Antler Acres Sugarhouse construction

[Gary R]

Our building got delivered last night. 12' X 28' and 8' high. It was the biggest one they could make. It's everything we expected and are happy with it. I know we didn't "construct" it but, I couldn't pass up the price. If we built it I would have gone at least 16' wide. This is just a hobby. I could not justify a real built building (concrete floor). I would have had over $20K in that.

We are building a porch off the front, shed roof off the side and extra over hang off the back. I have diamond plate aluminum for the floor under the evaporator. I'm having a 115 gallon SS head tank made. It will go outside under the rear over hang. I'll probably run 50A of 220V to the sugarhouse. For this coming year I only need to power the lights and AOF blower. I don't know what else the future may bring:) My vacuum pump and releaser are only about 20' away in my barn. I did put a drain in. I plan on putting a sink in for washing things up.

If anyone has some ideas I'm all ears. I have no real plan right now. I'm hoping our new evaporator is done at the end of this month. Once I get that in place I plan on having a test boil party! Anyone's welcome. I'll need help because I've never worked with floats or flues

[heus]

Congratulations on the building. I'm waiting for a steamhood and preheater from A&A.

[Daryl]

Gary,
You have a very nice sugerhouse. Looking forward to the startup boil.
You have me thing now for a similar building.:)
Daryl

[Father & Son]

Nice looking building. Let me know if you need any help and when the test boil party is.

Jim

[maple flats]

Nice looking building. You'll enjoy it.
We just recently ordered one similar but smaller for a shed. Ours is larch, which lasts a long time. We ordered from a local Amishman, couldn't beat the price.
I think you made a wise choice. If your "hobby" does grow, another one attached as a T will give you lots of room. I have a 16x24 and finally outgrew it so I am bringing a shed I have (10x10) and attaching it as an addition for my RO and whatever else I find to use it for, the RO will go in a super insulated room in one corner. A cellar under it will be bulk syrup storage.

[Gary R]

Thanks guy's! The heat and my lack of planning slowed us down this weekend. I can't thank my father enough for helping. We did get quite a bit done. I need to finish trim and tin on shed roof. Only one accident. It is scary when you shoot a spike into your finger:cry: Every things OK, I can't wait to show my boss, it's my middle finger.

A poll for you guy's, a railing on the front porch or not? I was planning on it but my mother thinks not. It doesn't matter to me either way.

[markct]

looks good, i wouldnt bother with a railing, its not high enough to need it and you will find yourself often wanting to run around either side of the building to check things, or load or unload barrels etc with a forklift or tractor from the sides at times

[heus]

No railing.

[lastwoodsman]

Yep--no railing

[Dan W]

Gary, Great looking sugarhouse! I like the porch too. Now for the finishing touches. Post when you are having the test run. Dan

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

dont need a railing, its not that far to fall after a few adult beverages, it looks awesome, wife wants me to do same thing but I am going to put sliders or rails under unit so it can be moved and not taxed

[Gary R]

Thanks guy's, no railing it is! That will save a little work also. I have to put cup holders on my chairs now though:) Dan W, thank you for telling me about these buildings. Flat lander, I called the tax office. It does not matter if it is movable around here. If you build anything, they assess it for it's value.

Markct, BARRELS:o This is just a hobby! I hope it doesn't get that far. At least I'll be ready just in case.

[Gary R]

OK, the outside is finished. I need to determine if we will treat the wood on not. I originally thought of no treatment. Now I'm not sure I want an old and gray building next to my house. I don't want to go dark so motor oil is out. Any recommendations? I also need to get rid of some mold and a few gray boards, any idea's? I'm moving to the inside today. I have the electric figured out and will start on that.

I also found an amish tin knocker. He lives about 10 miles east of Oil City. He has a big shop and should be able to make anything for us out of SS. He has made large water holding tanks for their drinking water.

[GramaCindy]

OK, the outside is finished. I need to determine if we will treat the wood on not. I originally thought of no treatment. Now I'm not sure I want an old and gray building next to my house. I don't want to go dark so motor oil is out. Any recommendations? I also need to get rid of some mold and a few gray boards, any idea's? I'm moving to the inside today. I have the electric figured out and will start on that.

I also found an amish tin knocker. He lives about 10 miles east of Oil City. He has a big shop and should be able to make anything for us out of SS. He has made large water holding tanks for their drinking water.

