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For your turkey fryer idea I recommend the Martin brand cooktop. I connect mine to the bbq connection and use the house propane tanks. The turkey fryer from Canadian Tire has a timer on it that shuts itself off.
I also made a shroud around it to keep the wind off the flame.Attachment 22693
ThanksQuote:
Originally Posted by aamyotte
Is Martin just the brand name of the pot or the fryer?
Found this one on Amazon and is at Home Depot for $8 more.
https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Outdo...dDbGljaz10cnVl
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
The image you posted is the set up I use with two exceptions: 1) it is a mirror image of mine. 2) my preheater pan sits on a shelf I fabricated into the evaporator instead of sitting over the pan. The flue gasses pass under the preheater shelf and warm it up. I haven’t measured the temperature but it’s hot enough to make it steam. I will try to post an image…
https://share.icloud.com/photos/083s...Cv4iPsj8ZMOXXA
http://https://share.icloud.com/photos/083s_dJQoZ8Cv4iPsj8ZMOXXA
Thanks, I appreciate all of the information.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnallin
I was just reviewing my notes with my pan builder, as I remembered we had a discussion about it several months ago. He said it thought it only would improve the gph by 1/4 of a gallon/hour. He personally was not a fan of them, but said he would build one. From there we went onto discussing other pans and ideas and never went back to it.
Im not great at posting images. I either posted an image of my rig or reposted an image of yours….. if someone could please let me know if it worked I would appreciate it….
Thanks, I got the picture, interesting. I could still modify my evaporator to accommodate that if I went that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by 82cabby
This is the cooktop I have. I bought mine from Max Propane a local Propane supplier.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/mar...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
Last night around 10 pm, the forecast changed and suggested the temperature would drop to -3°/26.6° and there was a chance for a flow today. I was tempted to order the turkey fryer on Amazon which would arrive in a couple of days. However at the time what they were saying was the current temperature was off, so I held off ordering the turkey fryer. Sure enough the temperature did not drop below freezing overnight and there was no flow today. I am partially happy because I cleaned and put everything away, but I would have taken it out again.
Today I added some extra tarp walls to two sides of the shelter just to help keep blowing snow out.
I am still trying to get the firebox grate for the evaporator. I had been working with a steel company who I know the owners, but for one reason or another, over 8 months they have not been able to get it. I have branched out today and I am trying two new sources.
I have not heard back from my pan maker yet. I am sure he is busy, I will try again next week if I do not hear back from him this week.
Winter returns tomorrow.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/023m...aVM5nwM96skcJg
https://share.icloud.com/photos/03cN...iqppB2Dfknk0UQ
Attachment 22694
It occurred to me yesterday, that I could also use my truck to transport the sap from my collection barrels to my evaporator area. My truck has 12v 185watt power ports as well as a 110v outlet. I can run my 12v 125 watt pump from the power ports and have enough quick connect cable to go from a power port to an on off switch that I would control in the bed of the truck, to the pump in the collection tank.
I could use a combination of a 55 gallon barrel, a 35 gallon tank and some 5 gallon pails to hold the potential, but rare 110 gallons of sap.
I have a safe place to park on the edge of a low traffic road and it would save me time.
I have purchased the connector from the power port to the quick connect ends and already have the on off switches and sufficient length of cable and hose to make it work.
I heard from my pan builder and my 2x4 divided pan, float box, base stack, base stack base, and accessories, should be ready in two weeks. Colour me excited! That will give me lots of time to get the base stack all set up through the metal roof.
I still have to buy a storm collar. The double wall pipe will go through the roof, then there will be about a three foot (possible 6’) piece of single wall pipe that will go above it for a total length of 12-15’ long exhaust.
Should the storm collar go on the double wall pipe, or on the single wall pipe?
Today I measured the distance from the far end of my collection point to the far end of where my truck bed would be and it was 25’. I have lots of quick connect cable and hose to reach that distance.
Today was a nice day, almost thought the sap would run again, but the temperatures never quite got above zero. It turns cold now, so no flow for awhile.
I would put the storm collar on the single wall so rain and snow doesn't sit on the joint where the single wall meets the insulated pipe and leak inside the stack.
Put your collar on the single wall. I used a roof jack from Menards that is for High heat that forms around the double wall pipe. It is for metal roofing and starts out flat. You can cut it to the diameter you want. It is a brownish color, and I looked but couldn't find the name.
