Calling it quits

[Lazarus]

I'm pulling taps for the year as the silvers are starting to bud out here in SW Ohio. The sugars are still running, but are only 25% of our taps, and considering the complete disaster of a season, I'm throwing in the towel. On top of that, I think we're going to have to pitch the lot.

We moved up from a 2x3 last year to a new 2x6 this year, and managed to make ... basically motor oil. The new 2x6 sure boiled off the sap really well, but what I ended up with looks like Guinness, only the foam is black, too. I can't grade, I can't sell it, and I'm pretty sure I can't eat it either. No idea what happened, whether it's me or the evaporator, but last year I made everything from fancy light to dark amber just fine.

Very disappointing...

-Laz
____________________
150 taps, mostly silvers
GBM 2x6
And a whole lotta motor oil

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

It is a very bad year for sugar content here too. 1 percent to 1.5

[Toblerone]

Having a very frustrating season up here in Franklin County too. Making very dark syrup this year. It still has a nice flavor though.

[adk1]

how was your summer last year? Isnt that what dictates the amount of sugar that the tree gets to store?

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

Very very dry. There was a field of alfalfa that normally dies where a spring is and doesnt grow all summer. But this summer that was the only alive part. Not much rain at all.

[Lazarus]

Summer was dry - drought conditions. I was running 3-4% average sugar content last year, this year average is around 2.5%, but I have 100 new taps mixed in from the deep woods, and they're always going to be less sugar.

I had constant problems this year, any one of which might have been an issue. The overnight plug for the syrup pan did not fit, and we did not figure this out until late. A replacement plug was no better and we still don't have this solved. I ran my flue pan where the level of the liquid was just even with the top of the inlet tube (dealer said this was OK), but that's a whopping 4 inches above the drop flues, and I am thinking that was way too high. We had constant issues with wet wood. I was lucky to get a drawoff once every other day (5 hr boils every day after work).

The sap was likely to sit for 24-48 hrs before boil, but the sugar content barely budged, and we're running UV.

[adk1]

Summer was dry - drought conditions. I was running 3-4% average sugar content last year, this year average is around 2.5%, but I have 100 new taps mixed in from the deep woods, and they're always going to be less sugar.

I had constant problems this year, any one of which might have been an issue. The overnight plug for the syrup pan did not fit, and we did not figure this out until late. A replacement plug was no better and we still don't have this solved. I ran my flue pan where the level of the liquid was just even with the top of the inlet tube (dealer said this was OK), but that's a whopping 4 inches above the drop flues, and I am thinking that was way too high. We had constant issues with wet wood. I was lucky to get a drawoff once every other day (5 hr boils every day after work).

The sap was likely to sit for 24-48 hrs before boil, but the sugar content barely budged, and we're running UV.

yeah, I think if you were to fine tune your operation you would have been successful. that seems alike alot of sap in the flue pan, I would guess 1.5" would have been better. I think you boiled it way too long/slow. I guess?

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

That is probably why your syrup is dark. Setting for a long time before boiling. I dump milky sap. I dont bother with it. And how deep are you running the water in your syrup pan.

[Lazarus]

I don't think it was due to sap sitting too long. If the bacteria load was great, sugar content would be lower after sitting. We keep the sap in 30-gallon tubs with about 3-4 frozen 2-liter bottles floating in there, and they stay pretty well frozen. The UV should take care of any of the rest before it hits the pan. We let the sap sit even longer with no UV last year, and made good syrup.

My concern with a lower sap level in the flue pan would be burning the pan. As it was, sap was literally leaping from the pan at the front edge of the flue pan. But I have about 50 gallons left to boil off; I will give it a try.

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

i run my pan at an inch and a half. This years sap has made dark syrup for some reason.

[Southtowns27]

I have a 2x6 drop flue as well, we ran it about 3/4" deep. That's all you need. You just have to watch it closely, especially during a big draw off. With it being 4" deep, you also had 4" in the syrup pan which explains why you only draw off every other day. Drop your levels, just be ready for a huge drawoff since your syrup pan has already been boiled so much. Make sure you give the float enough time to keep up during a big draw. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Monster Maples]

I would have to agree, 4 inches is way too much. Drop it down to 1.5" until you get comfortable at that level. Then you can always drop it down a bit more. I would be willing to bet you have close to syrup in the back pan as well. Try this before you call it quits. Frustrating it may be, but work on figuring it out this year, or next year you will be learning all over again. You will get it, just takes a little time and playing around. At 1.5" I wouldn't worry about burning your pan. Also, if you have a good hot fire going I wouldn't be concerned with a little damp wood. Your evap rate wont be quite as good but you will still be boiling. Keep us posted after you drop the levels.

