Help with ideas for an evaporator

[Gary R]

That's a fairly good size pan for up to 50 taps. There's going to be days when you'll be waiting for enough sap to boil. I'd drain the pan then and clean it if needed. I'd probably keep it simple. Two or three dividers only. The thermometer port is nice.

[Ausable]

Thanks for all this great advice.

What are the advantages of dividing the sap pan in half ? Should there be ports between the two halves??

Thanks

Once the boil is underway and you are feeding raw or warm sap into the sap pan - the divided half will have hotter sap already partially evaporated and won't be cooled down by the added sap in the other half. The sap will become hotter and more syrup like as it snakes thru each section of your entire pan. Two things make it necessary to add sap to the sap pan - the level in the total pan dropping do to evaporation and drawing off - almost syrup on the other end. You will find a comfortable level to boil at in your evaporator -- If it has to much sap - not as efficient boiling. If it has to little sap danger or scorching pans. Another thing that helps when - your divided sections are all inter-connected is to have a way of isolating parts of your evaporating pan. On mine I have tapered openings and tapered stop flow plugs at two points - this helps if you run out of sap like I did last year and have a fire still going strong and had to start adding water and not ruining my almost syrup. You plug tapered opening closest sap pan and use a syrup scoop (like a small ash shovel) and transfer sap forward and when near scorching add water to syrup pan. and so on and so on. My rig is a home-made 2' x 5' so possible to do. Have a Son who is a machinist so the tapered plugs was his idea and it really works for me. Hey - before You are done you will have a million questions and ideas - Good Luck and have fun -- Mike

[Haynes Forest Products]

3rdgen I dispute the "pushing" effect of the sap coming in. I belive that the sap only flows into the flue pan because the sap level has lowerd due to evaperation lowering the liquid level lowering the fill valve. Liquid levels throughout the entire system are constantly lowering due to lose of volume. the area next to the draw off has been in the longest so has decreasd the most and that is why it flows to that point. I dont believe in the pushing therory UNLESS YOU OPEN THE FILL VALVE ALLOWING IN A HIGHER SAP LEVEL......But that will cause mixing because the incoming liquid is thinner. Now finished syrup will push sap with less mixing................Let me have it if Im wrong

[RileySugarbush]

Another thought or two:

Adding a divider in the sap section will help support the bottom. Run it front to back and cope a corner out to allow flow.

If you really want to make it sing, add some drop flues to the sap pan. The easy way to do this is with drop tubes. Here is how I added some to a steam table pan many years ago:

http://web.mac.com/jabushey/iWeb/Ril...struction.html

One concern is adding the tubes will create a very violent boil and 8" is a little low for a flue pan. Maybe concentrate the tubes near the middle of the pan to prevent sap loss.

Have fun!

[3rdgen.maple]

3rdgen I dispute the "pushing" effect of the sap coming in. I belive that the sap only flows into the flue pan because the sap level has lowerd due to evaperation lowering the liquid level lowering the fill valve. Liquid levels throughout the entire system are constantly lowering due to lose of volume. the area next to the draw off has been in the longest so has decreasd the most and that is why it flows to that point. I dont believe in the pushing therory UNLESS YOU OPEN THE FILL VALVE ALLOWING IN A HIGHER SAP LEVEL......But that will cause mixing because the incoming liquid is thinner. Now finished syrup will push sap with less mixing................Let me have it if Im wrong

Haynes I was giving a generic description. Darn man just confuse the guy even more. Just go clean your toilet brush the maple season is coming and you want it clean.LOL

[Ausable]

Another thought or two:

Adding a divider in the sap section will help support the bottom. Run it front to back and cope a corner out to allow flow.

If you really want to make it sing, add some drop flues to the sap pan. The easy way to do this is with drop tubes. Here is how I added some to a steam table pan many years ago:

http://web.mac.com/jabushey/iWeb/Ril...struction.html

One concern is adding the tubes will create a very violent boil and 8" is a little low for a flue pan. Maybe concentrate the tubes near the middle of the pan to prevent sap loss.

Have fun!

Hey - Riley -- Thanks for the great pictures -- I had no idea a drop flue could be made this way - In my noggin it was tubes with an in and out or dropped channels in the pan bottom. I just have a flat bottom and have had no experience with dropped flues other then reading about them. Again - thanks for the pictures and the education --- Mike

[SeanD]

Hey 3rdgen,

Don't sweat it too much. Last year he blasted me on the same topic using a detailed example of what happens when he and his buddies are in a hot tub and one of them pees. It was horribly visual and it took me weeks to recover from the image. I'm in a better place now and I can support those who catch his hell. Stay strong.

Sean

[Sugarmaker]

Go with the plan B sketch! get it built! Tap some trees! set up a block arch!
and make syrup!
Chris

[whalems]

I like plan B as well. The only thing I would do different would be to add a divider to the back pan as others have suggested. Have fun, Mike

[3rdgen.maple]

Hey 3rdgen,

Don't sweat it too much. Last year he blasted me on the same topic using a detailed example of what happens when he and his buddies are in a hot tub and one of them pees. It was horribly visual and it took me weeks to recover from the image. I'm in a better place now and I can support those who catch his hell. Stay strong.

Sean

Heck its all good fun, Haynes is a pretty funny guy and I enjoy his character and giving a little back.