Are you talking about a roof Jack like this? This one is good to 450° and the aluminum outer frame will bend around the metal roof ridges. One of those ridges will run through the middle of the hole for the double wall pipe. It amazes me how the prices in Amazon can vary so much from the USA and Canada. Sometimes much, much more than the simple exchange. This one is like $84 on the US site and $260 on the Canadian site.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
A friend just ran his pipe through the metal roof, bent up the metal surrounding the pipe to act as a ridge to guide water away from his pipe and has a storm collar close to the roof to help protect any rain from getting in. His exits his sugar shack dead center on the roof peak, where mine is a foot or so off of the peak. Not 100% sealed, but works for him.
There are all metal foot jacks, but I am not sure how well they would bend around the metal roof ridges. They look pretty rigid.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/024O...fciPgKF2tiFBaA
Attachment 22700
It's similar to that Gary, but the base is square and made for metal roofing. I am sure it was also good for the heat on the outside of the double wall pipe. I don't remember the rating degree. I think it cost me something like $50.00 US. Want me to try and find you one and ship it to ya,
If you find it, I will see what I can get it here for. Thanks for the offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
Time is marching on. I am around 7 weeks from full tapping here, barring an early tap.
For my area, we are about 7 weeks give or take from tapping. Last year, my first year, I had trouble waiting for the tapping to begin and was a little envious of the southern areas that had started tapping weeks ahead of me. This year I am still really looking forward to the season beginning, but I am far more patient and accepting of when my time will come.
Despite seemingly working on improvements all throughout the summer and fall, I am still not ready.
I am excited that my new pan, base stack and other items could be ready in a week’s time. I will have a buddy help me with cutting a hole through the metal roof and rigging up the base stack and single wall and double wall stove pipe. He is much more comfortable than me being up on a roof and can really think outside the box for solutions, based on many years of experience building.
I am hoping that my fire grate for the evaporator’s fire box will also arrive in the next week or two.
One item I will be getting from my builder is a section of a 36” long, 8” double wall pipe. I suspect the OD of it will be 12” but I want to measure it first hand to be sure before buying flashing for it.
I am excited to be able to see the evaporator with the base stack and new pan and float box on it.
Last year’s concrete block evaporator I had tested 5 or 6 times prior to the season starting. This one I have not tested yet, but feel the lessons learned from last year and the addition of the base stack, 8” stove pipe, and the new pan should make it a more formidable evaporator. I will also have more seasoned wood, cut to a smaller size. I will also fill the firebox full to the bottom of the pan and will have fans blowing air under the door to help stoke up the fire. I should have a good boil.
There will be lots to learn with the divided pan, but I have read a lot about them and have watched a number of videos, so I feel comfortable starting off.
Last year I had labels on all of my jars and bottles, but I will not be doing it this year.
When I was boiling my Christmas sap, I was once again disappointed with the store bought defoamer. It once again congealed in the bottle and would not drip out. I will be using canola oil this season and just bought a bottle that I can control drip by drip. I will add one drop to the pan each time I fire up at first and adjust after that.
I do plan to start installing the remainder of my taps about a week ahead of when I think the sap will run. There is 140+ still to tap, with another 30+ taps already installed. I will be especially interested in the flow from the 30+ taps I installed at the end of December.
My DYI RO I have not thought about a lot. I still have to do the first ever flush. I will not do that until I get close to feeling overwhelmed, then I will flush it and then start giving it a try. My brain tells me it will ultimately save me time and fuel, but because of the unknowns of never have used one and none of the sugar makers I know around me never have used one, it seems like another level of complexity and additional work. But I will try it sometime this season and may ultimately come to rely on it.
Other folks can speak to their own experience, but I have found that my early season sap doesn't need any defoamer. Later in the season I need some, and sometimes a lot. So you might try using it more sparingly, and then add more or even cut back to zero if you don't need it. The thing to watch for is a foam up in the syrup channel when you get close to or at syrup temperature. If you never get this, you don't need defoamer. If you can control it with less defoamer, that's great. Of course the trick is, you should try to add the defoamer *before* you need it. So that makes things more difficult. But I've found that if you should have added it earlier, and you catch a foam up starting in the syrup channel, you can add some defoamer to the syrup channel. Just then remember to start adding more to the earlier channels so you don't have to add it to the syrup channel often. Of course the risk is that if it's really too late, you might need to have that "Oh $h!t" bucket of sap handy!Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
GO
I only needed it on my second batch of syrup when I was only boiling 6 gallons. It got very shallow in the pot and started to bubble up, I added it, but it was also very close to finishing and I believe that is why the golden syrup had an off taste. Lesson learned.Quote:
Originally Posted by berkshires
I never use defoamer when finishing and I rarely had to use it all last year. In this case with such a small amount I was boiling and finishing at the same time. In hindsight, I should have just turned the heat down.
