2 New Home Built Evaporators - Improvements?

[climb.on]

My Father-In-Law and I just completed a pair of barrel evaporators. Slightly different styles. It was great fun building them! We both did propane turkey fryer setups last year and we wanted to a nicer wood fired evaporators.

We both fired them today to burn off all the nasties and to see how well we could get a boil going. We were both pretty impressed (our preheaters worked especially well), but I think we can do better. We are looking suggestions what to do next. Firebrick, blowers, insulation, taller chimney, etc. What's going to give us the best bang for our buck.

I'd really like to add firebrick and a blower to mine, but I'm not sure how to configure it.

Here are some pics of the builds...(mine is the better one ....with the larger pan)

evaporator_01.jpgevaporator_02.jpgevaporator_03.jpgevaporator_04.jpgevaporator_05.jpg

[climb.on]

Here's a few more...evaporator_06.jpgevaporator_07.jpgevaporator_08.jpg

[maplerookie]

nice looking rigs you both have there. You guys do the backyarder proud.

[Xvermontx]

Very slick on the pre heater...

[climb.on]

Thanks! His preheater works really good! My preheater isn't quite as good, but we need to get the pans boiling better!

[Sugarmaker]

climb.on,
Nice builds you will find advantages in each style. I like the pan setting on the gasket. Less chance to scorch the pan. The pan looks a little shallow if you get close to syrup. The preheater idea is a good use of the heat going up the stack.
Regards,
Chris

[TimJ]

Insulate and add a blower. Might be tough to calculate the improvements.

I build a barrel evaporator last year with two steam pans on it for some friends. This year I am modifying it so we have a float box feeding a new pan that has dividers and a draw off. i got tired of ladling.

[SmellsLikeSyrupNH]

Congrats, those look AWESOME!!!

[climb.on]

I'm picking up firebrick and ceramic blanket insulation this week. I haven't figured out what I am going to use for a blower yet...I need to keep the cost real low on the blower. I think I'll utilize the door vent to attach to, or blow into. I'm going to lay the insul/brick in the bottom of the barrel, build a grate just above the vent. That way, when the blower air will shoot between between the brick and the bottom of the fire.

[lpakiz]

You will not need much blower to realy get the fire rumbling. A fan from a direct-vent water heater will be too much. A fan, minus the fuel pump, from an oil furnace also works.