First block evaporator, take a look and tell me what you think I need to m

[rustyinmaine]

this is my very first attempt at this. I got the design out of mother earth mag. and several other sourses. i have not fully tested it yet and plan to do so today. i have $10 invested and going to try and boil some tuesday or monday. YThe pan measure 20"x48". is it to big and how much sap should I start with. i have collected about 20 gallon in the last 4 days. I tried to upload photo but they are to big and my better half is better at the computer thing than I any advice is greatly appreicated.

[RileySugarbush]

That looks fine for a start and should work well. If you can add a fire grate and set your door up so combustion air flows in the bottom and up through the grate it will boil a little better.. Block the back of the grate so you don't let the air take a short cut out the back of it.

[morningstarfarm]

Looks pretty good..bioiled for more years than I want to think about on a rig pretty much like that..I'd lay a half block under the door for venting and raise the flu height about 2-3' and you have her nailed....a grate wouldnt hurt either. Enjoy

[emo]

Looks good. I have boiled with and witout a fire grate, using the grate definetly helped the fire burn better. You will may need to go up a another layer of block if you add a fire grate to allow enough combution room. When I pull the door off to load wood, there is a alot of heat and smoke that come back out the front. I managed to rig a door on the front of the block using flat steel across the front, a piece of sheet steel attached to a piece of angle at the top. Tapped two screws into the top of the angle that fit down into two holes in the flat steel to hole the door on. Aclose fitting door will help keep the heat inside the firebox and under the pan where it will do the most good. Get some kind of brick, preferable firebrick, for the inside or the cement block could start cracking and fall apart. I included some pictures of mine. Once it is running, I get 4-5 gph evaporation rate.

[Maplesedge]

Nice pan!

Are the blocks just on the ground?

I think it was in Rink Mann's book that I first saw a pic of blocks tilting inward when the fire thawed out the ground underneath.

Maybe pour a small slab for next year if you have that problem?

Have fun!

[rustyinmaine]

if I put bricks in to line the block will it make my fire area to small? It now measures 16" wide by about 20" then I filled the back 2' of the pit with sand sloping up to about 4-5" below the pan. I did construct a new door today with a block under neath it so the holes make for vents and it seemed to work alot better for test number 2. Also added a grate and dug out underneath for more air space. I still have some kinks to get out. I can't seem to get it hot enough for the entire pan to boil just the back 2/3 of it will boil with water in it. Do I need a fan to push more air threw or will a taller stack fix that problem. I have stack that I can take from my ice shack and rig it some how if it is necessary, probably bringing the total height to about 8 feet. as it is now it is at roughly 4 feet. what do you guys think. i really appreciate all the feed back and in the last 2 days this thing has really come together . Thank you! I can't wait till I actually get to boiling sap.