Boiling on Woodstove?

[Tim in NY]

Been thinking about trying to use an old Vermont Castings Intrepid woodstove to boil sap. The top on it is entirely flat, unlike some of the bigger VC stoves from the 80's. This would be outside, not in the house or garage or anything.

I assume I can get enough heat - but what kind of a container should I look for? I see an 8 gallon SS bucket on some sites for $140 - would that work well? I thought about having my local welder build a pan from SS - but thats gonna probably be more than I want to spend for a little hobby fun. Any advice?

I helped a friend make syrup back in high school in the 70's - been wanting to try it myself for a long time.

Thanks,

Tim - Upstate NY

[ericjeeper]

Welcome Tim.
if you are looking to just toy around. Skip the woodstove.get you a large open pan. Find an old stainless steel milker. Cut the top off. Build a firepit and set the stainless steel pot on a sturdy grate. You want the flames to lick the bottom of the pan. It takes a fast hot boil to reduce syrup.

[Tim in NY]

Eric - I looked at the pictures on your site. How did you hook the stove pipe into the back of the cinder block wall on that?

Did you have the pan made? Was it something off an evaporater? I see what you mean about not generating enough heat - the fire in your picture is pretty big.

Maybe I need to re-group?



Tim

[KenWP]

One thing you can do on the stove is if it has a removable top or inserts to remove those so the flames can get to the pan. The stove would have to be red hot inorder for the pan to get a good boil on it other wise.

[Gary R]

We have a pot of water on our wood stove all the time. It does not boil but we lose about 2-3 gal. every 24hrs. That's a lot of days just to make a quart of syrup. On the other hand, my neighbor started last year. He had an old wood stove. He cut the top off to fit a pan he had made. I think it's about 18" square. He made a couple of gal. of syrup last year. So that worked for him.

[Dill]

I agree the flames have to touch the pan. The first evaporator I had was a wood stove that I cut the top off and found a pan to fit.
Actually the one that still my avatar pic. Its an ashley wood stove with a 2x2 old leader syurp pan, the rear is a cut down 35 gallon barrel with a 2x3 flat pan.

[Maplewalnut]

Tim,

I boiled on an old woodstove the first year we tinkered around with maple sugaring and made 4 gallons of great dark syrup. It will boil and if you can throw some air in draft box you will really get it going. We would boil all day while doing spring cleanup, fill the pots to the top overnight and when we were close take it inside and finish on kitchen stove. You can make it work. good luck

Mike

[maple flats]

It would be slow, but 30 some years ago, we made syrup with the kids using pots on the wood stove. If you have wall paper, you won't, way too much steam in the house. In the yard, as to just make a little for your own use, go for it. Then after the sickness sets in you can try something faster and someday you will be certified an addict.

[Tim in NY]

Thanks everyone for the replies. The stove actually does have one of the Vermont Casting griddles on the top that also serves as a top loader. I may be able to remove that and get the flames directly to the pan.

I only want to do a few quarts, so I may give it a try.

Tim

[BarrelBoiler]

syrup can be made many ways the last time i boileed it was on a heating stove, oval, sheet metal sides,and cast iron top and bottom.most of the top was a lid for big wood, a small door in the narrow side of the oval for starting and small wood and screw caps at the base for draft. the pan i had covered the opening of the topcover but hung out over the sides by 3 inches after some trail and error i found that this worked best with the top on only had 15 taps all reds and made a gallon and a half

the last of my uncle doing any he just put his 1x2x8" pan onthe wood cook stove and let it simmer until it was done it was real dark syrup but it was good stuff

good luck, have fun

[BarrelBoiler]

meant to mention if your outside boil in a shelter spot or hang up some traps for a wind break it helps with the heat transfer to teh sap instead of blowing away. also be mindful of sparks and anything burnable near by because your going to need a roaring fire and it will throw ember

[ericjeeper]

Eric - I looked at the pictures on your site. How did you hook the stove pipe into the back of the cinder block wall on that?

Did you have the pan made? Was it something off an evaporater? I see what you mean about not generating enough heat - the fire in your picture is pretty big.

Maybe I need to re-group?



Tim

I only had the cinder blocks on the sides. At the end I used a piece of galvanized tin.stood up to make a UI screwed the vertical pipe to the U and capped it off where it met the pan with some more scrap tin. The cinder blocks were line with old roofing tin.
The pan was something I welded up. The bottom was to thick, but the bottom was also free. I might break down and buy a pan to exactly fit my oil barrel evaporator. I have it brick lined and it works like a champ. I force feed the draft with a Stanley squirrel caged blower.It will eat an arm load of wood in about 7 minutes. Hardwood will last a wee bit longer. A larger pan would definitely give me a much faster evaporation rate.
at a cost of 345.00 plus shipping

[vtsnowedin]

I have to agree with getting the flame right on the pan. I've made quite a bit of syrup over the years on the kitchen Andes wood cook stove. It has six removable nine inch lids and a water reservoir on the side. If you could feed it through the front you could put a 22X32 inch pan on it but mine doesn't feed that way conveniently so I just use all the lobsta' pots and stew pots I have one to each lid and keep the one over the front of the fire box low so I can set it over on the reservoir shelf to load wood. The best wood you have left, split double fine and open all the windows and both doors to the kitchen and your in business. Stoves made to heat rooms tend not to have the top as their hottest surface and won't boil sap worth a darn as a rule. On the other hand a stockpot set on the Glenwood wood parlor chunk stove dose make a dandy preheater if you can stand that much extra heat in the house. A stockpot left full on a stuffed and shut down stove will simmer down by about half while you sleep but if you do that enough times you will burn a pot full of syrup. No where near as big a deal as with a $5000 dollar pan. :D

[smitty76]

tim in ny, were aboust in upstate r u?

[Tim in NY]

Geez - I'm just over the hill from you. Well, down the valley and then over the hill. I'm in Berkshire, but actually live closer to Richford.

Tim

[Leadft]

I have an idea about making some add-on to the stack of a small box style wood stove we have from our old house's work shop. If I ever get a chance to put it together I will pasot some pix

[smitty76]

Tim, you are just across the valley and over the hill. at least the same county. Will this be your first evaporator and year of syruping or just starting your own rig?:)

[Tim in NY]

Smitty,

Back in the 70's one of high school friends made syrup every year - he was up in Fairfield, just off the top of Candor Hill. I helped gather and boil, and really enjoyed it. That was way before pipelines and such - he gathered with plastic buckets and milk cans and an old Farmall C and wood trailer.

I have been thinking about trying to do a bit myself for years - just don't have any equipment, and my outbuildings are full of tractors and firewood - so no space. The hill behind me has plenty of hard maple. I want to do something, but just not sure what..

Tim