This years boiling

[Snappyssweets]

Well I broke down this year. After turkey fryers and grill side burners I got myself a bunch of blocks and built this monstrosity just before season.

IMG_20170215_144311776.jpg

It has worked wonderfully and yes I have had about ten bricks break due to heat I had to replace. However I managed to pick up nearly 100 blocks last spring for $20. So I don't mind. Was not sure I liked boiling with wood at first, however I have seriously increased my boil rate and other than all this splitting and cutting wood I have done during season. (will be getting a pile ready for next spring over summer) This has worked out well for me.

Not a huge fan of smoke so I built the back to act like a chimney and its worked very well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcyC3n9u7Y

That was one of the first boils in it.

Now to contemplate an actual bricked in one with fire bricks hmmm.

[Daveg]

Hey, Bruce. That looks just like mine! Yeah, broken blocks, too. My next step was to fashion a chimney to improve draft and that's when things really started to heat up, but I used metal smoke pipe, not blocks. If you can find a refractory supply, sometimes they have used bricks for sale cheap.

[GV2]

I started with a pathetic bunch of fieldstone and banquet pans. After 6 years of tweaking I got this setup and getting close to 8 GPH some days with a 2x3 pan and stovepipe.

[Trapper2]

007 (2).jpg210.jpg1269.jpg
This is what I used 10 years ago, I still chuckle when I see these pictures. Wow, was that a ordeal taking the pan off of the fire.

[Snappyssweets]

Thanks Daveg Will see about used bricks someplace around me.

GV2 that is pretty cool with the field stone around it like that.

Trapper2 I lucked out and also found two large stainless steel pans in a restaurant going out of business sale. I picked up two that each holds five gallons of sap. So I can boil ten gallons at a time with both the pans. Boil rate I am running is about seven to ten gallons and hour. As you said getting the pans off is an ordeal. I throw some water on the fire, after the pans are down to about a third each. Then with thick gloves on lift a pan out and pour it into a bucket. Then repeat. I wear waders when I do this. Because with luck I had on my neoprene waders with my first pouring from the pans and I had some boiling sap spill out and hit the front of me and my legs. Those neoprene saved me big time. So now I do it as a safety precaution.

[Trapper2]

Thanks Daveg Will see about used bricks someplace around me.

GV2 that is pretty cool with the field stone around it like that.

Trapper2 I lucked out and also found two large stainless steel pans in a restaurant going out of business sale. I picked up two that each holds five gallons of sap. So I can boil ten gallons at a time with both the pans. Boil rate I am running is about seven to ten gallons and hour. As you said getting the pans off is an ordeal. I throw some water on the fire, after the pans are down to about a third each. Then with thick gloves on lift a pan out and pour it into a bucket. Then repeat. I wear waders when I do this. Because with luck I had on my neoprene waders with my first pouring from the pans and I had some boiling sap spill out and hit the front of me and my legs. Those neoprene saved me big time. So now I do it as a safety precaution.

My old pan was 36 X 36 X6" boiled a lot of sap with that thing. Look what I added to this years operation. I love this roller conveyor.
conveyor.jpgconveyor3.jpgrolling off.jpg

[Snappyssweets]

That is awesome with the rollers.
I haven't seen those things in a long time. That is a wonderful idea and much safer too.

[Trapper2]

That is awesome with the rollers.
I haven't seen those things in a long time. That is a wonderful idea and much safer too.

The rollers hook onto a rod on the firebox. The set cost me a quart of syrup to a farmer down the road.
007 (3).jpg Do you see the rod they hook onto?