evaporator on a wood floor

[sticky mess]

Hello everyone,

We are setting up our evaporator (24 x 60 laperriere wood fired) in our shed. The shed has a wood floor, and the evaporator has an open bottom under the fire box. If anyone has any experience that they would like to share we would sure appreciate it. We are thinking of a slab of concrete with a steel plate on top for the ashes and coals to drop on. Its an old shed but we dont want it to burn down just the same!! :emb: Thanks for your thoughts.

[KenWP]

My house has a cement slab under the stove that heats the place. This is right in my kitchen by the way. I have no idea why they put the heater on the ground floor anyways but it is.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I would lay a few sheets of tile backer the Hardi backer type down on the floor they sell it in 4x8 sheets 1/4 or 1/2 thick if your worried about the radiant heat put a sheet of dry wall under it for insulation.

[sticky mess]

I am concerned about the radiation heating the wood floor up enough to cause problems. Do most evaporators lack an ash pan or ash box? Thanks

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Yes, most arches have no bottom under the grates. They merely set on the floor. If you put down a sheet of fire resistant material such *** plasterboard and cover it with a piece of sheet metal or something, you will be ok. You can lay down a piece of sheet metal and then a layer of brick and set the arch on that.. Mainly you need some insulation to insure what little heat that goes down is not enough to ignite the floor and something to prevent sparks from reaching the combustible material.

[Haynes Forest Products]

My lab will lay under my arch and sleep when she starts to stink I just boot her out the door.

[Gerryfamily5]

Sticky mess,it sounds to me you really don't like this shed,since your trying to burn it down.Don't take the heat and sparks for granted.A layer of 1/2" cement board(Hardi backer would work best)under and around the front where the doors are is important! Inside the ash pit I would use 1" arch insul. board (Bascom's or other) then cover with sheet metal to protect 100%.Your from Maine so you may know of when Bob's sugarhouse of Doverfoxcorft burnt in the middle of the season several years back,a spark got into a crack in the wood floor, bye bye. So a little effort in set up is well worth the insurance.Just a thought.

[dschultz]

If that was mine I'd pour a 4'x 6' cement slab for the firebox to sit on.One foot on each side,one foot on the back under side and 3 feet in front for the coals to fall on when you open the door to fire.

[maplecrest]

how hard would it be to rip out the wood floor and pour 4 inches of concrete?

[Fred Henderson]

many a sugarhouse has burnt down with a dirt floor because an ember flew over near the wall and laid up against the wood sill. When the fire started at 2 AM no one was there to notice. Do the cement slab and be safe. Protect your investment.

[Haynes Forest Products]

The old how easy is it to rip out the floor question. Like most buildings the floor is to foundation on most SHEDS. When I got my first sap shack home on the semi trailer the stone floor was left behind so all I did was brace the bldg stright and leveled it on stones piled gravel on the out side and had the cement truck pull up and fill the inside. Now would I do it that way now.........................hell yes it worked great and 18 years later it shows no sign of falling down the bldg was from the 1800 so its good for a few more. If you were to level the bldg from the corners and door posts and cut out the floor would you be able to fill with road base and pour cement?

[vermaple]

Do some of you guys call a cake flour? :rolleyes: : ;)

Seriously I agree with getting rid of the wood floor. If a concrete floor is not affordable, tear out the wood, pour a concrete base for your arch and then put in crushed stone for a floor. Then add the concrete floor next year or whenever.

[KenWP]

Haynes when you built that sugar house back in the 1800 did you figure you would still be useing today.

[sticky mess]

The old shed is an old shed just like all old sheds, but it is water tight at least for the most part. Any major modifications are beyond what I want to do to it. I am probably going to lay down a 2 inch thick slab under and around the arch area and put sheet metal either on top of it or under it. Some else had a suggesion of a pouring the slab on top of cinder blocks to give an air space between the slab and floor. There seems to be allot of good ideas. I appreaciate all your ideas and input. If this spring you here of a sugar shed going up in smoke you know I did it wrong!! Oh by the way I made my own hinged cap for my stack it came out great, I used 1/8 inch stainless.

