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Thread: Wood vs. Propane vs. Electric

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Western Mass
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    12

    Question Wood vs. Propane vs. Electric

    I'm hoping to speed up my evaporation process this year. I don't have many trees (like 8!)
    I found a 2 burner box wood stove for sale, or an electric grill which gets up to 572 degrees F. or just stick with my coleman stove or turkey frier.
    What do you think works best?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Richfield, WI
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    456

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    Evaporation rate is dependent on the surface area of the pan, pot, etc of what you're cooking in. If one of the options you listed allows you to use a larger pan with more surface area than the others, that's the one you're probably looking for.
    Homemade 2X4 w/Flat Pan
    50 taps....but always looking to expand
    Mostly box elders with a scattering of red, silver, & sugar maples
    Allis Chalmers C & Homemade Sap Sled

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Glennie, Michigan
    Posts
    1,266

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    Quote Originally Posted by molzep View Post
    I'm hoping to speed up my evaporation process this year. I don't have many trees (like 8!)
    I found a 2 burner box wood stove for sale, or an electric grill which gets up to 572 degrees F. or just stick with my coleman stove or turkey frier.
    What do you think works best?
    Forget Electric - To slow and to pricey for boiling sap. As already stated - use the pan with the largest surface area that you have. All gas burners are not the same - a turkey fryer burner is a good bet. Box stove might work ok - do You have a good supply of dry wood? If You go with the box stove - Place your largest flat pan on top and boil with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of sap in pan and keep adding sap and boiling till you are almost syrup - then - transfer to a smaller container and finish syrup on kitchen stove. Another thought - if you have extra space on top of the box stove - place a pot or two of cold sap on the box stove and these will be your preheaters - use this hot sap to add to your main pan as the level goes down... Say you start your boil with 20 gallons of sap - You keep boiling till you are down to about two quarts of maple syrup -- ball park figures -- have fun and best of luck -- Mike

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Western Mass
    Posts
    12

    Default Got the stove!

    My husband bought me the stove for Valentines Day ♥! Now I need to dry my wood (and get some sap!)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Glennie, Michigan
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    -----hahaha - A true romantic - hey - a stove works. Beats a box of candy and lasts longer..... Best of luck to you both -- make lots of maple syrup --- Mike

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