Batch evap two batch pans vs "preheater" to finishing pan?

[jrm]

I intended to post pics yesterday, but was having trouble. I will need to take a few additional to show you the interior setup and will post those later. Most of the set-up are from last year, the two showing the individual boiling pans are from this year.

Yes, I'd say my stack was as high as I could go... or at least as high as I could cut confidently, but I will take a look when I get the other pics. I am using firebrick to build up at the back and they come to the bottom of the stack opening, right in front of the stack, and come up higher on either side of the stack to help force the hot air in. I also have firebrick lining the sides of the barrel, at the firebox insulating, protecting the sides, and drawing heat up not out. The front pan is directly over the firebox. The back pan is not. Also, the front pan is set into the barrel lower than the back pan, which is more limited due to the firebrick ramp. This year, I put a bit of sand under the grate just to help insulate, not enough to prevent air flow.

My first year, I always kept the door closed, but it seems that keeping it slightly ajar provides me with a better, hotter fire. To get airflow under, I'll need to acquire a blower, of some sort and utilize the air grate for that purpose -- 2017 is another year, right?

For now, at least I have a number of good ideas and thoughts for tweaking my design, or if I end up doing a rebuild I'll have different ideas -- which might include turning my steam pans perpendicular and using two full-size instead of my mixed sizes. But, I also appreciate the thoughts about using each pan as individual batches vs the manner in which I've been doing it, because that I can definitely affect on Sunday/..20160228_154829[1].jpg20150329_095204.jpg20150329_105536.jpg20160228_154833.jpg

[maplestudent]

yeah....just keep trying to tweak things. looks like you have a pretty decent boil going in both pans.

by the way, one of those pictures has snow in it.....where did you get that?

[jrm]

Snow was from last year... I did have any sideways pics from my boils this year. Any snow I had this year has been long gone. My son and I pulled out taps yesterday afternoon. Pulled the sap from my freezer this morning, probably should have take a few of the containers our last night.

Tomorrow will be our final boil, 20.5 gallons to evaporate. I bought a sap hydrometer which arrived last week, our various collections samples ranged from 1.6 - 2.0. Looking forward to seeing what we finish. (I'm guessing we won't finish tomorrow.) Maybe enough to make some cream for the first time. Or maybe, we'll just make some maple ice cream... Weather is warm enough for that!

Thanks again for the thought and help.

[wbreitbarth]

I run a barrel setup very similar to this but I have 2 custom made pans. I use the front one to warm the sap back one to boil it This year I made 2 huge changes. 1st was able to barrow some 12 inch block and stacked all the way around the stove. "took about 30 block" and it made a huge difference. The 2nd thing I did was put a small squirrel cage blower in the front just to keep a little more air flow. When I use to start the stove on the 1st day it would take me almost an hour to get both pans and rolling boil. Now it takes about 15 minutes. I went from 2.5 to 3 gallons an hour boiling to well over 5 gallons an hour when I would really tend the fire and feed it. The front pan I would use to preheat the sap I found would never stop boiling. Even when I added to it the roiling boil would go away but come back in less then 5 minutes. The block are very cheap you should be able to get them about a $1.00 each and well worth the investment. They also help to protect it from the wind. I also use the block behind the stove pipe to warm my sap now. 12814715_10153517177388262_1915339531005376742_n.jpg