[Fred Henderson]

SS is lifetime material.

[TapME]

if you can cut some holes in the floor and set some concrete blocks down to the ground and up above the floor of the shack. use this as a base to either put your slab on for the evap or four angle iron to hold 2'' thick patio pavers 2feet by 2 feet and work with that for now. you want to make syrup not ashes.just my 1/2 cent

[3rdgen.maple]

Go to Home Depot get enough 2 foot by 2 foot patio blocks that are 2 inches thick lay them on the floor pour some playsand on top and brush it in the seams and call it a day.

[Haynes Forest Products]

KenWP Im starting to think and feel like I was built at the same time. The bldg was $600.00 with the 2X8 English tin pans and arch, pails, spiles, head tank, oak table and old Department of Ag book on making syrup and no floor.

[PerryW]

I have a wood floor all the way around my evaporator except I have a concrete under the firebox._ but for your situation ...

Maybe a double layer of 4" concrete blocks (piled on the wood floor) with joints alternated?

Or a piece of sheet metal between the 2 layers of block to make sure no coals can get thru?

[red maples]

I have to have mine inspected by the fire chief. But what he recomended is to put down the harde concrete backer. put the arch on 2 layers of brick to act as legs this will give you about a 4 inch air space on the bottom then add in some sheet metal, arch board and 1/2 bricks and you should be fine!!! I asked him about just putting it on concrete patio blocks and he said we was afraid the would heat up too much. but if it is insulated and bricked and have the air space it should be no problem. and easier to clean out with the brick.

[3rdgen.maple]

Although I originally had a dirt floor . I have the 2 inch patio blocks on the floor and they have been there quite awhile. All I can say is they do not get hot at all. I have a concrete pad under the arch with the patio blocks over it and I can place my hand anywheres around the arch and they are just a little warm. I would have to think that with a layer of ash on top of that in the ash pan the blocks in there are not hot either. And like Haynes mentioned somewhere I would be more concerned with the area the stack goes through the roof.

[red maples]

I agree that the concrete patio blocks are fine, but I just have to do what the firechief says to do, ya know, And I will have insulated SS pipe going through the roof so I am not to worried about that. but that is good a good point,I have seen more than 1 stack that is very tight to the rafters and cross members, without and insulated pipe.

[7810hunting]

I've beem cooking syrup for over25 years. All I ever used was fire brick under my arch and never had a problem.

[3rdgen.maple]

Hey red maybe a little maple syrup might help out the inspection. It is a sad world we live in sometimes. It stinks when we have to spend more money than necessary. Good luck with whatever route you take with the floor.

[red maples]

hey thanks,* yeah that's true it really shouldn't be too bad I was gonna put down the harde board anyway, and the little extra brick and arch board shouldn'tbe too much anyway.* I am good friends with the building inspector for our town and the fire chief is a pretty good guy so far... working with me just wants everything to be safe. But since I plan on selling syrup it then is a business out of your house which requires a zone meeting and the whole 9 yards

but the next project is for a barn with a walkin freezer so I can make Ice carvings. Starting that one in sept. then I can get the town stuff hopefully done in 1 shot.

my friend said yeah when your done with that you can name your business Brad's construction!!!!:)

Business name pending approval will be SUGAR AND ICE

quite exciting and fun but a little stressfull taking the leap into self employment!!! *

[KenWP]

Ice carveings for banquets are they. My sister does that.
If I built a sugar house here I would some how make it temporary permanant so I could by pass the permit stage. I have a big sheet of really thick black plastic I might use for a roof.

[red maples]

yeah I used to be a chef. but I still do ice for some of the places I used to work... so there is very little overhead, electricty for the walk-in freezer and until I can afford my own ice block maker I can buy them from a local guy who has a bottling company but also does ice blocks. and I have many many many friends in the business to get things going by word of mouth. and I have all the money up front to get started with.