Hello Gary R. We are in the process of building the "Mangy Moose" shack and from the advice of a great friend, painter dude, he strongly suggests to coat the pine siding and battens with a good sealer. I used a cedar color from Cabots. Soaks it up like you wouldn't believe! I didn't want to regret the decision of not coating the siding and looking at this great shack someday and saying, "I wish I would have not let it get grey."

[archerybs]

Hey Gary,

To remove mold and the grey color from your siding mix a solution of 25% bleach and 75% water. Spray on the siding but do not let it dry...rinse it off with a hose. The wood will look like it just came out of the mill. I did then before I staind my log home and it works great with very little effort.

[SevenCreeksSap]

Gary,
I cant tell from the pics, is this built on 2x8'S, I'm starting my shack and planning on making a large shed in case I ever need to move it, ( with a bulldozer) and dont want to go into the ground. It will be 12 x 24 and I'm wondering if my 2x8s are sturdy enough for the weight. Do you have your evap in yet? did it bow the floor down?

[Gary R]

There are three 3X8's that run the length of the building. This is what it is skidded on. There is one joint on the 28' length. Then there are 2X6 floor joist' on 2' centers, running side to side. 1" flooring on top of that and 7/16 OSB on top of that. The floor seems very sturdy. I don't have the evaporator yet but plan on putting some stainless under the legs to help spread the weight out. There are 1" holes drilled into the 3X8's. They stick a bar through them and use a chain to pull it. The amish use a couple of horses to pull it out of their barn. I'm sure any decent sized tractor could pull it. All the wood is rough cut so it is the full dimension.

Archerybs, thanks for the tip. I bought some Oxyclean to try first. I'm still undecided about sealing. My thoughts range from used oil for free to Sikkens at $200 for 5 gal.

[3rdgen.maple]

Go with the bleach solution for those boards that need cleaning. It works perfectly. Personally I would skip on the oil, problem being that you cant go back after its all soaked into the boards, sealing it or a light stain will still let you change colors in the future. It is also and enviromental issue with the oil, here where Im at I would be looking at a fine if I was caught with motor oil on it.

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Very nice sugar house! Finally carved out some time to visit you on here:)
I used a honey colored stain/ sealer on our sugar house and it needs stained again after ten years. But I do like the color better than letting it go gray like my head!
I like your idea of diamond plate on the floor under the arch I think that should work nicely.
Any more pictures??
Wheres that brand new evaporator?
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT VINYL SIDING!

OK, I had a few mold and gray spots to clean. But, when they built the building, they snapped some chalk lines on the exterior. I tried the 75/25 bleach, it didn't work that well. I tried Oxiclean and that didn't work well. So why not use them both? I will tell you there is a violent chemical reaction when you mix the both together:o I thought my sprayer was going to explode. I was able to crack the top and a three foot geyser of foam shot from it for a couple of minutes! Well that must be good stuff so lets use it. I ended up with two gray lines around our building. It's like the stuff took the color right out of the wood. This whole time I have been rinsing with a pressure washer with a 25deg. tip. I then decided to use straight bleach. That really cleans things up! The lines around the building finally came back to a wood color after days of doing nothing. But now you have to do the whole building because some of it is light and some darker. Using a wood preservative does not blend it to one tone of color.

I broke down and bought the Sikkens. 5 gallons ought to do, right? Nope, Saturday afternoon and need 2-3 gallons more. I had my wife check all around. She found a place and bought 3 gal. of RDS, Natural. That's what I told her. A long trip later, open the cans. Oops, I meant to say Natural Light. Well nobody had that and we had to order it. I've got the right stuff to finish but it keeps raining. It looks like early next week we can finish the sealing.

We all know what bleach attracts, PORCUPINES:cry: Every few days they have been gnawing on the front porch, not the back. We've shined a light a few times a night but haven't seen him yet. He will be dead if I catch him!

Anybody want some help refinishing their sugarhouse?:D

The good stuff; electric service in in and lights are up. The evaporator is going to be a couple of weeks late. That's OK because I could use a break. I have many things to do yet anyway. I need to get the wife to stack that three cords of wood soon:)

[heus]

Gary, Ray Gingerich has an A&A 2.5x8 in his shop to be demonstrated before the auction next weekend. Not shiny but looked to be pretty well built.

