Description
Premium, Stainless Steel Divided Pan
The handcrafted, mirror finish stainless steel pan is the same premium quality that we are known for. We use high grade 22ga stainless steel which enables more efficient heat transfer from the fire to the sap compared to our competitor’s thicker stainless steel. Two continuous flow dividers are formed into the structure of the pan, NOT tacked into place as an afterthought. The pan profile includes full-length handles which offers easy maneuverability and increased strength. A thermometer port with 3″ dial thermometer and a stainless steel draw-off valve are also included.
Natural Gas Conversion
2 PSI is required if you opt for the natural gas version of this burner. Your home will have a 2 PSI service to the meter outside, but is likely reduced to 1/4 PSI before entering the house. Many people have converted the service at their home in order to run our 2 PSI system. This conversion is done by your gas supplier for no cost. However, after the service is upgraded to 2 PSI, it will be your responsibility to put a local 1/4 PSI regulator before each of the appliances in your home (water heater, furnace, etc.) This might cost anywhere between $200 and $500 depending on if you hire this work out or do it yourself.
David Johnson –
I am a retired accountant. During my work years making maple syrup wasn’t an option. Now I have the time.
In the past few years I have used a group of steam tray 5 gallon pans over propane. This year I purchased this 16”xs30” pan with auto fill attached. Evaporating using only the pan, I was getting about 5 gallons per hour (gph). I then pre-heated my sap using some of the steam tray pans. This increased my evaporation rate to 7.5 gph.
I used 5.25 100# propane cylinders @ $49/cylinder for the evaporator and 6 25# cylinders @ $15/cylinder for a total cost of $347.25. I evaporated 510 gal of sap into 12.5 gal of syrup or a cost of $6.945/qt. My neighbor sells his syrup for $20/qt.
As you can see there is plenty of room for profit without stress and mess of cutting and splitting wood.
I use an app https://www.saptapapps.com/ for tracking sap and syrup production. I find this very helpful to compare prior production and boiling temps as they change with barometric pressure.
Clean up is a breeze with the 50/50 vinegar/water mix.
This is a great piece of equipment for the hobbyist or starter. I would buy this again.