Addison County

[maplwrks]

We started today-- God I hate tapping!!! I wonder if there are any migrant workers available at short notice!!

[powerdub]

Boiling 4800 taps on a 2 1/2 X 8. Dang, you gotta love RO's!

[maplwrks]

I haven't had the chance yet, but I'm going to try to concentrate to 18-20%.
I've made as much as 18 gallons in an hour at 13%. Small evaporators and big RO's are the way to go!!!

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

I gotta come and check it out for sure!! I need to see that thing roar. Keep me posted on your sugar content and grade. I'm curious.

have a good season :D !!!

[powerdub]

I agree with the small evaporator big RO philosophy. Too many guys I know that have bought RO's are down sizing their rigs.

[Russell Lampron]

I outgrew my evaporator and bought an RO machine to keep up with the expanding number of taps that I put out. What a time, fuel and money saving investment that was. If I had gotten a bigger evaporator it would have cost more than twice as much as the RO machine and I would have had to build a bigger sugar house to put it in.

Russ

Algier 2x6 Evaporator
Lappiere 150 GPH RO Machine
500+ taps

Hoping for alot of sap to run through the RO Machine

[Russell Lampron]

I outgrew my evaporator and bought an RO machine to keep up with the expanding number of taps that I put out. What a time, fuel and money saving investment that was. If I had gotten a bigger evaporator it would have cost more than twice as much as the RO machine and I would have had to build a bigger sugar house to put it in.

Russ

Algier 2x6 Evaporator
Lappiere 150 GPH RO Machine
500+ taps

Hoping for alot of sap to run through the RO Machine

[Rob Harvey]

Hey maplQwrks how far did you get on your tapping? Rob

[maplwrks]

Ryan,
I ordered a 2nd membrane for my Lapierre RO last week- Dave Mayotte thought I should be able to get 850 gallons an hour through it at 12% first shot. 850 gallons is the max for a 5hp pump, was hoping for 1000!! I'll probably "recycle" my sap concentrate for a little while before boiling. On big runs I'll just start the RO and evaporator at the same time.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

That's AWESOME!! Now with your concentrate at that percent, what will you beable to make in an hour?!!? I just want to know so when I get an RO, i'll know what mine can put out.

I talked to Bill Scott yeaterday, and they bought a springtech through Moe. He was out at the school's sugarhouse getting the room ready for its delivery next week.

Have a good one!

[maplwrks]

Rob,
Dewight and I have about 500 in now. Peter Hadeka is going to help me tap this weekend.
Ryan,
My rig will do between 15-18 gallons at 13%. The nice thing is I won't need to wait 2 hours for my RO to get the sap to 12%, Just 1 shot through!
Last year my evaporator chewed up 5.5 gallons of fuel an hour, this year, I cut that back to 3.5 gallons an hour. My stack temp was just too high(1100 degrees) That temp is OK if you are boiling raw sap, But is just too hot for high concentrate. I hope Bill likes his Springtech, I don't like them, They won't concentrate above 8% and their wash cycle is too short.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

OK, now i know why he kept saying 8%.....cause it won't do anymore. Yeah, it only makes sense to have a longer wash to clean the membranes better, to get a better performance. Cause I kept thinking to myself that RO's can run higher than that, or at least that is what most people tell me. So when I get one, I now know to stay away from the springtech. Thanks.

[Rob Harvey]

Does Pete know that he wont catch any perch after drilling all those holes? I guess it wont matter much he never could catch much even when he was drilling through ice. I wonder if he knows how to drill holes horizontally? I suppose he could lay on his back at the base of the tree and drill. Rob

[maplwrks]

Jeeez, I had 2 Podacks helping today, Tony and Pete. After 2 hours of schooling on how to tap, I finally got 375 taps in!!!

[Rob Harvey]

Migrant workers would be one thing but anybody who has to get help from Tony P. has got to be really desperate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rob.

