Neat little sap boiler

J.Wondergem · Mar 5, 2016

The Hardware in Rockford is selling these wood burning boilers.

Brendon Warren · Mar 5, 2016

How much are they?

J.Wondergem · Mar 5, 2016

I think they were $1400.

Ron/PA · Mar 5, 2016

http://www.leaderevaporator.com/p-285-leader-half-pint-evaporator.aspx

Adirondack case guy · Mar 5, 2016

You can buy a lot of real maple syrup for the price of that little pipsqueek.
Loren

greg oliver · Mar 5, 2016

JWondergem,My boss and I are trying to build one now. We stretched out and old 275 gallon fuel tank and going to put brick on the bottom. He has a home made sap arch out of blocks that about used up. He doesn't have very many taps and just got involved with it a few years ago. That's one of his pans and we put a baffle at the back and hope to try it in a couple days.

gtractorfan · Mar 5, 2016

Couldn't you just put the stainless steel container on top of a regular woodstove?

blue water massey · Mar 5, 2016

saw this little thing at TSC
sap boiler

Adirondack case guy · Mar 5, 2016

It peobably wouldn't get hot enough with out contact of direct fire under the whole pan.
Loren

Adirondack case guy · Mar 5, 2016

The add says it will evaporate 4gals of sap per hour. On average it takes 40gal of sap to make 1 gal. of syrup, so ten hrs later you may have 1 gal of syrup, plus you need incoming sap so the pan doesn't boil dry and scorch.
Loren

TimV · Mar 5, 2016

Yup, and about a gazillion gallons of syrup are made just like that every year by people with a few trees and a sweet tooth. However, it's not very efficient, and is quite time-consuming, plus if you do it in your house you're apt to take all the wallpaper off the walls from the water vapor you boil out, as many a home sugarmaker has discovered the hard way! A small system like the one shown will decrease your time and energy input considerably, plus usually give a better (read that: lighter-colored, not necessarily more flavorful) end product. The flip side, as noted, is that these are hobby units, and like every other thing aimed at every other hobby market, they're priced with the theory that hobbyists will pay through the nose to support their habit, err....hobby, leading to a situation where you can buy a lot of syrup at $40-50 a gallon for the cost of this unit.

J.Wondergem · Mar 5, 2016

And he wont have anything close to the $1400 bucks in it.

Cory Schmidt · Mar 5, 2016

All you need is to boil, you should know that ACG, and you can boil on a wood stove. Our small set up is a pan set on top of a flattened out oil tank(like greg oliver is doing on this thread)...

Cory Schmidt · Mar 5, 2016

You getting fancy with that, our we cut the top off, flatten then welded back on.

greg oliver · Mar 5, 2016

It was my idea to reuse the end of the tank and added a piece about 14 inches down for a baffle. I used those thin cheap harbor freight cut off wheels at first then he bought some better wheels in town. My neighbor used my 275 tank to make an arch like yours I just went a little further. With his small pans he just keeps adding and when he's about done he has some steel plate to throw on top when he removes a pan. Thirty years ago when I was still in school my friend had 2 grimm evaporators and I remember wading thru the snow tapping trees and putting up line. Still good times!

greg oliver · Mar 5, 2016

Cory, What do you grow? After 1994 when our farm was sold I worked at a greenhouse. They had 5 acres of greenhouses for geraniums now its all gone. Fuel prices and the family not getting along ended it. I was in charge of what they called the Big house 24 bay's 110 ft long and 27 wide. The center section was a peaked roof that had a computer controled heating and venting with 4 one million BTU boilers that could burn 16 gallons an hour. We ended up adding 4 400,000 warm air units as well. Ended up disconecting computer and going to thermostats. Previously nothing stopped the fans from coming on in the winter and would pull the flame back in the burners.

Hogleg · Mar 6, 2016

Here is my redneck arch. A 55 gal drum on it's side with the top cut out, then some 1.5in angle iron for a frame to hold 2 deep steam pans. No fire comes out around the pans at all. Cement blocks hold the heat in and the flue keeps the fire drawing well. I preheat with the pan on top to keep the boil going and manually transfer from back pan to front pan as the boil proceeds. Works very well and it is easy to break down and store between seasons.

Works well for my 15-20 taps and small production...don't need no stinkin $1400 hobby arch...

John

greg oliver · Mar 6, 2016

John,That's how my boss started out! My dad and I made this one for cooking some mash when I was in high school over 30 years ago! I should of kept the recipe for that home brew. LOL, Greg

Cory Schmidt · Mar 6, 2016

We bought the main building used from near Chilton, Wi took it apart and rebuilt it on the yard in (I want to say) '96.Only three of the big fans and one small(on other end) are hooked up, the other end opens for more flow. Its getting rough, some of the plastic on it is over 20 years old. We used too fill almost the whole thing (appr.130X60 total) then sell to public. Now we fill only the first bay and the pole building part. Insurance got to be to much, my pa and helpers are retired, me and my brother have full time jobs that stop us from doing as much.

We grow geraniums, petunias, peppers, tomatoes, kohl crops, vine crops....and more different annuals. We use to also have more perennials but quit when people quit buying.

CBBC · Mar 6, 2016

Greg. Can you take some more pictures as you go...and of the finished unit.
It looks really good and I have a doner tank waiting for a project.

Maybe start a new thread whenever. Thanks. Grant

greg oliver · Mar 6, 2016

Grant, No problem! I forget the camera or we head in a different direction is the only issue. We usually are plowing snow but this year haven't had much. We were digging for a water line and drainage for downspouts last week so when we get back to the shop we will work on it. Greg

CBBC · Mar 6, 2016

I know the feeling. I have 5 projects on the go but can't finish anything because something more critical comes up.

greg oliver · Mar 7, 2016

CBBC,We fired up to boil sap today. Its not perfect but was drawing good didn't lite the fire till after 2 this afternoon and was boiling when I left at 3:30. That's his collection tank in the 3 point carrier then you can see the sap line running down to a barrel. Greg

Neat little sap boiler

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