[Lazarus]

Wow, so totally depressing. I just spent the evening pitching everything off the evaporator into the back field, plus about 5 gallons of made syrup. That's probably close to 30 gallons of syrup to near syrup. It was a total loss. You couldn't eat this stuff, it tasted completely burnt. I only have a short amount of sap left - even if I don't want to call it quits, the trees are budding and we've only collected about 30 gallons of sap in last three days off 150 taps. But we'll see what I can do with this last bit.

[Lazarus]

Just noticed as I dropped the level - I either need a different thermometer, or the best I'll be able to do in the syrup pan is around 1.5". Below that, and my dial thermometer stalk is completely and totally out of the liquid.

[Monster Maples]

I really can not believe your dealer was even telling you to run it at 4 inches. I understand your frustration, and I know the softs are budding or starting to bud. However, if at all possible try it again with dropping the level down. I am sure you will be surprised at the results.

[Monster Maples]

Run it at an inch and a half. What evaporator is it? You mind me asking?

[Lazarus]

I'm not sure we discussed the exact inches, but I do know that I asked when I first started it up whether I had set the level correctly, in that I put it so that it was above the top of the inlet tube holes in the pans. The dealer no longer had the evaporator in front of them (as it was here), so I don't know whether this was a long distance blind communication problem.

I also talked with them a few times back in February when the stuff first turned black, and I think the thinking then was that the syrup pan needed cleaning (turned out it was fine), and it was then that we discovered the overnight plug was too small. I think the thinking was the plug was the problem. They didn't ask about the pan level.

[3rdgen.maple]

The plug has zero to do with it. All the plug does it help keep the gradient in the syrup pan. Within a short period of boiling your gradient will be back to what it was or better then when you put it to bed the night before. I dont even bother with the plugs on mine. Made the mistake once of forgeting to take it out and caught it before I had molten metal. After that I said no more plug. If you made burnt tasting syrup only one thing leads to that. Your burning it. What I am thinking is it is possible you are making syrup in your middle channel on the syrup pan and it is burning before it gets to your drawoff. Make sure the rig is level, lower your levels to 1 or little more. I run my flue pan so it barely covers the flues and gets me maybe 3/4 inches in my syrup pan. The longer the sap is in the pans the darker its going to get. Is this a all flat pan setup or do you have flues in the back pan?

[Lazarus]

The evaporator is a brand new GBM, with a 2x2 syrup pan and a 2x4 7" drop flue pan (one divider) with a float box. Pans are level; I check them every few days. The front channel of the syrup pan is indeed usually the last to boil. The right side of the flue pan (farthest away from the float box) always boils harder than the left. The entire front of the flue pan (nearest the syrup pan) boils harder than the rest of the entire rig including the syrup pan.

Liquid flows freely back and forth into the float box and it is always the same color as the flue pan.

I'm 10 hours between draws. For real.

I'm not sure how to prevent boiling in one channel vs. the other if they are level?

[3rdgen.maple]

The evaporator is a brand new GBM, with a 2x2 syrup pan and a 2x4 7" drop flue pan (one divider) with a float box. Pans are level; I check them every few days. The front channel of the syrup pan is indeed usually the last to boil. The right side of the flue pan (farthest away from the float box) always boils harder than the left. The entire front of the flue pan (nearest the syrup pan) boils harder than the rest of the entire rig including the syrup pan.

Liquid flows freely back and forth into the float box and it is always the same color as the flue pan.

I'm 10 hours between draws. For real.

I'm not sure how to prevent boiling in one channel vs. the other if they are level?

