New evaporator question

[PDStephens]

Hello,

I have been boiling on a cinder block arch the last 4 years. I currently use a 2x3 flat plan with a preheater pan on top of it. I would like to upgrade to a real evaporator and am thinking a 2x4 is right for me. I tap around 50 trees and don't think I will expand too much beyond that. I tend to collect during the week and boil on the weekends. Each boil is 120-250 gallons. I am struggling on deciding what evaporator to get as well as if I want a divided pan. The two arches I am looking at are Mason and Next Generation. I read nothing but good things about Mason. My local supplier sells Next Gen but won't have one of the floor until this fall. Does anyone have a reason to with a Next Gen over a Mason?

As for the pan, right now we boil all the sap we have, until it is within a degree of two of being finished, then pull it off and finish it over a burner, before filtering and bottling. I am struggling to see the benefits of using a divided pan. Will it increase my boiling rate? Or is it main to make a "finer" grade syrup, that hasn't been boiled as long?

Thanks for any help!

Peter

[VTnewguy]

First thought would be to go with a equipment dealer you are comfortable with. Secondly, I wouldn't discount any of the big brands Leader, Smokey Lake, CDL, D&G, H2O and Lapierre. They all make a product that would fit your needs. A divided pan will help you see the gradient as it boils into syrup. It won't boil any faster. What it will do is allow you to pull off different grades of syrup as they finish. Hope this helps. (Last thought is a cheap ro is half of a new evaporator)

[Pdiamond]

As VT newguy pointed out check with the other manufacturers but do it soon. Whatever option you plan on be prepared to spend some coin. The price of stainless has gone up and most of the equipment producers have raised their prices since last year. Check out operational videos on their websites that will also give you an idea of how an evaporator will boil.

[Andy VT]

I'm pretty new to the hobby so take what I say with grain of salt, but here is how I've thought it through so far. Bottom line is, in my line of thinking, which could be off, the only reason you'd need a divided pan in your situation is if you care about preventing unnecessarily dark syrup, and even then only if you use wood as the fuel.

So here's how I reason that out. I know nearly everyone who doesn't have a divided pan adds and adds and adds raw sap to concentrated sap, thus cooking the concentrated sap longer. For me, this unnecessary darkening is untenable, but many don't seem to mind. The way I prevent this is I don't add raw sap to concentrated sap, or as little as possible. I fill a pan to 4" depth maximum and take it down to less than 1", at which point it fits into something smaller, etc. I only combine saps of similar concentrations. I do not feel that reheating sap darkens syrup as much as people say... I think its more the extra cooking of mixing differing concentrations. I admit I haven't tested this, but I can say I made (seemingly; didn't have a grade kit) light syrup this year and I was anal about only mixing similarly concentrated sap, and I did not worry much about how many times I reheated a batch on its way to syrup.

However, this method is only practical with any heat source you can shut off. With wood, I suspect to have light syrup you'd need to have the gradient and save your "sweet" between boils. You could still use a pot on the stove in the kitchen as your finishing pan if desired, but you'd have the option of drawing syrup off your rig too.

So, if you plan to boil with wood and you like to strive for lighter syrup, I'd go with divided pan. Otherwise, no need (assuming a small operation, as we are I this thread).

Just my way of thinking. It'll probably evolve!

Andy

P.S., sounds fun!

[BAP]

Another good source for an evaporator is watching your local classifieds like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Sometimes you can find a good deal from someone who is upgrading to something bigger.

[Andy VT]

As a side note, the alert reader of my drivel will say: Wait a minute! If you're willing to, somewhat arbitrarily, evaporate up to 4" of depth from a plain flat pan, and you limit it to this for reasons of keeping the syrup light, wouldn't it be even better to fill the pan to a more efficient 2" and preheat/drip the remainder in, so that on average each droplet cooks for even less time?

Well, yes, it probably would!

P.S., as someone else just mentioned, I've seen some nice looking 2x4 setups for sale on Facebook marketplace, and to a lesser extent, craigslist. There are some right now in Vermont. Haven't checked your state. Admittedly there would probably be more of this in Vermont, but do have a look in your area!

[Biz]

I have a used 2x5 complete setup that I just picked up from a friend if you are interested. Has a homemade oil barrel arch with ss stack and 1-piece 2x5 Smokey Lake hybrid pan (flues + flat). Pan used for 3-4 seasons, arch 1 season. PM me for details, looking move it.

Dave