Any thoughts

[Red-bellied Woodpecker]

This year I will be boiling on a 2x8...2x6 with one divider and a 2x2 syrup pan with 3 dividers and will be running around 2100 taps. Yes I know thats more taps then my pan can handle but plan on doing long burns (around 15hr a day) which is better then last year 18hr a day for 1 gal of syrup....and then selling the rest of the sap. My question is in the spring of 2013 I plan on going to a 2x6 flue pan with a steam-away unit with the 2x2 syrup pan and in 2016 adding a RO.....Can I run the RO with the steam-away? This spring will have my woods tapped out but in line to start a lease to own of some land a mile down the road that is good up to 900 taps that I may start a few taps in 2013.

[Potters3]

You can do it. from RO to steamaway is just making it more efficent. As long as you don't turn the ro down to 21% then you run the risk of making syrup in the flue pan.

[Potters3]

I have run 10% thru steamaway, makes it 16% going into the flue pan.

[TunbridgeDave]

I think the bottleneck you may have is canning the syrup. Unless you're set up with a big press and canner you may not be able to handle the amount of syrup coming off the rig. My Uncles, who invented the original "Piggy-back" for Small Bros have a 6x18 with their Pig on top and new 2000gph RO. If they squeeze to much more than 8% they make so much syrup on the 600gph rig they can't drum it up fast enough. They are looking at a double bank 10" press and bigger canner for next year.

Just my 2 cents!

[Red-bellied Woodpecker]

Yes thats one thing that crossed my mind. Next year I will be adding a 40gal water-jaket bottler to my set up and then adding a press the next year. One guy I talk to told me that filitering right off the evap and then with the flat filter with the canner should work for me seeing I can store the syrup for a few days before needing to bottle it (on a slow sap day spend the day bottling). Still will do some bottling every day.

[3rdgen.maple]

Am I reading this right? You have all flat pans on that 2x8 and are going to run 2100 taps on it? WOW you really want it lol. I ran over 600 some on vac some on buckets on a 2x6 with a flue pan and I can tell you that I boiled for days on end with no break. Hell skip the steamaway and get the RO soon as you can. You are going to be a busy sugarmaker.

[Brent]

If you get any kind of decent weather you'll never keep up. You need the RO now.
You'll never have time to clean the pans, go to the bush, take care of filtering etc etc.
If you don't do something big, you'll need 24 hour a day boiling ... shift work.
Skip the Steamaway and get an RO first.
You won't get many sugarmakers to your funeral on April 1.

[red maples]

Same rig as 3rdgen 2x6 drop flue , boiling 300 gallons of sap which is 1 gallon per tap per day (vacuum) on most days, takes me 7-8 hrs boiling time. and I don't have to collect as most of my taps are on vacuum that dump right behind the SH. Couldn't imagine 2100 taps. just get a huge RO you'll be all set. If I were you don't waste your money on a steam away just get RO 600gph that would be 4+ hours to run sap, and a bigger evap with preheater. Your talking 2100 gallons sap on a good day. lots of wood lots of boiling!!! good luck

[Red-bellied Woodpecker]

I should have pointed out thta I have 1,500gal in storage space for sap and will not be boiling all the sap from the 2100 taps but selling half of it (about 1,000 taps worth) to the couple guys down the road every day. Also I will be starting the boil in the mourning and then my dad taking over the boil for the afternoon tell I'm done collecting. Also found out last year that the trees on top of the hill (about 600 taps) ran like crazy well the taps on the slight north facing slope didnt do much intell a little later....from talking to the guy nextdoor with the same land setup told me because of the land setup not all the taps go crazy at the same time. Also why I'm looking at adding a steam-away is because I wont be able to afforad a RO for a few years and a steam-away should help me make more syrup right away and from what I have read and some have said that I can still use it with a RO. Also next year will have 700 taps on tubing cuting back on collecting time. I do also plan to put some on vacum in the next 8-10yr. I guess my plan right now is to work my you know what off over the next few years so I can make as much syrup every year as I can so I will have more money to put back into it to make things faster for the futare as I get older.

[Red-bellied Woodpecker]

Also will have 2 taps to a bucket and my longest walk to 90% of buckets from wheeler is around 20ft.