To your point, I will not add defoamer until I see some evidence that it will be a concern. As mentioned I rarely had to use it last year on my steam pans, but it could be different with the divided pan. If I have to use it, I will be mindful to use the least amount that is necessary. I will have a few gallons on raw sap on hand for emergencies.
I haven’t been posting much, because I have been waiting for things to happen.
I finally got my firebox grate after trying to get it since June. I actually got two grates, both too long and both too narrow. I will cut them to size and get them welded together, to make it into one correct sized grate. They are certainly heavy duty enough.
I also bought my blower fan. It has three settings and I can adjust its force as well by moving it closer or further away from the draft opening. I have another lower speed fan, so I am sure I can dial in the correct cfm.
I thought I might have got my pan and base stack last Friday, but I am told it is close, so I should get it next week, fingers crossed.
Just now we are getting our first extended cold spell, which looks to be at least two weeks long. It will make it interesting to cut the hole in the metal roof and install and seal the silicone roof Jack.
Today I cut the two grates to the proper dimension using an angle grinder and I will be dropping them off at my welder contact to join them. They are pretty heavy, so I expect they will fair well by the end of the season. I support the grate in the firebox so thatnis is 4 inches above the firebricks.
Attachment 22793
I did not hear from my pan maker today, so I am really hoping I hear from him early next week. I can be pretty patient when I know a date something will be delivered, I am not quite a good when the delivery date is an unknown moving target. I still have a month before I start to panic, so I am still calm, but I used to have 8 months.
A deep freeze will be settling in here starting Sunday and the long range forecast shows it lasting at least two weeks and maybe all of February. The snow amounts are starting to build up again and I will have to start walking all of my lines again to reestablish my trail along them again
This is a picture of the fan(blower) I purchased. I am not sure what productivity improvement I will get from it, hopefully 1 or 2 gallons per hour.
Attachment 22794
Does your fan a speed control on it? I've been reading on another thread about controlling the fan speed to suit the best between fire heat and not wasting heat.
It has three speed levels and I can move it closer or away from the opening below the door, to do any little adjustments.Quote:
Originally Posted by aamyotte
Last year I tried a leaf blower, but it was wayyyyy too powerful. We will see how this works. I will check the boil with and without it and will also check my stack temperature. Hopefully it will increase the gph and not just race through wood.
I got it at Canadian Tire. I have been waiting for awhile for it to go on sale, but it never did. I am sure it will go on sale now.
Today I took the two pieces of grate to the Welder, and explained what I wanted done. He asked when I needed it done by. Not knowing his schedule, I said two weeks and he replied he would have it done in a couple of days. I asked how much to do it, he paused and said $10. I replied how about $10 and a jar syrup once it is made. He said deal! It is always good to know a friendly welder. ( I used to know how to weld 47 years ago, but that is when I had company equipment and a little bit of practice. That skill has likely faded quite a bit.
I also walked the three steep lines. We have had about 50 cms / 20” of fresh snow the last week, which was on top of more than a foot of snow. I have to say it was a work out. It was good if I stayed on my now invisible previous path, but when I stepped off of it, I went down and it was deep. I went up and down all three lines and had some friends that were snow shoeing, go down the lines as they finished their hike. Lots more snow in the forecast.
Now for ice fishing.
That's how Canadian Tire seems to work. Murphy's law, it never goes on sale while waiting for something. At least they honour the sale price for 14 days from your purchase dare.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
I picked up my welded grate today. It is heavy and heavy duty. It is 1/3/4” tall. I am still deciding how I will support it 4” above the firebricks. Last season I used bricks to suspend it up. I have left over pieces of grate. I might use them.
The weather forecast for next Saturday morning is -30° C / -22° F. There are no immediate thoughts of tapping here.
I am hoping I get my pan and base stack this coming week.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/047F...fSD8ENxdHt2s9A
Attachment 22797
bricks might be the way to go again this year if it's that heavy.
Today I ordered the silicone high temp roof Jack flashing. It came on sale for a reasonable price. I wanted a round one, but the square one will work just fine.
Attachment 22798
We received more snow and I walked the lines. With all of the snow, I am now using snow shoes to help make a better path. We are going to get about 36 hours of polar vortex type temperatures starting Thursday night. The snow is deeper than what the path shows in the picture. The snow under the path has been walked on and compressed throughout the winter.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/050V...TlvrwF7-eQOUfQ
No word on my pan or base stack yet.
You are going to like the roof jack. Make sure to use the double wall pipe with it. it fits real tight. If memory serves me I think when I put mine up I used some bar soap on the pipe to make it slide better. But it was also in the summer time.
