how much sap is needed to boil on a 2x4 pan?

[Loun]

I have my block evaporator ready and have a 2x4 flat pan but the sap isnt flowing much yet. How much sap do I need before it makes sense to fire up the arch?

[KenWP]

It takes 7.5 US gallons to fill the pan to a 2 inch depth and it takes something like 45 gallons of sap to make a gallon od syrup. But a gallon of syrup will only be 1/4 of a inch deep in the pan which will burn so fast it's not funny. So to have a safe depth of syrup you probbably need at least 160 to 200 gallons of sap to start with.
Now you can boil any amount to start and leave it in the pan untill you get some more sap and it will keep well that way and when you have boiled enough you can take it off.
We all have to problem of starting early and poor runs untill it warms up enough to get decent amounts of sap.

[TF Maple]

When I start tapping this year and have a small amount of sap, say 5 to 10 gallons, I plan to do like Ken said and bring it to a boil and let the fire die out. Then add more sap as I get it and do the same until I feel like finishing it off. I want to stay ahead of any sap runs and don't want to store sap and have it spoil.
Another option would be to finish off any amount of sap, but like Ken said, it could be tricky with small amounts to keep from scorching the pan.
The only other option I can think of is keeping it cold until you have an amount you feel like boiling. Remember to treat sap like milk and store it below 40 degrees or freeze it. You don't want bacteria growing in it and consuming the sugar. That will also make the syrup darker.
Hope you get better weather soon.

[jtthibodeau]

Our sap is stored in 45/50 gallon barrels. The first barrel tends to sweeten the pan. The second barrel usually will supply the first syrup but, our pan is divided and I won't drop the level drop to less than 1/4 inch, as Ken has mentioned, before I flood it. The third barrel kind of gets things running where draws can be made a little more often. I know I need a sweet pan if it's going to sit in cold weather. I worry a little with drop flues.

[wnybassman]

My 2x4 is divided, I have a 24" x 18" front section and a 24" x 30" back section. I plan on waiting until I get 40-50 gallons to fire it up. I'll keep a bucket of sap handy at the end and boil everything down as much as I can ladling into the smaller front section and keep that concentrated. I'll let the fire die shortly before I run out of sap, and use the spare bucket to add if needed. I'll also have a garden sprayer with water to kill the fire fast if I have to.

This is a new system for me this year, so I am sure some modifications will be made along the way.

[Loun]

it was another fairly slow day / night of sap. Ended up with 5 gallons of sap after the ice was drained and tossed so its at least somewhat concentrated already. Still not enough to toss on the evap obviously but since my gf's little sister and her parents are leaving today I decided to toss it in the turkey fryer and burn some propane. We will see how well it works! :)

I shall call it "Little Evap" AKA "Expensive Evap"

It does sound like a little jet turbine though lol

[kinalfarm]

on a good sap run day you mite get 2.5 gal of sap per tap so about 30 gal and that 2x4 pan will probly bol about 5-8 gal/hr so prolly 8 hr of boiling if you boil when you get 60 gal. so every day or every other day once it warms up.

[Loun]

I have 50 taps overall. Its just that all the tubing is in the woods and its still shady so 10 taps on tube right now are doing as much as 1 tap on a good bucket tree in the yard. I tapped on a cloudy day at a new place so most of the tube taps are on the wrong side of the tree too so my fault there. First year learning curve :)

it still hasnt gotten over 38 degrees here yet and we are at the top of a hill so its always windy. I think good things are still to come

[Cazzanooch]

It sounds like we have the same type of setup- 2x4x11" flat pan on block arch. This is my second year and I work it as follows- My sap storage is in 32 Gal plastic garbage cans. I dump the whole thing in (about six inches deep) and fire away. A flat pan tends to sag in the middle so I watch the edges carefully when the sap gets low and back off the fire. When the sap is lapping the edges I remove the pan from the fire, and have about 1-1/2 to 2 gallons of near syrup left to finish either on a gas burner or save several batches (minimum 4) till I have enough to make syrup right in the pan. I've set up a blower to supply air under the fire. With that and keeping a close watch to keep the fire well stoked from a cold start I can boil a batch in +/- 4hrs. With a hot arch it's about 3hrs, which if my math is good would be around 9 gph. Don't know if this info helps but be sure to post how you make out with your setup.

Cal

[Loun]

Cal,

Thank you for that info. I go out of town tonight and come back Thursday, hopefully by then I will have enough sap stored up to be able to fire up the arch. We will see what happens with the weather. Right now 30 gallons would take a week to get with the current sap yield since its still cold and windy here. Soon that will all change though and I can see how close our setups really are :)

[Beweller]

If you have enough sap to put at least one inch in the pan, bring it to a boil and "jug" the boiled sap while it is hot. The boiling sterilizes the sap and it will keep for a reasonable period.

If you are a bit short on sap to finish, you can boil it down to the one or two inch level and store it until you have enough more sap to justify firing up again.

Just put the stored sap back in the pan and start boiling again, adding more sap as needed.