switching to oil ?

[erhino10]

I am considering switching from wood to oil in my arch. I have a 4x12 with a 4x8 drop flue pan with a 4x4 syrup pan and a 4x8 steam away with air injection over the flue pan. I was wondering if anyone out there had a similar set up that has switched to oil and what they gained in evaporation by doing so.

[jdj]

I'm basically in the same boat. I have a 3x10 wood fired drop flue with a steamaway and I'm considering switching to oil for next season. I am wondering what has to be done to my wood arch to convert it to oil? I am going to be purchasing a RO so I figure with the RO and steamaway I will be able to make syrup quite efficiently using oil. Anybody have any input on any of this?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Spending 3 weeks using oil and spending alot of time in two shacks that burn wood 5x16 a huricane with steam away and blower that took 4ft wood that thing when it was going was a monster and when the fired it was fast and kept the heat up. The 3x10 wood fired would slow way down when the doors were open during wood loading and it only boiled 80 gallons per hr and took 45 to start boiling. My oil 3x10 was up to full speed in 10 min.
Last year I spent $2500 making 160 gallons and only $1500 making 300 this year. I put over 1000 miles on the sap hauler picking up over 12,000 gallons of sap 24 miles round trip and shutting down with wood I would have been screwed trying to do both for the week I was alone.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I also wonderd why the guys with wood didnt even start there wood fired evaps when it was raining and they said it took twice as long to boil so they didnt bother. With oil I was cooking all day long and with tubing I was getting full tanks in the rain.

[PerryW]

I never noticed and significant reduction in boiling rates (with wood) when it's raining. Might be a little slower but not 50%.

And my wood-fired 3x10 takes 7 minutes to a full boil with nice dry pine slabs.

[KenWP]

Rain does not seem to bother me its the stupid wind. Course if I could figure out how to put the stack straight up instead of out the side it would help. I would consider oil for the reason you can turn it off and leave. With wood takes time to slow things down enough to go safely to bed I find.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I see very little difference if any when it is raining, so that statement seems crazy to me. Never boiled with oil in the rain, so can't compare but I don't see how it could be much difference if any.