[Rob Harvey]

Well maplqwrks how far did you get? Did I hear that you hate tapping? Its not so bad if you have a lot less taps. Rob

[maplwrks]

Only 400 left, Dewight and I should finish this week. Saps running!!!!

[powerdub]

Mike, looks like you will be done tapping by the time I could get my sorry butt up there. Maybe I will try to visit anyway and leave the drill at home.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

All tapped and boiling in New Haven!! Made 4 gallons tonight...not a good number, but not bad for the first boil. Not sure of the grade though cause there wasn't enough to run through the press. Most likely will be A med. What are other people making for grades?
Hope everyone has a super season :D !!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Ryan,

Seems like a lot of light being made so far! :D

[Rob Harvey]

Wow things are quiet from the Vermont section of this site.

[Daren]

Too busy to chime in i guess. I have a gallon and a half made so far, looks like A medium, but I am more interested in taste than color. I do not care much for the really light stuff. Made some last year and found that it did not have enough flavor for me. Most of mine is medium due to longer heat times with the three steamtable trays I use in the homemade rig. My sap is not running as sweet as in previous years either. I made 1/2 pint less than a gallon on 45 gallons of sap this past week. I would like to see that ratio get a bit better. That would help with the color as well. Here's to the hope that this cold spell resets the jets so to speak and we are off and screamin the mid to latter part of this comming week. Happy steamin'.

[oneoldsap]

Well it looks like winter is finally here. GOOD I was worried there for a while. Hopefully it will last til around town meeting day.

[802maple]

Well oneoldsap you haven't lived here long enough if you don't think winter will last til then or do you believe old Al Gore LOL

[oneoldsap]

Hey 802 I've got a few years on you! I think we are looking at a cold snowless Feb. That is just fine with me, although a few storms would be nice. My plowing customers are going to forget who I am if they don't get to write me a check now and then. I just hope we don't get Big storms in March like 2001.

[802maple]

Yeah but the years in Texas don't count so we are about even

[oneoldsap]

we used to make a lot of syrup in TEXAS

[802maple]

What kind of syrup do you make from sagebrush

[oneoldsap]

I think it was log cabin or aunt jemima. one of those so called syrups that 90% of people think is really syrup. I feel so bad for them!

[oneoldsap]

Well it looks like we'll be tapping on snowshoes. I was really hoping it was going to be like last year, we didn't have to put them on at all last year. Oh well I guess I'll just have to be thankfull for that one reprieve, it hadn't happened in the last 10 years. 3Ft. of snow is way more than I ordered, as the old saying goes, (Be carefull what you ask for you might get it). Oh well, it seems every year presents some kind of challange, either equipment or weather.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[oneoldsap]

Well I guess we'll be all right if we don't have to shovel down to a main line just to trip on it. The nightmare of 2001 is still pretty fresh in my mind, I sure don't want a replay of that because we won't be tapping...
We made a whole 65 Gal. of syrup that year and it only cost us a few hundred hours of labor.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[hard maple]

Hey Kevin...WHO"S YOUR DADDY?????

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[oneoldsap]

Has any body started tapping yet? Bruce C. is all done. Jumped the gun maybe? Old ma nature is making it a little harder this year than last. I sure hope this snow settles right down and freezes solid. If I have to wear snow shoes I want to wear small ones. Open house is three weeks away, I hope the sap is running then, it's a lot more fun when you're boiling!

[SteveD]

I was up to your sugar house during last year's Open House....You weren't boiling at the time...but you did look like you were having fun......
Steve

[hard maple]

steve
Did you get that new rig all hooked up and ready to go????

[SteveD]

Hi Gabe...
Yes, we are really close to being fully ready, in spite of all this snow. It will be exciting to see it in action, though it looks like that may be more then a week away. How is your new evaporator working? Or haven't you gotten started either?

