Whats your average evaporation rate?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

This was discussed in the past with Dr. Tims input and if I recall correctly evaporation rate is based on when the evaporator is stable and at it's max potential and not from startup to shutdown. I think it was after the first hour of operation. Went back and found the post. It is on the Post ADVICE on 10/06/2009 Evaporation rate is based on after the first drawoff when the evaporator is stable.

2x6 with 4 foot drop flue bare bones 40 gph.

I know that is what most guys figure, but these numbers are false. Might as well throw out an hour each day and pretend you didn't boil on a wood fired evaporator, just like the time didn't exist by the time you get it warmed up to full potential and then shut it down, you have an hour that you are not evaporating off very much. Oil fired, probably about 10 minutes. I have a meter and I take the total gallon boiled down for entire day divided by total time spent boiling from time I light match until I am done with evaporator and that is true gph.

There have been hours I have probably boiled off aprox 75 gph with my evpaorator, but I am not going to say it boils off 75 gph because it won't do that for an entire day.

[3rdgen.maple]

If that is the case then can you explain to me how the manufactures come up with there gph on the rigs they sell. If they take into consideration all the variable in how people start there fire and how well they stop and how often they fire it and what type of wood they are burning if the arch is oil fired, what type of burner is on it, size of the nozzle etc etc etc.... there numbers would look so rediculous. Hence the reason the number of gph a rig gets is based on when the arch is stable and you are drawing off syrup and yes do not forget to subtract the amount of syrup from the number. When my dad runs the evaporator he sits there with his pocket knife cutting little sticks of kindling to light the fire and when it is finally boiling he likes to use the biggest chunks of wood he can so he does not have to move from the chair and keep loading wood. He likes the nice lazy boils and is getting up there in age and well heck that is fine but if I took his numbers it would be at best probably 10 gph. Then when I take over things change and I like the sap jumping out of the pans and firing every few minutes so do I average his boil rate into mine and get a number that is not fair to the manufacturer of my evaporator?

[red maples]

I think a safe thing to say would be"my whateversize evaporator will boil 75 gph/40 gph what ever, when its at it most efficient point"

this is when:
1. the fire is blazzin'
2. the arch and bricks are warmed up
3. your pans are sweetened
4. your drawing off syrup.

then you can say I am boiling off 40 gph/75 gph what ever.
which I would go by the warmed up number!!!! or maximum gph.
otherwise you can factor in everything else and make it confusing.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

No, I am not making it confusing, just as simple enough for a first grader. You start the fire at 8 am and boil till 5 pm and the evpaorator is completely shut off at 5pm and boil off 900 gallon, you boiled off 100 gph. At the end of the day it really doesn't matter if you boiled off 130 gph in one of those nine hours other than if it boosts your ego.

Evaporator companies can get away with posting higher rates than most get because of what is called "puffery" and so do most other sales people exaggerate things.

[red maples]

I agree average over time is easy to do. thats why I say you can say it would be 130 gallons
(using your exapmle) at optimum boiling or how ever you want to phase it. But when other things are taken into consideration like the operator (or whoever is loading wood) and how much your drawing off and what ever else you want to calculate thats when it can start to become that famous math question ...

so 2 trains leave at the same time one from ......

[gator330]

I'm all for "puffery" and whiskey. Tonight the lable is green and the gph is 80 (proff that is)!!!!

[red maples]

Proff huh already had a few, I am gessin'

[gator330]

Not if you fire 101 times more per boil. Hey this tennessee syrup is good for my math.

[whiteout]

2X6 WSE, blower, preheater , flue pan steam hood, 35GPH

[Hop Kiln Road]

29 city / 37 highway