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Thread: 2x3 evaporator, finished and fired

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    French River Ontario
    Posts
    168

    Default 2x3 evaporator, finished and fired

    Thanks to maple trader and everyone who post their own arch builds I was able to read, ask a couple questions and look at lots of pictures to build my own 2x3 evaporator expandable to 2x4 when needed.
    Most of the metal was free (kijiji) except the sheet metal $98 Ca.4x8x16ga., 24 fire bricks free (buddy), ceramic blanket was $150 Ca. 3/4"Χ24"Χ30' (2300 degree)amazon, wheels off an old cart, door off old wood stove, and best deal of all 2x3 s.s.pan 20ga.FREE just had to do a 3 hrs of labour for a buddy with a metal fabrication shop (sorry, 3hrs of my time, $90 not free).
    Today was +5*c outside which would mimic a spring day of boiling so I figured I would test boil. Without really pushing it I boiled 8 imp. Gallons of cold water in 1 hr.10 min. Maintaining close to 2" in the pan. Once I get going and fire at a steady interval and put my pre heater piping I'm going to do well with my boiling times. I have limited amount off trees so I'm happy with this boil rate and size. I did add auf 200 to 250 cfm gmc truck heater blower, but have to tweak that as it seemed to cool the fire down. I run it into a 2" square tubing with 3/16" holes in the top and sides every 6" through the rear center up to the front under the grate about 5 " but no valve yet to control the flow. I'm sure once I start playing with that it will come around. The flue is 6" and seems like its going to be ok.
    Maple flats, I was only able to get the flue opening 3.5"x20" but seems to still draw pretty well, and the boil is under the full width of the pan as I banked the ramp a bit,
    thanks for your suggestions on that in a previous post.
    Here's a few pics.
    20200507_174359.jpg20200510_163721.jpg20200511_185408.jpg20200531_150349.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Someclown; 12-01-2020 at 07:28 PM.
    2019 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 44 taps 13 Liters syrup
    2020 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 51 taps 21 Liters syrup
    2021- New homemade 2x3 evaporator and flat pan 80 drop tubes to buckets
    2022- (•,•)1350L naturally ROd sap 44L syrup
    2023- "\_(°•°)_/" 1100L sap 30L syrup not accurate due to natural RO
    2024 { ';' }

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    French River Ontario
    Posts
    168

    Default

    A couple more pics.
    20201110_162057.jpg20201129_124233.jpg20201129_125833.jpg

    Sorry for the sideways pictures I keep forgetting to turn my phone in the proper direction when taking pictures to post
    Last edited by Someclown; 11-29-2020 at 07:09 PM.
    2019 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 44 taps 13 Liters syrup
    2020 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 51 taps 21 Liters syrup
    2021- New homemade 2x3 evaporator and flat pan 80 drop tubes to buckets
    2022- (•,•)1350L naturally ROd sap 44L syrup
    2023- "\_(°•°)_/" 1100L sap 30L syrup not accurate due to natural RO
    2024 { ';' }

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Covington Twp. Pa.
    Posts
    580

    Default

    Great job! I built almost the same unit my self and it boils like crazy.
    2x3 Patrick Phaneuf Divided Pan
    Homemade arch
    RB20 RO Bucket
    121 taps total
    Sugar Shack in future
    Wife into it as much as me
    Also do homebrew

    http://s928.photobucket.com/albums/ad121/ZMANSYRUP/

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    French River Ontario
    Posts
    168

