Worked my block evaporator Hard

[valleyman]

Boiled for awhile yesterday. I'm found some shortcomings with my design. Maybe this will help some of you with the similar set up. Earlier in the year I modified a cap for the top of the stack I got at Lowes to open it more for better air flow per your suggestions. Then I thought I was doing a good thing by putting 1/4" hardware cloth over the opening to stop the flying ash. Well into the boil I noticed smoke seeping out any small path it could find in the evaporator. Between the blocks, around the pans ect. I checked the stack and the screen was 1/2 way blocked. Chucked the screen and imediately got the second pan rippin along with the front pan. Before long the third pan was boiling pretty well too. Couldn't really get the rear most pan to boil but almost. The whole system starting working much more efficiently.

I realize now that I need to increase the height of my stack to create a stronger draw. I'm going up another 3 feet. Currently its about 8'.

Also, I had just a little house fan pusing air under the fire. You all know thats a good thing. But In my little sugar shack I was getting overcome with steam/smoke so out of necessity I got another fan that was on a stand. That pushed the steam away and was a great addition to the process.

One last thing for you resaurant pan guys. I bought a large flat syruping scoop and it was the best investment. I was able to move sap from pan to pan with ease and when I was winding down I was able to get almost every drop out without haviing to lift and dump the pans.

I ended up with over a gallon of finished syrup and I dumped some sap cause I was done and not going to boil again until next weekend. A lot of work for a solo operation.

Sap is flowing real well now. Dont even want to think about right now.

[jayburd73]

My buddy jason told me about a guy 5 miles away from us that uses steam pans to boil. He took small brass tee fittings, put a 1/4 turn valve on the tee side and pieces of copper tubing on straight threw sides he bent the copper down into two of the pans deeper than the sap level. It is like an upside down u with the valve facing up. He fills his pans and than opens the valves and sucks all the air out of the upside down u and closes the valve without letting any air back in. He says the sap level in all his pans stays the same level because as one pan drops it pulls sap from the other pans. Try this it will cut down on allot of scooping.

[vtsnowedin]

My buddy jason told me about a guy 5 miles away from us that uses steam pans to boil. He took small brass tee fittings, put a 1/4 turn valve on the tee side and pieces of copper tubing on straight threw sides he bent the copper down into two of the pans deeper than the sap level. It is like an upside down u with the valve facing up. He fills his pans and than opens the valves and sucks all the air out of the upside down u and closes the valve without letting any air back in. He says the sap level in all his pans stays the same level because as one pan drops it pulls sap from the other pans. Try this it will cut down on allot of scooping.

You dont need the valves. Just lay the U shaped piece down in the cold sap to fill completely then plug both ends with your fingers and flip them up in place with both ends below the sap level before you take your fingers away. As long as you keep enough sap in the first pan to keep the end of the U covered they will keep the pans balanced.

[BryanEx]

Just lay the U shaped piece down in the cold sap to fill completely then plug both ends with your fingers and flip them up in place with both ends below the sap level before you take your fingers away. As long as you keep enough sap in the first pan to keep the end of the U covered they will keep the pans balanced.

Does this actually work? In theory it certainly does but I recall reading about someone who tried in vain to get such a system to work correctly (transferring between pans) due to the boiling process. Air bubbles would keep building up in the tubing and break the vacuum. I use this siphon technique every year to partially drain my pool... but my pool isn't boiling at the time either.

EDIT: Found it on page 73 of Backyard Sugarin. I knew I'd read it somewhere so never bothered trying.

[vtsnowedin]

Does this actually work? In theory it certainly does but I recall reading about someone who tried in vain to get such a system to work correctly (transferring between pans) due to the boiling process. Air bubbles would keep building up in the tubing and break the vacuum. I use this siphon technique every year to partially drain my pool... but my pool isn't boiling at the time either.

EDIT: Found it on page 73 of Backyard Sugarin. I knew I'd read it somewhere so never bothered trying.
The bubbles would be bubbles of steam not air and if they cool back down at the top of the U will condense back to water. A good rolling boil will make enough turbulence though to break the siphon on occasion. Very hard to restart it when everything is hot. Just something to fiddle with while your waiting for syrup to happen and plotting how to convince She who must be obeyed that you need a real 2x6 rig.

[BryanEx]

I don't think it will work... but I'm going to try it this season to find out and post my results here. I would love to be able to process my own syrup using a flow-through set up but my business requires a small batch so a 2 X 6 won't be happening in the foreseeable future. I do already have the thumbs up for a second 4 steam pan evaporator providing I can make it work for me. Things are good when "She" is almost into sugarin as much as I am.

[vtsnowedin]

I don't think it will work... but I'm going to try it this season to find out and post my results here. I would love to be able to process my own syrup using a flow-through set up but my business requires a small batch so a 2 X 6 won't be happening in the foreseeable future. I do already have the thumbs up for a second 4 steam pan evaporator providing I can make it work for me. Things are good when "She" is almost into sugarin as much as I am.
An understatement If I ever heard one.
I'm breaking myself in on a 3X8 that "She" gave me so I won't be playing with any siphons.
You might try a 90 elbow on the bottom of each leg of the U to discourage steam bubbles from entering the pipe and placing the U pipes at the corners of the pan over the arch walls where the boiling is the least. I have seen it work very well in simmering pans but if you can achieve a full rolling boil over your whole pan they may well be more trouble then they are worth. Have a tanks overflowing three percent season.

[jayburd73]

Now you guys got me wondering how this "old sap" has been boiling like this for so long. Jason told me he has been doing it like this for years. I guess I'll stop in and check it out myself. I'll let you guys know what I find out.