BTUs required for gas conversion

[afretired]

I currently have a Lapierre Storm (2X8) Cross flow evaporator, and have been using kiln dried cabinet scraps for fuel. However my supply of wood has ended since the cabinet shop closed. I'm thinking about converting to propane (LP) and a Carlin burner has been suggested. I am needing the BTUs required to size the burner. Also any other information would be greatly appreciated from those that have converted to gas.

[maple flats]

Can't help but I'll watch for answers. I've considered switching to propane using tube burners. However I was told that at colder temperature (teens and low 20's ) it is hard to maintain enough propane pressure. I'm still looking into that aspect. Maybe the Carlin with their pump might work better. I just was looking for the quiet of a tube burner.

[afretired]

The cabinet scraps I was using worked great. They were free, they loaded them for me, they burnt extremely hot with a blower under the fire, and it was an endless supply for several years. But all good things must end. Propane will be expensive, Its just a winter hobby for me and my family, not looking for a cash return. The propane will be a lot easier and cleaner. Though it looks like it will be expensive. I guess ill have to make me a RO to lower the operating costs, but that will be next year. I don't have enough time to convert the evaporator and build a RO this season, I need to be in the woods next week. I hadn't thought about the issue with cold gas and vaporizing. I guess I need to place my tank on the sunny side of my sugar shack, and hopefully since we don't have the cold temps that you have, it wont be an issue.

[upsmapleman]

You could check with Leader they will beable to give you a better ideal.My guess would be right around a millon btus. I come to that figure leader set me up with natural gas a few years ago and I have a 3x12' which has a 3x8'max flue pan for the rear. In mine I put 2.3 millon btus. using 2 burners. You could get by with one of smaller burners. The thing about these burners is they shoot a more direct flame where with oil they are able to spread the flame out with the nozzel.

[Brian]

The math from leader is about 490,000-630,000 btus. Oil would be 3.5-4.5 gph. good luck.

[afretired]

Brian & upsmapleman. Both of your figures put me in the range of a Carlin 301; 401,000-1,100,000 BTUs. I sent a message to Lapierre, but the tech guy is out till the 4th of Jan. I had sent him a message earlier asking about the 301, and he said it would be "plenty". After checking the prices of the carlin 301, I got wondering if I could get by with a smaller burner. So it looks like it will be the Carlin 301, .....ouch.

[upsmapleman]

There are other companies which make commerical burners. I have 2 601s on the front of mine. The thing I don't like about the carlins is they are single stage. Some in this area have another make which I can't remember the name. They have bigger evaporators so need a burner putting out say 4,5,or 6 million btus. The nice thing with them they are 2 stage so they can be fired at 1/2 btu. With the carlins you are all in from the time you hit the on switch. If someone stops by to talk or doing a demo it would be nice to back it off so its not quite so intense. Oil is a lot cheaper to put in and install. I went with natural for a couple of reasons. I live in a gas rich area, Had gas in my commerical kitchen for stove,water heater and heat so as it was only 60' away was easy to run a line to sugar house. Most of all 1 bill. I hooked up my evaporator, put a gas heater on the wall, fire my finish pan plus the stove I can with, and I don't have to worry about running out. If you have gas you will probably need to put in a bigger meter so you might want to check on that before you buy a burner as it may increase your cost for start up.

[Brian]

If you go oil you can use a beckett af or a beckett afg. They are common on oil furnaces, they are rated ti 3.5 gph.

[afretired]

If you go oil you can use a beckett af or a beckett afg. They are common on oil furnaces, they are rated ti 3.5 gph.

I haven't given the oil burner a thought. A quick look has fuel oil at about 135,000 BTU/gal, to get up to 1,000,000 BTUs I would need on rated at about 8 gal/hour. Looking on Ebay, there is a Beckett CF800 for $825. That's a long way from $2500 for a Carlin301 gas burner. How difficult is it to set up an oil burner on a evaporator?

[nymapleguy607]

For what its worth, I had thought about converting my arch to propane fired as we belong to a large coop and Lp was reasonably priced. I asked a large producer near me his thoughts and he recommended fuel oil over Lp. His reasoning was that Lp doesn't have the same BTU's as oil and the burners are not really on the same page as an oil burner.