmart and others. I took a handle out of a 5 gallon plastic pail and drilled holes in the stock pot where I wanted the handle and magically I had a drawoff pail for 19.99

[softmaple]

Tractor Supply has stainless steel pails for 10 to 30 bucks. but there not the quality that the dealers sell for maple drawoff pails.

[royalmaple]

Hunt around for a SS milk pail. They are the cats rear end, not as furry but very nice. Very sturdy, and also have a handle on the bottom to help when you are dumping quality product out. Normally you can find them pretty cheap at an old farm house or at an auction.

[tappin&sappin]

I got a nice heavy duty ~3gal SS pail from a local company for 35 bucks.

Here is their info:

A. Caplan Company
12607 Route 19 S
Waterford, PA 16441
814-796-3629

Not sure what the shipping would cost you.

- Jake

[ziggy]

Try www.instawares.com search for pail, they have several different ones.

[Amber Gold]

I just checked Tractor Supply's website and they have a 16qt for $26. I also checked out the milk pails on ebay and found some nice ones for about $20, not including shipping. I'm going to keep my eyes out for one with a tilt handle. That sounds like it would be a nice feature when you're handling not syrup.

Thanks for the help.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I draw off directly in a 5 gallon food grade bucket. Takes me 4 to 5 hours to fill one and the syrup continues to evaporate in it which is what I like. I wouldn't want to run 5 gallon of boiling syrup in it in 30 seconds even thought I don't think it would hurt it, but other than the first little bit of hot syrup, it gradually cools as the bucket fills.

[Amber Gold]

I like your idea, but isn't there a bunch of stuff going around in the news about heating plastic baby bottles. I'm not sure if the containers you're using are the same type of plastic. I guess that when the bottles are heated they leach out some kind of chemical into the food.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If that's the case, we had better quit bottling syrup and everything else that is hot bottled and sold in plastic containers.

Baby bottles don't have anything to do with syrup.

[brookledge]

This I what I use and is great because the top is narrower than the bottom and is less likely to tip from being top heavy. If you keep your eyes open or know of an old farm you can get them cheap. But anyways here is one on E-bay
http://cgi.ebay.com/DeLaval-Stainless-Steel-Milk-Can-Pail-Bucket-NR_W0QQitemZ130211525871QQihZ003QQcategoryZ66895QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Keith

[tessiersfarm]

I draw off into a 30qt stainless steel turkey cooker. I modified it by putting in a stainless bulkhead fitting and ball valve so I can bottle out of it when the syrup is finished. Pot and burner cost $90.00 at Dicks Sporting goods and with the valve and fittings cost about $120.00. It is perfect for finishing about 3 or 4 gallons of syrup at a time off of my 27"x40" evaporator.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I agree totally with Keith on that point. That is why I don't like the drawoff stainless buckets the dealers sell for rape and pillage prices or the ones at tractor supply because they are top heavy. That's they good thing about a 5 gallon bucket it that they are very stable and have high sides to kill the splash and are free or close to free. I have 3/4" copper running out of the drawoff valves to about the height of the top of the bucket, so this helps a lot but the high sides are good too.

I have always wanted a nice milk can, just never got one and they would work awesome.

[Amber Gold]

Keith, thanks for finding that for me. I was looking for something like that.

Brandon, disregard my comment about the bottles. I wasn't thinking. Completely forgot about the fact that syrup is bottled in plastic bottles. The 5 gallon buckets you're drawing off in, are they the 5 gallon bulk buckets that you can get at Bascom's or are you using something else?

Josh

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Josh,

No problem there. I drawoff in 5 gallon pickle buckets. I have used these buckets for 12 to 15 years and they had a smell for a few years, but never affected the taste of the sap or syrup in any way.

I like the 5 gallon buckets better because you can get complete access to the inside vs a plastic 5 gallon container like you can get at Bascoms which has a 2 or 3 inch screw cap not even big enough to get your hand inside.