My plan 2023 - 2024

In looking at improvements for next season, one thing I will have is a new grill design as suggested to me on another post and as per the attached picture.

Looking at the picture it struck how different the size of the firebox is, as compared to mine. My firebox is 28” deep. Almost the depth of two logs. I stuffed my firebox full, front to back and to the top of the pan, and I got it super hot, but it struck me, that perhaps the reason I went through so much wood, is I lost a lot of heat out the stack. If my firebox had less depth, only like a log or so deep, that I could take greater advantage of the gasses passing under the pan and use maybe half of the firewood I used last year.

Just wondering what the depth of your firebox is, in your professional evaporators? This would be a relatively easy adjustment for me to make in the off season. I am thinking of reducing the 28” depth to 16 or 18”.

This would also reduce the size, and the cost to make, of the new grate.

Do you think this is a good idea?

Thanks

Gary

PS - I am no longer pooped and I am enthusiastic about the next sugaring season. Cutting and hauling logs today was therapeutic.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/06d2...8eA0DsXoeDpjcw

I will take a measurement of my firebox and send it to you.

I have a home built 2x6, and we made the firebox just under the syrup pan, so exterior dimensions are 24x24, but after bricking, we had full sized fire brick on hand so we used that, it's 20 x 20 inside. i cut all my wood 18" and crisscross it when i feed. I have grates like the ones your pictured. Grates were made out of 1/4" thick 2x2 angle iron spaced 1/4" apart. We run forced air, this is the second season and they show no signs of warping, and I have very little ash buildup under the grates. Feeding every 5 min by the clock i can put a boil in all 3 sections of the flue pan even when the sap is close to freezing.

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Originally Posted by darkmachine

I have a home built 2x6, and we made the firebox just under the syrup pan, so exterior dimensions are 24x24, but after bricking, we had full sized fire brick on hand so we used that, it's 20 x 20 inside. i cut all my wood 18" and crisscross it when i feed. I have grates like the ones your pictured. Grates were made out of 1/4" thick 2x2 angle iron spaced 1/4" apart. We run forced air, this is the second season and they show no signs of warping, and I have very little ash buildup under the grates. Feeding every 5 min by the clock i can put a boil in all 3 sections of the flue pan even when the sap is close to freezing.

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Thanks. My firebox interior width is 23” and I can’t really change that. It would be an easy fix to reduce my depth to 20.5”. After that my options are 19” or 18.5”.

Edit: I went outside and checked several wood piles. It appears I cut my wood to 16”. Sometimes a little smaller or bigger, but ä firebox 18.5” deep maybe the right choice. I still would like to compare it to a few others. This alone may save me a ton of wood.

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Originally Posted by Pdiamond

I will take a measurement of my firebox and send it to you.

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Thank you!

So I have the Dauntless from smokey lake maple and the fire box is about 20" after fire bricked. I would think you could reduce your size, but you might find that 18" might be to tight, but since you are wider you can criss cross your longs easier.

Bryan

I have a Mason evaporator and the firebox is roughly 20" x 20" after being fire bricked.

GO

Thanks, that is very helpful. It seems that the 20” depth is a commonly used depth in professionally built evaporators. That is an easy size (20.5”) for me to make changes to.

I truly think this will be a big wood saver for me. I might lose some of my boil rate, but that will be okay.

It may not reduce your boil rate that much because the area that is reduced in firebox depth will be raised and push the hot gasses against the bottom of the pan.

I received confirmation that I will be able to tap again on the steep hill where I had 72 taps. So I will be all in again this coming season. With permission, I will add a fourth line of 25/30 taps, on the steep hill.

I will not have any buckets next season and I am still deciding if I will add another line to pick some of those trees or not. Two years ago I had a long line there, then last year I had three smaller lines feeding buckets. So I will either go back to a long line and catch most of those trees, or just pass on them. The line would join 5 others feeding one collection point.