Thanks for the tip.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
It is not the ideal time of year to install it, or to be up on the metal roof, which at the moment has a foot and half of snow on it. I had originally hoped I would have the base stack in October. I just hope now that I get it in the next couple of weeks.
Seeing how the pallets with bricks on them are all snow covered at my rural hardware stores, and they are not too keen on digging them out for 6 bricks, I will be going with making a metal support for the grate, made out of steel I already have. I will drop it off at the welder later today. The flat bars on top not only join the two pieces of grate, but it makes the height of the support exactly 4”.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
I do have a 4” high concrete ridge at the back of the firebox for the rear of the grate to sit on, and this “stand” will support the rest of it.
One advantage of it, is it certainly will allow for airflow.
I now know it will be at least Monday before I get my pan and base stack.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0abt...U0oj9ewkZnEV9Q
https://share.icloud.com/photos/090v...CN_ipXaZXMj4sA
Attachment 22801
Attachment 22802
I took the metal pieces to the welder and he welded it all up as I waited. The light was failing, but I tried the grate “stand” in the fire box and then added the new grate. I was very pleased.
In the first picture, it is an overhead look at the firebox, showing the stand and the concrete shelf at the back of the firebox.
The second picture shows the grate in place, fitting perfectly how I wanted.
The third picture shows the 4” opening below the grate. The width of the opening is not what it will be when it is operating, it is narrow for winter storage mode.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a5p...46iTxfxLGDnIFw
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0969...L9HiGgGKdjUmvQ
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a6t...7PgkgNSmhUJpWQ
Attachment 22803
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One thing you might be able to do with the roof jack and pipe is get it started, make sure it is in the right direction, in the house where it is warm and pliable. Get it close to where it needs to go on the pipe that way you won't have to fight with it outside. As for as the base portion that should bend into place and screw down pretty well. Come summer you can always caulk around it.
What I thought I would do is to put the double wall pipe on the single wall pipe, then climb up on the roof and mark the roof line and slope with a felt pen on the double wall pipe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
I then would go into the house or heated garage and slide the boot Jack just above the line that I drew. I would then climb back on the roof, add butyl tape to the edges of the boot, lower the double wall pipe with the roof Jack on it, down onto the single wall pipe, then screw the boot jack to the metal roof and add caulking to the outer edges of the boot jack.
This looks great! Or should I say grate? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
GO
I have had some taps in since Christmas and made some syrup at that time. Since then there was one day where some sap unexpectedly ran. In the 5 gallon pails barely a bottom full, but in the collection barrel perhaps a gallon. It immediately froze and has remained that way. This coming week, there looks to be a flow day and maybe a couple other slight flow days.
My guess is that the frozen sap at the bottom of the pails and barrel would still be good having been frozen. Is that a good assumption?
That frozen sap should be good. I've seen on this forum where some producers freeze excess sap and boil it later on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Well today my silicone roof jack was delivered from Amazon. I also shoveled off almost 2 feet of snow off of the sugar shelter in preparation for when I install the basestack and stove pipe through the roof.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a9k..._4CUtyqd669U8w
My pan may have been welded this afternoon, it was supposed to be done if all went well, but I have not heard either way. I really hope that sometime next week I get the pan, float box and basestack and basestack base. Time is getting closer.
Attachment 22824
Thats taking a while for that pan to be fabricated. I remember when you ordered it a long time ago. Is it because you were just so low on the list, that he is getting to it now. Or he was waiting for material to build it?
Sounds like you will get it just in time.
I heard from the pan maker this afternoon and the pan was finished yesterday and the base stack, base stack base, float box and pan cover will all be finished tomorrow and I will pick them up at 4 pm on Monday. Colour me happy! I will have a few weeks to get it all rigged up before I go all in on tapping.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brien
I am not great on roofs, but I will find a way to do it, I just need a day when it is not snowing to get up there, metal roofs are very slippery when they are wet.
My butyl tape to go around the edges of the roof Jack should arrive tomorrow and I will pick up some clear roofing sealant that is good to be applied down to -15° C, so I should get a good seal on the flashing.
There actually may be some minimal sap flow this coming week on the my early taps. I will be interested, particularly on Tuesday to see how they are all flowing.
Feeling good about getting my pan and stuff on Monday, I went out in a snowstorm and walked the lines by my house and my immediate neighbour’s. I wore snowshoes and the snow was deep. I was debating walking the lines twice, but there is 50 cms (20”’) of snow in the forecast for the next two weeks, so I will do it again closer to tapping time.
I have to admit now knowing when I am going to get the pan, float box, basestack, basestack base and pan cover, has changed my mindset. The uncertainty of not knowing was starting to weigh on me.
We are a few weeks away from tapping here yet, but I will be ready when the time comes.