Number of taps for my evaporator?

[3fires]

I couldn't find a specific forum for this question, hope it's in the right spot.

I have 3 SS steam table pans 14x22x4" each. How much sap can I expect to evap on a given day using a wood fired concrete block arch with no firebrick?

I was planning on running 40 taps hoping to make roughly 10 gallons of syrup throughout the season, one quart per tap, but will likely only be able to boil on the weekends and possibly once during the week.

I have two 55 gallon drums to store sap and a couple 10-15 gallon coolers.

I don't want to run 40 taps if I can't keep up and don't want the sap to spoil.

[Sugarmaker]

Well the rate of sap boiling on your rig will be though for me to estimate but I would say maybe 4 gallons per hour maybe 10 tops. I would say about the same as a Leader half pint?? Just a guess.
Can you make 10 gallons of syrup yes! You will just need to stay at it a little longer.
Its all about surface area and how much wood and time you have. Ok the 40 taps on good trees will produce 40 to 80 gallons of sap on a run. So at the max 10 gph you would need to boil between 4 and 8 hours minimum to get it processed. Maybe start with 20 taps and add some if it seems your not getting enough sap. We LOVE to get lots of sap!

Regards,
Chris

[stoweski]

Wouldn't get that much with 40 taps last season, that's for sure! I had 80 taps and managed a little over 5 gallons using a 1/2 pint. Only got 225 gallons (approx) of sap out of the trees. I was boiling at 10 gal/hr with the 1/2 pint when it was going full bore... and it made my day.

We'll see how a 2x6 boils this season. :D

Good luck!
Keith

[RipTyd]

Last season I had a comparable setup and put out 45 taps. At first I could not keep up with it so I took out about ten taps and everything slowed way down and I wished those taps were still in. Basically it is better to have too much than not enough. With a setup like that 40 to 50 taps should keep you going. I mounded the snow up around my storage barrels to keep sap cool, until it all meted ... Enjoy!!!

[3fires]

Thanks all,

I bought 30 tree savers and may only start with 20. I guess i'd rather have not enough than too much. <---<<< That just doesn't sound right. But, this is only my second year doing this. After this year I'll know how my setup works and will be able to judge it better.

[40to1]

Last year when I was getting overwhelmed by sap, and my storage barrels were overflowing, it helped to have a sap hydrometer.
I would sample each bucket of sap. If it was under 2%, I used it to water the tree. If it was higher, it became syrup.
When I finally caught up and then got ahead of the run, I boiled everything.

[Sugarmaker]

Good rule of thumb is 1 qt of finished syrup per tap on a good season (gravity or buckets). So if you want to make the 10 gallons of syrup I would put in the 40 taps , boil like crazy, and see what you have at the end of the season. The 20 taps will not get you to the 10 gallon on bucket system. Unless of course you have some exceptional trees with high sugar content or have a very long season.
Regard,
Chris

[Revi]

I have found that whenever we have too much sap somebody shows up that wants to take it and boil it at their place. We never have a problem with too much.

I am sure that if you are overwhelmed there is going to be a friend who will take some of it.

Dump any ice that forms in your storage tanks. It's got a much lower sugar content, so if you can siphon off the liquid and keep it in another container you'll have the poor man's RO working for you.

[3fires]

I have read where a few people boil it down a bit to store longer. How does that work?

For instance, if I boil 40 gallons down to 20 will it keep longer then?

Will it keep longer by simply bringing it to a boil and re-storing?

[xyz5150]

Tap Them all ! You can get all the sleep you need when your dead.:lol:

[shane hickey]

I have a 10000 taps 2 evaporators has no promblem in keeping up.
I started in doing some advertisement in custom boiling for a third
so i can spend a little more time boiling, other then sleeping.
For Michigan you can figure on an average 300 gallons of syrup per 1000 taps
that would aslo be on an average year, last year was terriable!

[Tweegs]

I have read where a few people boil it down a bit to store longer. How does that work?

For instance, if I boil 40 gallons down to 20 will it keep longer then?

Will it keep longer by simply bringing it to a boil and re-storing?

When we lived in the city, I had a single Maple in the back yard that I tapped. We would boil that sap down to save room during the season and finish making the syrup at the end of the season. We stored the unfinished sap in a spare fridge in the garage.

It didn’t kill us, it tasted fine, but it sure was dark. Bacterial growth, fermentation of the sugar, we later learned was the culprit. You won’t be able to avoid that boiling to condense and then storing it only to boil it again later.

[3fires]

Thanks Tweegs.

[farmall h]

Shane Hickey...I like the name of the town you live in.:)