Another oil tank evaporator

[Danielb]

Daniel, while your fabricating put a channel for a drain at one end of those flues. You'll be glad you did.

My end panels will give me the channel for the ends, it will be 2" wide at both ends.
I have a buddy with a welding shop who offered to weld it up for me in trade for supplying the stainless and bending him a bottom for his pan for next year. I was going to weld them myself but I have no experience with TIG welding.

[Danielb]

Very nicely done. I wish my oil tank looked that nice.

Do you plan on adding any forced draft to the firebox? You may find you need a little more heat to your fire to get the back of your rig to solid boil.

What are your plans for pre-heating sap?

This year forced draft is out of the question. I have no power in my shack where it sits, but we are planning to relocate it, or build a better, more permanent building later this year. I know I will suffer in my boiling capacity, but it is what it is for now.
For preheating, I am going to see about wrapping some copper around the stack if I have the time this year.
The plan for tomorrow is to drop off my flue pan to my buddy to weld it up, then bend up my float box and syrup pan. I will probably weld those up myself, where they arent going to be so complicated.

[Danielb]

I am still waiting on my.flue pan to be finished, my welder buddy has been busy, and hasn't had the chance to finish welding it up, so I made due with what I had.
I welded my syrup pan myself, it was my first go at TIG welding, so it isnt pretty, but is doesnt leak. I had to out in a couple of steam pans in the back to fill up the arch, and got boiling today finally. My first run of sap has yielded me about 30-35 galling of 2.5% sap, so I should have it boiled town by later this evening.20200225_145404.jpg

[Danielb]

Got my pans all together, and added my float boxes today. I have about 30 gallons stored from sunday, now I just wait for tomorrow's run and hope I have enough to fire up and try to start a gradient. 20200302_164228.jpg

Pay no attention to the appearance of the arch being badly out of level. The building isn't. Arch is.

[Big_Eddy]

Looking Good!!
Nothing better than the first steam off your self-built evaporator.

[snakes14009]

Man good looking rig.