Fishhouse converted to sugarhouse

[tomslusher]

I bought a new fishhouse this winter and am taking my old 8' X 8' by about 8' tall fishhouse and making it into a sugarhouse. My stove is only 27" X 31" so it should be more than enough room. I'm taking out the inside panelling and styrofom insulation in the area around the stove and covering the whole area with tin, as well as the floor. The rear of the fishhouse has a large window, about 2 X 3. I plan on using a house box fan in front of the stove to push the steam out the window and if that doesn't work so well, this summer making a cupola for it.

Hopefully about 1 foot of clearance on all sides should be good enough. The stove didn't get all that hot on the outside last year, thanks to bricking the entire inside of the stove.

I'm sure it will be too hot to spend any amount of time in, but I was gonna park my new fishhouse next to it to use as a "remote office", with bunks and kitchen and satalite TV.

And the best part, it's mobile!!

Let me know if you think this is a bad idea or way too small of an area before I get started. Otherwise, I'm gonna blame all of you people if it doesn't work out!!!! just kidding.

Ohh, by the way, how tall should the stack be over the roofline??

tomslusher

[cpmaple]

you will wish you had a bigger area i found that out started out with a 10x14 sugarhouse now to a 16x20 and most likely bigger in a few years never enough room. Just my 2 cents cpmaple

[tomslusher]

you will wish you had a bigger area i found that out started out with a 10x14 sugarhouse now to a 16x20 and most likely bigger in a few years never enough room. Just my 2 cents cpmaple

I plan on making a bigger, more permanent, sugarhouse in the future. But for now, I really don't even have a good place to cook my sap, except in my neighbor's yard. He goes to Texas in the winter so I kind of have run of his place when he is gone (costs me a few quarts, syrup and whiskey).

For my 25 taps, this will work good until I can buy his land, but that's a few years down the road.

That's why the mobile sugarshack is perfect for what I need, at least for now. Is it bad to wish for retirement, even though it means getting old? I have about 15 years and I can do this full time!!!!!

tomslusher

[cvmaple]

cpmaple is right. You will be claustrophobic in a shack that small filled with steam. Park the 2 shacks in an L shape and rig a roof up to boil under on the stove. That way you will have room for guests and if they have too many boiling sodas they can spend the night. cvmaple

[tomslusher]

I think I want to keep the new fishhouse a good distance away, at least for the first year. I would hate to burn both of them to the ground at one time.

I don't plan on spending much time in the little house, just stoking wood and stiring sap is about all I think I will be able to stand. We'll see though. It should make for an educational sugaring season. And I'm sure there will be improvements coming!!

Any more insight from you old wiley veterens????

tomslusher

[tomslusher]

I'm mostly done with the fishhouse to sugarshack conversion. I have to get my stack back up and secure it and then clean the shack. Fired up the stove once, doesn't seem to get the walls too hot. I put cement board on the walls and floor around the stove.


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tomslusher

[Ahnohta2]

Look like nice unit. Looks too close to wall even w/ protection added. Not sure how high is recommended for ht of stack, but I feel the higher the better.