A question for you..did you brick up yours the way that D&G suggested....or did you build up the bottom closer to the flues in the front section of the flue pan? I have done as per their instructions, but feel I may be dissatisfied with the way it will work.
-Steve

[Daren]

Hi Steve...Just a quick question about your pics. The pics that are titled "for sale"...was that a waterloo 18 x 66 evap? If so...what did you get for an evap rate with that setup? I am interested in finding something like that for next year and would love to know what you got out of it. Your pics area great and it looks like there is some good help over your way. I am getting closer to the 100 tap mark and the steam table setup is going to be hard to keep up with the sap.

[SteveD]

Hi Daren...That evaporator was an 18"x60" L.S. Bilodeau from Quebec. Here is his website... http://www.lsbilodeau.com/anglais/evaporateur%20economique.htm

We liked it very much, but we knew we wanted to get up to about 300 to 400 taps some day. It would do about 10 to 12 gal/hr. So, we sold it last spring and bought a Dominion & Grimm 2'x6', which hopefully will do about twice as much.

Thanks for reminding me that the "for sale" album was still up there...I will remove it now, and start replacing it with photos of the new evaporator and the 2007 season.

Hope you have a great year.
-Steve

[sweetvt]

Daren,

I currently am boiling on a 18X66 Lapierre drop flue evaporator, I have forced draft on it and last year with good dry wood I was getting about 15gals/hour. I am planning to try and add a steam hood and preheater and hope to get upwards of 18gal/hr. My advise, if you plan to ever get to the 150 tap mark go with a 2X6, they have a bigger firebox, more evaporation rate and a host of other advantages for a minimal price jump. I am still kicking myself for not spending the extra money to get a 2x6. The Lapierre is a nice little rig for 75 -100 taps but much more and one will be spending alot of time tending the fire and some long nights, but hey its a short season and we all anxiously can't wait for it start and then equally look forward to end after several big runs !

[Daren]

sweetvt....thanks for the info with your setup. 15 gal/hr sounds great to me right now with my average of just over 6 for last season. My biggest problem is with space in the sugar house. Mine is only 10x10 outside dimention, so interior is slightly less than that. A 2x6 would be an even harder fit than the 2x5.5. Splitting hairs I know, but along with a plan of only 100 taps, I dont think I could adequately feed a 2x6. If you are looking to upgrade someday, let me know. I would be interested in your hand-me-downs. I will continue to look for a used setup in the flue/syrup 2x4 or 18x66 preferred. My system works great for 50 taps, but I will be pushing it hard this year with about 88 taps this year. I might even have to haul some sap to a buddies place if I get too far behind this year. I have lots of days off to boil as I work three days a week. Do you have any pictures of your present setup? I would love to see it.

ps. I know the plan for 100 taps has a tendency to change rapidly with anyone who has this particular sickness, but being the gather guy and the boil guy mean I have to keep things partly under control.

[oneoldsap]

Well it looks like next week at this time we should be right into it. Is everybody ready? Gonna be wicked cold tonight though. I don't remember it being this cold in March, neither do most of the people I've talked to. We will be tapping all weekend should be fun if the snow will hold us up.

[oneoldsap]

We're going to start tapping tomorow. If the four of us can each do 300 per day we'll be done Sun. evening. Good tuck every one. I can see me on line late at night after boiling.

[oneoldsap]

We finished tapping today, right on schedule. Didn't get the releasers hooked up yet, First order of business tomorow, hook up releasers. Maybe we'll get enough sap tomorow to sweeten the pans. Got just a little more cleaning to do first, should be ready to boil tomorow night. COME ON WEATHER!

[oneoldsap]

Got the rig sweetened up and drew off 10 Gal tonight, nice Med. Amber.
Boy the weather doesn't look very promising, no freeze again tonight. then I guess it's going to get cold day and night for a few days. I dont like the warm nights following the warm days, This is exactly the weather we had 6 years ago (our worst season ever ). Time will tell!