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Thanks for the update. You have been busy! Sounds exactly how my projects go:)
You will be very pleased with the end product! Yes, don't let those pesky porcupines eat it before you can make syrup.
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

My wife and I picked up the evaporator yesterday! We had a full truck and trailer load of stuff. We start installing it today. Plenty of work to do. We also have some good weather. We can finally finish sealing the last side of the sugarhouse. I'll post some pictures of the stacks and air over as we go. I had a 112 gal. head tank made also.

[Father & Son]

Gary,

I think it's time to update your signature!

Jim

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
I know your to busy to post! Great news on picking up the rig! You are going to love the way that boils next spring! Hope all the bells and whistles fit and work as you expect. Was nice to meet and talk with Mr Miller (son) at the auction. He and I talked about the design improvements that A&A has made over the years.
Regards,
Chris
Some pictures would be great!

[Gary R]

Jim, I got my signature done:)

Got a lot done this weekend. Evaporator is in place on diamond plate. Blanket and brick is done. Roof jacks are installed. Head tank is installed. Blower is mounted. Just a few weeks of tedious little things to do. If anyone ever told you this is not a cheap hobby, they are right:lol: I'll get some pictures soon.

[andyp]

Gary,
Did Atlee say anything to you about when he might have mine finished?

Andyp

[Gary R]

Andy,

I asked him about yours. He said it would be a couple of more weeks. They are doing a 3X10 first. He is also out of grates. For some reason those guy's do not stick to a schedule of first in, first out.

I forgot to mention, my wife has half of the wood shed filled!

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Hope Laura has your wood shed full too:)
Yes there are some costs in this hobby. Just make more syrup to cover those items.
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

I've been pretty busy:) Most of the arch is done. The entire arch has 1" of blanket. I also installed spit bricks in the firebox and ramp. I installed air over fire. The manifold is 1 1/2" square SS. The nozzles are 3/8" ID SS, about 1 1/2" long. The arch is a traditional design. The sides are at a 10deg. angle. I cut a 15deg. angle on the nozzles. On the end of the nozzles I welded a 1/4-20 nut on the end. I hope this will increase the velocity with the smaller orifice. Maybe I'll even get a vortex out of the threads :lol: The blower is mounted outside. Air comes in a 4" sch40 PVC. I made dampers for both air under and over. I need to make some type of device to hold the dampers in position. The blower really cranks and moves the dampers.

[Gary R]

The smoke stack is 9". I had them make me an 11" pipe so I could double wall it through the roof. The roof is metal. I also added blanket over any wood near the pipe. Ever year I hear of a Sugar House catching on fire. I hope this will work. The floor is covered with aluminum diamond plate. It protects my wood floor in case of a spark. It does look real nice. I have to thank Sugarmaker for spending our money on that one:lol: I need to make sap feed lines. I had a crazy idea. I was at the scrap yard the other day. A whole bunch of 1 1/2" milk line was in the pile. I bought about 60' of it. I have no 90's. I'm thinking of cutting the pipe at 45's and welding it. I might have to break down and buy 90's online. My pipe welding is real bad. Some of the pipe has the sanitary ends. I'd have to buy clamps and gaskets if I use them. Boy plastic sure sounds easy:)

[Dennis H.]

Man Gary that is one good looking setup.

You did not say what you were going to use all that 1.5" SS milk line for.
I found a place brewershardware.com that has really cheap sanitary fittings. They also have the gaskets for the end fittings. I think that they carry 3 different types. also have all the clamps that you would need.

On the AOF are you going to cover the square SS with anything?

[Greenwich Maple Man]

The smoke stack is 9". I had them make me an 11" pipe so I could double wall it through the roof. The roof is metal. I also added blanket over any wood near the pipe. Ever year I hear of a Sugar House catching on fire. I hope this will work. The floor is covered with aluminum diamond plate. It protects my wood floor in case of a spark. It does look real nice. I have to thank Sugarmaker for spending our money on that one:lol: I need to make sap feed lines. I had a crazy idea. I was at the scrap yard the other day. A whole bunch of 1 1/2" milk line was in the pile. I bought about 60' of it. I have no 90's. I'm thinking of cutting the pipe at 45's and welding it. I might have to break down and buy 90's online. My pipe welding is real bad. Some of the pipe has the sanitary ends. I'd have to buy clamps and gaskets if I use them. Boy plastic sure sounds easy:)

Looks first class all the way. Great looking job.

