A quick pan vs quantity of taps question

[ahowes]

I am planning on two 1x3 pans and should have a fairly efficient block/archboard/firebrick arch built (see other thread). What is a comfortable amount of taps I can reasonably expect to handle if I am an evening/weekend kinda guy?

If the pans are too big/small, I can reconsider as the arch is not started yet. Hope to start on it next week, pan will be custom 22ga SS. Thanks!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You could probably do 25 to 50 taps max unless you want to boil a lot of hours. You are probably looking at 5 to 8 gph max and you would likely see 8 gph only if you have a very efficient setup and possibly a blower. Average for a 2x3 set up is around 5 gph for flat pans.

[Bucket Head]

It would be tough for us to say what you would be comfortable with. How long will your boiling sessions be on the evenings and weekends? The flat pans won't evaporate a lot of sap per hour and a good producing tree will fill two metal buckets (8 gallons of sap) in a day, so you would have to gage how much sap you might have at the end of the day. Do you hope to boil each days sap that evening? Just for comparison and/or food for thought, the first flat pan we had was about 18"x30" and we had twelve taps with it and we were swimming in sap! Better to have too much than not enough, but it does'nt take many taps to overwelm a flat pan, and it's owner.

Steve

[ahowes]

It would be tough for us to say what you would be comfortable with. How long will your boiling sessions be on the evenings and weekends? The flat pans won't evaporate a lot of sap per hour and a good producing tree will fill two metal buckets (8 gallons of sap) in a day, so you would have to gage how much sap you might have at the end of the day. Do you hope to boil each days sap that evening? Just for comparison and/or food for thought, the first flat pan we had was about 18"x30" and we had twelve taps with it and we were swimming in sap! Better to have too much than not enough, but it does'nt take many taps to overwelm a flat pan, and it's owner.

SteveProbably every other evening and whatever it takes on weekends. The trees produce fairly well and I have about all the trees I could ever want. If it makes any difference, we're going to put baffles in the front pan and try to have continuous pre-heated trickle into it the back pan.
I had 12 taps last year and had to throw away some because my setup was so inefficient. Also, my technique was terrible also - I only decided to do it one week before it was time. Perhaps 20-25 taps and see what happens...?...

[Bucket Head]

Yes, 20-25 taps would be a good start. You will know right away if it's too much sap or not. "We'll see what happens" is what every sugarmaker says when trying something new, lol! Good luck this season.

Steve

[ahowes]

Thanks. I feel like I ask some pretty lame questions on here, but I have nobody to learn from around here. Southern Indiana isn't exactly overflowing with MapleTrader members. There is one over in the next county (and he has been very helpful) but I hate to bug him on every detail when I can just post on here and be helped by a whole committee:D

[Bucket Head]

No such thing as "lame questions" here! This is a great site with a lot of knowledgeable folk's, who started out just like you are doing now, myself included. We've all been there.

Steve

[Big_Eddy]

I've been doing 100 taps with a 2x3 flat pan on a block arch for over 20 years. For 3 weeks, I probably boil 40-60 hours a week evenings and weekends (I have been known to dump some sap in exchange for a couple hours sleep). It is doable, but consider 100 the upper limit for a 2x3 pan. 1x6 would be a little more efficient but not significantly.

1x6 is probably about right for 50 taps.

I think 12" is pretty narrow. It's going to make for a pretty small firebox space, and a small door opening . I'd be tempted to make your pans 16" wide just to get a bit more firebox. If you design your arch well, you can replace the back pan with a flue pan at some time in the future, and you'll be able to handle 100-150 taps.

[ahowes]

That is a good point - 12 inches is tiny. Someone in another thread suggested 2 1x3s. It probably is more efficient, but the firebox size would be very restrictive. Maybe 18 inches...

Also, I searched for a photo of a flue pan - none I found were very good. What makes a pan a flue pan? I was going to put a back pan a bit higher so that it can gravity feed into the front one, but don't know if that is a flue pan or not. Just continuing my tradition of asking elementary questions;)
Thanks

[Big_Eddy]

ahowes

A flue pan looks like an accordian, with narrow slots with sap in it, divided by narrow passages that the smoke / flames can pass through. The flues are either drop (below the frame rail) or raised (up into the pan). Flues can be 4-12" deep / high. Flues significantly increase the surface area of the pan, and therefore the heat transfer and boil rate. Flues are only used in a sap pan - once the sap has been concentrated approaching syrup, it is moved to a flat syrup pan. Typically the flue pan is at the back, and the syrup pan is at the front. You can not finish syrup in a flue pan, (long explanation) so you must have a flat pan as well.

I have a thread here on building a flue pan - search for it. I ended up using 8' of material to make an 18" wide pan, so that gives you an idea how much surface area is involved.

[TF Maple]

I was going to put a back pan a bit higher so that it can gravity feed into the front one, but don't know if that is a flue pan or not.

That would be called a preheater and is another way to improve efficiency. I would add that when you have a chance. Keep the questions coming!