Your flue pan is boiling normal. The front always boils harder than the rest of the area. This is where the most heat is. When you say it flows freely back into your float box this could very well be the biggest problem. I have posted this next comment and even had a few guys call me and had me explain it better but I will give the story again. When I bought my new drop flue evaporator after the first draw it took hours to get the next one. Builder claimed a hundred times I should be consistantly drawing off every hour. Well I wasnt and couldnt. After observing the flue pan and the float box I had the problem you are describing. What I noticed is when the flue pan is at a raging boil it would push sap back into the float box and not allow any sap to enter the pan, when it was time to add wood the boil would die just enough for the sap to push back out of the float box and into the pan because the boiling sap was no longer pushing into the float box, at that point the float would drop and fill the pans back up to the level they were set to be in the begining, after closing the doors the boil would start hard again and the process would start all over again. I could never draw off consitantly because of all the mixing going on and at one point I was making syrup in the middle chamber on the syrup pan. I said enough of that crap and went to the hardware store and bought a copper 90 degree elbow. I rammed it in the inlet hole inside the flue pan pointing to the back of the flue pan. I imediately noticed no more sap was pushing back into the float box and I started drawing of syrup every hour. I hope this helps.

[Lazarus]

My drip at the top of the float box seems pretty consistent. It does die back a bit when the door is opened to the firebox, and flows harder a minute or so just after adding wood. It occasionally stops for just a few seconds on a hard boil, but that's because sometimes the boil is so hard, the flue pan rocks and the float inside the box rocks, too (it's mounted to the side of the flue pan) and that can make it pause until the waves calm down or cancel themselves out. But it certainly doesn't stop on a hard boil.

How much clearance does your elbow end have to the back of the flue pan?

[3rdgen.maple]

My drip at the top of the float box seems pretty consistent. It does die back a bit when the door is opened to the firebox, and flows harder a minute or so just after adding wood. It occasionally stops for just a few seconds on a hard boil, but that's because sometimes the boil is so hard, the flue pan rocks and the float inside the box rocks, too (it's mounted to the side of the flue pan) and that can make it pause until the waves calm down or cancel themselves out. But it certainly doesn't stop on a hard boil.

How much clearance does your elbow end have to the back of the flue pan?

The sap inlet off the float pan is in the front. So I have lets say 3 feet and 10 inches clearance fromt he elbow to the back of the pan. The way it was setup there was no way to stop the boil from entering the float box. It just boiled and pushed sap back into the float box. Putting the elbow in pointing to the back made it so the sap wouldnt push back in the float box. If your float cannot maintain its level because boiling sap is raising and lowering your float. A float in that situation cannot consitantly controll the sap level in your pans. So when you are boiling it pushes up the float and lets say the level in the pans at full boil is an inch and when you fire the evaporator the float drops and fills the pans even a half inch you will not draw off on a regular basis. Its like taking sap out of your pan and then adding sap over and over so you and diluting the gradient you just spent all the time trying to get. So does your float box have a direct shot into your flue pan? Or is there an elbow or piping where it goes through the side of the pan into it?

[Lazarus]

The float box hangs on the long side of the flue pan, and the inlet is in the far front corner of the pan nearest the syrup pan, on the same side as the drawoff of the syrup pan. It points straight in, but is perpendicular to the direction of the boil, which is going the long way down the pan.

So if I understand correctly, you put the elbow in, with the open end facing away from the front of the pan, pointed down the open length of the pan toward the stack, so the force of the boil from the front of the pan (right next to your inlet) hits the back of the elbow instead?

[3rdgen.maple]

The float box hangs on the long side of the flue pan, and the inlet is in the far front corner of the pan nearest the syrup pan, on the same side as the drawoff of the syrup pan. It points straight in, but is perpendicular to the direction of the boil, which is going the long way down the pan.

So if I understand correctly, you put the elbow in, with the open end facing away from the front of the pan, pointed down the open length of the pan toward the stack, so the force of the boil from the front of the pan (right next to your inlet) hits the back of the elbow instead?

You got it exact!!! The way you described your pan is exacally how mine is set up. I was a little suprised as well to think that with the inlet being perpendicular to the direction of the boil would cause this but seeing it happen was enough for me to fix the problem. Try it. I dont know what size the hole is on yours but an 1 1/4 copper elbow fits perfectly snug in the hole on mine.

[Southtowns27]

Another thought too, how big is your firewood? For the rig to work properly it needs to be no bigger than your wrist. Smaller the better. The firebox should never be less than half full. Add wood to alternating sides of the firebox only a few minutes apart. If you can hear the boil start to slow down between firings, you're waiting too long.