[heus]

Gary it looks great.

[Dan W]

Gary, Looks like things are moving along quite well. It looks really nice. Any idea when you are going to have a test boil? I would love to come up! Dan

[Father & Son]

Gary,
Try this site -
www.partsdeptonline.com

From the home page click on store then look under - Ferrules, Roll-On & Weld-On

This site has some of the dairy fittings your may need with good prices.

Jim

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Wow!@ And I do love to spend other folks money!:)
The AOF looks very well thought out in the fire box. Should work real well.
Love the damper design!
The diamond plate adds that touch of class plus safety too!
Stack design and insulation looks like I should have had mine the first item:)
Air piping system is very clean design!
Arch and pans and preheater look very nice!
You have been very busy! Lots of work, but you are going to Love IT!
If your stainless welding is like mine you may want to have someone Tig that part for you on the pipes.
Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures!
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

Thanks guy's!

Dennis, I'm thinking of doing the sap feed lines in copper. My welding is bad and I'm out of Tri-mix. I have most of the pipe and a few fittings. I don't know what I'll do with the SS pipe. Back to the scrap yard?:lol:

Dan, archery start Saturday. I won't get things done to fast. I hope to test boil in 3-4 weeks. I'll give everyone a heads up. The only things left to do are caps on the stacks, sap feed lines, find pan gasket and a few minor plumbing things like find a sight glass.

I made the steam damper. There is a nut and spring welded on the back side. This holds the damper in place. I did the same with both air dampers. I had A&A make me a head tank also. It is 112 gal. with a lid. It's inside. For now I'll put a sight gauge on it. Someday maybe I'll hook up a float with alarm and maybe turn a feed pump on. I got one of those porcupines today!

I could use a little help on a couple of items. First, I have little rain leaking down my smoke stack. It's getting between the storm collar and pipe. Any way to seal this? I heard high temp caulk doesn't work because of the high heat of the stack? Second, I need help drilling all this stainless:) I've been using cobalt bits at a low speed. Today I had to go to the hardware store and bought two bits. I couldn't even drill a hole with them. These were made by Irwin and did not look like any cobalt I've seen. These were darker in color, not silver. Thanks for the help.

[andyp]

Gary,
That sure is a nice looking set up.
I can't wait till i get mine. I am getting Atlee to make me a 4 ft. section of double wall pipe to go through the roof. Hopefully that will protect the rafters.

Andyp

[heus]

Gary I used high temp silicone on mine and it has been fine for two seasons.

[Gary R]

Heus, thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try.

I'm planning on test boiling on Sunday, October 9th. I'd like to start the fire about 2PM. I'll have food available. After the last piece of wood is thrown in, we can try some of our maple wine:) If anyone needs directions, address or phone number, please PM me. I'll have plenty of questions on how to run this operation. Thanks!

I forgot to mention, spouses are welcome if they can handle all the maple talk. The leave should be just right for a beautiful drive.

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Damper in stack and tank look good I like the 112 gallons long story!.
I have used the high temp silicone with some success but still have leaks around my stack too.
Drilling stainless is tough! I really wished I had a dollar for every hole I have drilled. Sharpen the bits often. Irwin stuff is usually pretty good?
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

It was a beautiful day for a test boil. Full of sun and colorful leaves. Thanks to Andy P, Dan W, Daryl, Ed, S Durf and Springfield Acer for watching water boil. Everyone asked when we were at syrup and it did not happen:) I have to send a special thanks out to Sugarmaker. He wasn't able to attend the boil but helped out big time. I had filled everything with water the day before. I found a large leak in the preheater. A solder connection between the copper and stainless. Sugarmaker came down first thing in the morning with a set of irons and flux. We were able to fix it.

We only boiled about two hours. It started off slow. We were able to finally get a full boil in both pans. During a short sample run I wasn't impressed with the boil rate of about 30GPH. I think it's going to take some time and adjusting of the air over and under rate. I thought of something after we were done. The grate is 30" long and fully perforated. My wood is only about 18" long. This means the back 10" of grate is just blowing cold air up through the flue area. It looks like the evaporator will sit until go time. I've got plenty of little things to take care of.

