Why do you keep removing everything from the pan and finishing on propane? First off, I only drain my pans when I'm going to clean them, If I slide a non metallic spatula along the bottom of the syrup pan and it slides good, it stays there until I next have sap to boil. If it sort of grabs even the slightest on the spatula, I drain it into my draw off tank, then after cleaning the pan, it goes right back in for the next boil.
My guess is that you are making so many changes that you could not figure out the issue if there was one. start with 1" or maybe 1.25" deep in the pan and burn as hot as you can. Maintain that depth and you will get syrup. If when you run out of sap and the pan cool you detect sugar sand (usually a slightly gritty scale on the bottom, but some years it is just loose silt like, then drain it into any combination of appropriate pots, cover them and clean the pan. When done, rather than lighting up the propane, put it back in the evaporator. It's a good idea to use a cover to keep anything from getting into the pan, and wait for more sap. Since that boiled a long time, it will keep at cold temps 35F or colder, but it won't freeze for over a week to even 2 weeks, at 40-50F 3 days might be the max. I you get to the max with no new sap, then finish it off, but if you get the new sap, start the fire again and maintain the same depth. It is impossible to take a definate volume of sap (if it has any sugar in it) and boil it for ever and not get to syrup.
Sometimes you will make syrup in the middle but not at the draw off, do as others suggest, draw a little slowly (maybe 1-2 qut max. and then slowly add it in the middle. You will be able to see where it is closer to being syrup by the bubbles as it boils. The looks of the bubbles change as you get closer to syrup. Another question, how are you determining if you have syrup, thermometer or hydrometer or other method? If thermometer, did you boil water very hard and get the temperature? Another question, if using a thermometer, how close to the bottom of the pan is it? You want to be about 1/4" to max. 3/8" off the bottom (I have mine at 1/8-1/4").
In you last scene you boiled 260 gal of sap over 2 days, how much does your pan hold at the depth you are boiling? If you have slightly over 6 gal in the pans (6.047 gal to rounded to 3 places), it is all syrup if the sap was 2% sugar.
Personally I think you are trying too hard, set back and enjoy this addiction.
If you are boiling at 1.25" deep you have 6.2333 gal in the pan plus whatever the flues hold, if at 1" you have 80% of that (plus the flue capacity).
Have you tested your sap? You might be boiling sap at extremely low sugar content.
Last edited by maple flats; 03-26-2016 at 08:02 PM.
Dave Klish, I recently bought a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
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