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Thread: Bill Mason's XL Hobby Evaporator

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    Marysville, Ohio
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    Default Bill Mason's XL Hobby Evaporator

    Has anyone on the forum tried Bill's XL version hobby evaporator. It looks interesting.

    NEW IN 2012
    HOBBY EVAPORATOR XL
    More sections, smaller sections, means the syrup moves farther and is made faster. The preheater box is mounted on the stack collar utilizing the stack heat for actual preheating.
    3' Model - $1,100
    4' Model - $1,400 (shown)

  2. #2
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    Nov 2012
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    Ryegate Vermont
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    003.jpg002.jpg001.jpgI haven't gotten mine yet. Bill is building one for me. He tells me that I should get better than 20GPH boil rate from it. Getting the 2x4 size with raised flue pan (24" x 30") and a 24" x 18" syrup pan.

  3. #3
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    Feb 2013
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    Doesn't sound like you'll have it until next season. I would be interested to hear how it does once you fire it up.

  4. #4
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    Nov 2012
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    Maine
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    I just recently bought the Bill Mason 2x4 XL...I'm glad I went "big". The only problem I'm having is that I didn't buy the blower so I have to keep the sap level way down low to get a good boil. I will be getting some type of forced air...hopefully soon.

  5. #5
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    Feb 2013
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    gilboa, ny
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    that whole setup was $1400???

  6. #6
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    Jul 2005
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    Indiana, PA
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    No that's not the 1,400 model. The 1,400 is just a flat pan. http://www.wfmasonwelding.com/evaporators.html Still, looks great for a 2x4, I'd like to hear the price for it as well.
    Andy's Own Maple
    Andy Kinter (4th + generation maple producer)
    Approx 790 taps on vacuum

    3x10 nat. gas fired raised flue small bros.
    600 gph Lapierre RO
    Fine collection of used bulk tanks
    Kubota MX5100 sap hauler
    2 hives (that I don't spend enough time on)
    A great family that works together to make syrup!

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Andys...27718203945398
    http://photobucket.com/mapleack

  7. #7
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    Mar 2011
    Location
    Broad Brook, Connecticut
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    I may be wrong but I think we are talking about 2 different evaporators. The XL hobby 2X4 is a flat pan. Bill also makes a flue pan for a 2X4 but he does not advertise this as the hobby. The 20+gph is for the flues not the flat pan. At least that is the way I understand it. Thanks,
    -Dave
    2011-8 Taps on a very crude block arch
    2012- 38 taps 2 X 3 with blower.
    2013- 70 taps total-50 on tubing, 20 on buckets
    2014- 75 taps- Low vacuum, 2X4 drop flue
    2015- 100 taps-2X6 Mason Drop Tube, low vac
    2016-115 taps high vac, 60 taps buckets
    14X20 post and beam shack with attached 10X14 wood shed
    12 beehives and an avid waterfowl hunter.
    Wishing I can quit my day job, keep bees, farm, and make syrup!
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moshe...40072296064422

  8. #8
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    Nov 2012
    Location
    Ryegate Vermont
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    You are correct STARTINGSMALL. Bill makes the XL arch the same for either set of pans. Just the pans are different. The flat pan model is around $1400.00, the one shown in my pics, is around $2500.00. It all depends on your options that you want added to it. ( blower, floatboxes, splash guards, etc...) Bill's prices are WAY better than the commercial ones out there, and better quality units too.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Middlesex Vermont
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    I am confused too! I do have Bill's 2x4 with a blower standard flat pan and when I bought mine two years ago I had him modify it so preheat sat over the elbow. At the time he did not have that new pan. Are you saying that pan will produce over 20 gal per hour evaporation without a blower? If so I am going to upgrade my pan. I currently get about 15gal per hour with blower at half throttle if I run it wide open in short burst I can get 17 but if I leave it running wide open the stack starts to melt down.
    110 taps W.F Mason 2x3 and two turkey friers for finishing

    2011 expanding to a Mason 2x4 with a blower increasing taps to about 200
    2011 Hurricane Irene rips thru my small sugar bush cost me to lose 20% of taps
    2014 I have reworked my lines for 2014
    32 taps on 5/16 line with check valves
    57 taps on 3/16 line with check valves
    55 buckets with total tapped trees of 144

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Salt Point, NY
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    185

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    Quote Originally Posted by steve J View Post
    I am confused too! I do have Bill's 2x4 with a blower standard flat pan and when I bought mine two years ago I had him modify it so preheat sat over the elbow. At the time he did not have that new pan. Are you saying that pan will produce over 20 gal per hour evaporation without a blower? If so I am going to upgrade my pan. I currently get about 15gal per hour with blower at half throttle if I run it wide open in short burst I can get 17 but if I leave it running wide open the stack starts to melt down.
    Interesting - I have the 2x4 3-section flat pan with the upgraded arch but normal preheater. Figured my next move would be 2x4 flue pan / blower, which with RO, would take me easily to 300+ taps. Bill only claimed my rig would do 10 GPH; 12 GPH with blower. I think he's quite conservative on this - I can am easily getting 10GPH with no blower or preheating, and I'm not firing it anywhere near what I could. I'm using a lot of ash that was split for larger home stove use in late fall - when I use dry poplar, construction scraps, etc. it can clearly go much higher. Your post suggests that he indeed rates them pretty conservatively! I also run the pans on the lower side which probably helps.

    Overall, I'm quite happy with the main arch. The preheater seems to not do much for me though. I had actually wanted to get the preheater over the rear exit collar as on the XL - I really liked that idea for more heat transfer, but he had forgotten that modification request when we picked it up. It seems that one option is just run it over back of pan but then I would think condensation would run back into the pan? The larger arch also has some additional length so that the front of the preheater can suspend on the back of the 2x4 pan and the back can rest against the large triangular vertical stack, which is what I thought Bill was suggesting I do. I thought this would be awesome, but letting it touch was too hot, while using 1/4" ceramic blanket blocks too much of the heat. I'm thinking some sort of finned/accordion metal between the preheater and stack may be a good way to get more heat in the preheater without scorching the pan - if I don't put the preheater over the main pan. But should I really just be putting this over the main pan to get steam heat and not worry about condensation running back into the pan? Wondering how others are placing theirs.

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