Looking forward to Andy P's and Daryl's test boils. Thanks again guy's for helping us make steam!

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

It was a beautiful day for a test boil. Full of sun and colorful leaves. Thanks to Andy P, Dan W, Daryl, Ed, S Durf and Springfield Acer for watching water boil. Everyone asked when we were at syrup and it did not happen:) I have to send a special thanks out to Sugarmaker. He wasn't able to attend the boil but helped out big time. I had filled everything with water the day before. I found a large leak in the preheater. A solder connection between the copper and stainless. Sugarmaker came down first thing in the morning with a set of irons and flux. We were able to fix it.

We only boiled about two hours. It started off slow. We were able to finally get a full boil in both pans. During a short sample run I wasn't impressed with the boil rate of about 30GPH. I think it's going to take some time and adjusting of the air over and under rate. I thought of something after we were done. The grate is 30" long and fully perforated. My wood is only about 18" long. This means the back 10" of grate is just blowing cold air up through the flue area. It looks like the evaporator will sit until go time. I've got plenty of little things to take care of.

Looking forward to Andy P's and Daryl's test boils. Thanks again guy's for helping us make steam!

if you check out the airtight arches a lot of them dont want wood going all the way to the back and one that I know of likes the wood like 6 to 12" from the door. I think you need that extra room for the gasification to take place. only 30gph on a 2x8, are you sure measured water and all. I do that on my 2x6 nothing fancy really:D;)

[Dan W]

Gary, Thanks for the great time and delicious grub (especially liked the wine). I never did see a gradient though!!! You will get it all figured out in no time. Remember it is all supposed to be fun!! Thanks again, Dan.

[andyp]

Gary,
Thank You for a very enjoyable afternoon, And thank your wonderful wife for the delicious food.I'm sure you have to make some adjustments,and you will get the boiling rate up. I'm anxious to get mine together and see how it does.

Andyp,

[Greenwich Maple Man]

It was a beautiful day for a test boil. Full of sun and colorful leaves. Thanks to Andy P, Dan W, Daryl, Ed, S Durf and Springfield Acer for watching water boil. Everyone asked when we were at syrup and it did not happen:) I have to send a special thanks out to Sugarmaker. He wasn't able to attend the boil but helped out big time. I had filled everything with water the day before. I found a large leak in the preheater. A solder connection between the copper and stainless. Sugarmaker came down first thing in the morning with a set of irons and flux. We were able to fix it.

We only boiled about two hours. It started off slow. We were able to finally get a full boil in both pans. During a short sample run I wasn't impressed with the boil rate of about 30GPH. I think it's going to take some time and adjusting of the air over and under rate. I thought of something after we were done. The grate is 30" long and fully perforated. My wood is only about 18" long. This means the back 10" of grate is just blowing cold air up through the flue area. It looks like the evaporator will sit until go time. I've got plenty of little things to take care of.

Looking forward to Andy P's and Daryl's test boils. Thanks again guy's for helping us make steam!



Gary,just read your post again. Let me just say that your whole setup is truely great to look at. You have done a super job. However ,in regards to your gph. I have a 2by8 with Inferno arch. After looking at your pics. I did notice your force draft hookup to the bottom of the firebox. My question is were is the actual blower? I'm thinking it is outside and forcing the air through the pipes into the arch. Just a thought would be that you would probebly lose alot of air speed with that long of a run of pipe. Mine has the blower hooked right to the back of the firebox. This was factory done. Again I may be wrong but something I did notice.:)

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Gary,just read your post again. Let me just say that your whole setup is truely great to look at. You have done a super job. However ,in regards to your gph. I have a 2by8 with Inferno arch. After looking at your pics. I did notice your force draft hookup to the bottom of the firebox. My question is were is the actual blower? I'm thinking it is outside and forcing the air through the pipes into the arch. Just a thought would be that you would probebly lose alot of air speed with that long of a run of pipe. Mine has the blower hooked right to the back of the firebox. This was factory done. Again I may be wrong but something I did notice.:)

you could possibly be loosing something Greenwich but I just dont want to listen to that dam fan all nite, all 3 of mine are out side 2 90deg bends and 10' of 4" duct work. I would hook another fan to it and put it out in the yard so I dont have to listen to the fan. Dont forget the idea is high pressure(get the turbulance moving in arch not necessarily to give it more oxygen)