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Z/MAN View Post
    Great job! I built almost the same unit my self and it boils like crazy.
    Thanks Z/MAN, after doing 2 boils so far I am boiling an average of 10 imp/11,8 US gallons and could push a bit more depending on my attention to firing, also Im outdoors.
    I changed my auf fan to an old oil burner water heater fan which seems to be better than the truck fan and also has an air regulating flap to add more or less air. I use a copper coil covered with a piece of chimney pipe around the stack which goes into a 1/2 size long 4 inch steam pan as a warming tray and that gets to a steady temperature of 100-103*F before going into the flat pan. Firing usually every 8 minutes with wrist size or smaller white birch and maple, and have to sometimes dial back the heat as the boil gets so violent it boils out of the pan, I dont use defoamer but maybe should try it. Also added aof but have to do some modifications to that, maybe bigger air nozzles
    Overall I'm very happy with the boil rate and how it all turned out, just the fact that it has my boiling times down to way less than half from last years barrel arch that was boiling about 3gal/h has made me a happy man.
    .20210329_121320.jpg
    Still haven't figured out how to insert pictures 
    Attached Images Attached Images
    2019 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 44 taps 13 Liters syrup
    2020 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 51 taps 21 Liters syrup
    2021- New homemade 2x3 evaporator and flat pan 80 drop tubes to buckets
    2022- (•,•)1350L naturally ROd sap 44L syrup
    2023- "\_(°•°)_/" 1100L sap 30L syrup not accurate due to natural RO
    2024 { ';' }

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Wakefield,New Hampshire
    Posts
    504

    Default

    Nice little build and increase in boil rate. Looks rugged and i like your door design. The problem with increasing your boil rate and saving yourself time, you'll end up adding more taps/sap and end up back where you were in the first place. At least that's my problem haha.
    6th season solo sugar maker in a young sugar bush of mostly red maples
    320 taps
    2x6 self built arch, Flat pans w/ dividers
    New 12x16 sugar house
    CDL hobby 250 RO

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Speyside, Ontario
    Posts
    270

    Default

    Jealous. Very nice build.

    What do you figure the cost of materials is?

    I don't know how you're not scorching the sap with your preheater wrapped around the stove pipe. What are your stack temps?
    2015 - 8 buckets, 332L sap, 8.5L syrup - Barrel evaporator, 2 steam pans
    2016 - 8 buckets, 432L sap
    2017 - 10 bags, 470L sap, 9L syrup
    2018 - 20 bags, 1050L sap, 17.6L syrup
    2019 - 20 bags, 970L sap, 22.2L syrup
    2020 - 17 bags, 813L sap, 17L syrup

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    French River Ontario
    Posts
    168

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wobbletop View Post
    Jealous. Very nice build.

    What do you figure the cost of materials is?

    I don't know how you're not scorching the sap with your preheater wrapped around the stove pipe. What are your stack temps?
    Most of my cost is in the original post but here's some figures
    I paid $150CA for the ceramic insulation but its 2ftx3/4"x30ft roll so I just put double layer and have extra (amazon flash sale)and $98CA for the sheet metal, I figure I'm into it for about $350 only because a lot of the other material I had from previous or acquired it for free (kijiji and friends for syrup)
    The sap is going through the copper fast enough that it isn't scorching and if I find it's getting to hot I just move the metal covering I guess being outdoors helps from scorching as well. My stack temps are 600-800 internal depending
    The door was off and old hunter comfort wood stove I had in my garage and used as my very first year evaporator with a steam pan but that had finally warped to no repair, just cut it out and welded it on. My wife always asks me why are you keeping that junk, get rid of it, until I showed.her my new evaporator and the price of a similar one from a maple dealer HAHAHAAA, now not so much.
    You are right about wanting more.taps as well, but I have limited access to trees were I live so that kind of puts a damper on things, I have 61 taps in as of today and as we all know this year is not a good production year from what I've been reading on here. I'm quite happy with the amount as it's only personal and gifts to family.
    I'm going to have to fix the small section between the flat pan and the stack were the warming pan is as there's no insulation there and it's only 16 Guage steel, I had 2 pieces of 1/4" aluminum plate stacked on top of each other to try and keep that metal a bit cooler but the aluminum kinda had a melt down and ended up in a blob on the ground lol, I figured that might happen. I will replace that with a 1/4" piece of steel after this season, I think that's why my warming pan stays around 103F
    Last edited by Someclown; 03-30-2021 at 06:38 PM.
    2019 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 44 taps 13 Liters syrup
    2020 - Barrel evaporator 2 steam pans 51 taps 21 Liters syrup
    2021- New homemade 2x3 evaporator and flat pan 80 drop tubes to buckets
    2022- (•,•)1350L naturally ROd sap 44L syrup
    2023- "\_(°•°)_/" 1100L sap 30L syrup not accurate due to natural RO
    2024 { ';' }

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