[Daryl]

Gary,
You have a very nice set up.
Thanks for the good food and beverages. It was good to see AndyP and Dan W again.
Daryl

[Gary R]

Greenwich Maple Man,

Thank you for the feed back. The blower is mount on the outside of the wall right next to the evaporator. I do not have the means to measure the flow and pressure. I do believe I have plenty of air. The fan is 1/2HP with cast aluminum paddles. There was a lot more talking than firing going on in those couple hours:) One of the attendees saw one of these rigs in 2.5 X 8 do 90GPH. This was with air under and the manufacture firing it. I will probably test again when it is cooler. It was almost 80 out and real hot in the sugar house. I should get a stack thermometer. That way I can see what the temps are. I'll keep working on the right combination and hope to be grinning soon. I welcome any more advice.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Greenwich Maple Man,

Thank you for the feed back. The blower is mount on the outside of the wall right next to the evaporator. I do not have the means to measure the flow and pressure. I do believe I have plenty of air. The fan is 1/2HP with cast aluminum paddles. There was a lot more talking than firing going on in those couple hours:) One of the attendees saw one of these rigs in 2.5 X 8 do 90GPH. This was with air under and the manufacture firing it. I will probably test again when it is cooler. It was almost 80 out and real hot in the sugar house. I should get a stack thermometer. That way I can see what the temps are. I'll keep working on the right combination and hope to be grinning soon. I welcome any more advice.

dont get me wrong Gary you have a awesome set up. I did a stack probe last year and spun that thing almost all the way around, I dont think its to accurate now. I think once your more consistant with the firing because you can stand the temp inside the sugar house:D you will see that thing go like heck. I got up to almost 10min between firing last year hope for a little more this year with new redo on arch and hot air chamber for AOF/AUF. good luck

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Thanks for the tour of the new sugarhouse evaporator and your sugarbush too.
Glad you had a good turn out for the display boil. Cheryl and I had a great afternoon tourn covered bridges in NE Ohio.
You will get a lot more GPH once you get rolling during the season.
Have you tuned the ramp system to get proper flow? I would assume they had that set from the builder.
Here is a shot of Gary AFTER he fixed the leak in the preheater, Notice the smile, it was not as big prior to that.:)
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

I believe the ramp is correct. It hits the flue pan 1/3rd of the way back. There is only about 1/4" space between the flue pan bottom and the blanket. I have some observations from when we were boiling. I had tons of draft whether the blower was on or off. No flame came close to coming out the door when it was open. But we also never saw a hint of smoke coming from the stack when standing outside. On my old homemade flat pan rig I thought it boiled great. You could see flames coming out the nozzles. On this rig I don't see any of that. Just a lot of air in the firebox.

Sugarmaker, let me know when your ready to hang tubing. I owe you one;)

[heus]

Gary if you are not seeing flames from your nozzles maybe your firebox temps are not hot enough. I know with my woodstove the secondary air wont ignite unless it is a certain temperature. I realize yours are forced air but maybe the same principle?

[Gary R]

TEST BOIL #2

Another awesome day to boil! I decided to try the rig again. I got a stack probe installed. I also covered almost half of the holes in the grate. The first hour of boiling was about the same as before. I noticed the stack temp was only about 350-400. I opened my dampers all the way and started chucking wood:) It responded. The stack turned a yellow tint and the temps ran 700-800. Greenwich Maple Man, you were right. not enough air. Thanks for making me think. I also had an issue with the preheater tray drain pipe. It runs down hill to the hood gutter, but most of the condensate ran back up the outside of the pipe and fell back into the flue pan. I put an elbow on the pipe and all is good. After the first hour I did a 30 minute test and got 50.7 GPH. Refilled the head tank and tested again, 53GPH. I had to fire every five minutes. Preheater temps ranged from 160-190. I tried some bigger wood and it worked better. I am going to change my steam stack. I'll cut a hole in the syrup pan hood and tee it into the stack just above the damper. This should give me better preheat temps and less steam in the sugar shack. Time to clean the pan and get ready for February.

[Dan W]

Gary, What a difference from the first boil!! Glad to see you are getting things worked out. It is all a learning experience and a lot of trial and error as you have seen. I think you will be doing better than that by the end of the season. February can't come soon enough!! Dan.