Starting Season Slow

[Indiana-Jones]

Hi, we are going to tap a few today, maybe 25 Box Elders and set up sap storage. I have never tapped them before, so I thought since that we are just playing a preseason practice game, I could learn many things at once. I'll save the Maples and see what this screwy winter brings.

Yesterday test boiled (with water) a new 24X60 drop flue. It takes 15 gallons of sap to fill the pans to 1 1/2 inches deep and 20 more to fill the preheater. So, I'm thinking that I need 250-300 gallons of sap stored before it would be worth the time to fire it up. I was calling the new rig "The Sap Master 4000". After yesterdays test I'm thinking her name should be "Wood Whore 250". If I stuffer full of small wood the sap will splash out at the front of the flue pan.

I'm ready for the smell of boiling Maple!

Pictures on Photobucket.

[adk1]

is that what you run is 1.5" in the pans? I will be running 1"..

[Indiana-Jones]

This was the first time setting up, so I'm a bit cautious. I just searched the boards for that very information, on depth. I guess that I will be learning as I go.

I did read and learn that maybe my statement about needing 250 gallons to start is a bit high too.

[Tapping Wolf]

I'll be tapping every suitable maple i got spouts for this up comming Friday if the weather forecast stays the way it's looking now on Accuweather

[wiam]

20 more to fill the preheater. That seems like a lot of sap getting warm for a rig that size.

[Indiana-Jones]

That seems like a lot of sap getting warm for a rig that size.

The box is 24 wide, 12 deep and 14 high. The valve to empty into the pan is all of the way at the top, so it must be full to drain forward. I think that I will get that changed, it would be better if the port was down to just above the height of the pan. The way it is now there is no reserve above port to work with. In till then I have made a tube from the bottom drain and up over the side into the pan. The next thing is make a lid to help hold some heat in, maybe some rock wool to insulate the sides. It's back is against the stack, the front is half covered by the pan. If I can't get it hot the way it is then maybe I will add some copper drop tubes.

PS. Did not get any taps in today, worked on getting tanks ready, built a mini-water tower.

[Indiana-Jones]

Hello fellow saps. I just can't convince myself to jump in and tap away. HaHa and others here in the south how are you doing so far? I have one tap in for a week and not one drop

Birdman are you out there this year?

[ahowes]

I have one milk jug hung by the road so I can check it when I am driving home. It has harvested a whopping 1/2 of a cup of sap.
Given the weather forecast this week, I think I'll tap 20 over on a friend's property two miles from home. That will keep me from getting skunked if we have a good run or two this week. Then, I can move those to my maples in a couple of weeks unless they're really producing.

[Logan Cabin]

Tapped our silver maple in our back yard last week, flowed a bit and then the cold hit. I went ahead & tapped a few trees at the historic site where I volunteer. Teaching a "backyard sugaring" Parks & Rec class next weekend and wanted to have some trees tapped to show the class (yeah, teaching after two seasons, this should be good!). Looks like there should be a bit of a run this week. With the strange weather don't want to miss out. So, eleven taps out so far.

[Indiana-Jones]

I sorta screwed myself or maybe confused the situation. I spent all of the fall getting a new evaporator built, just got it ready and my tree tapping, sap collecting is behind. I have about 75 maples that I can get to easy with bucket and bags. There are alot more that I'm going to need tubing to get, there on the sides of steep ravines and I'm not ready for that yet. I plan on working/learning the tubing thing next weekend on one small area. Next year I will work on getting the whole layout figured. This years success will be to get all of the easy taps in at once and hope that I get enough sap to feed the new rig.
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[Indiana-Jones]

Tapped our silver maple in our back yard last week, flowed a bit and then the cold hit. I went ahead & tapped a few trees at the historic site where I volunteer. Teaching a "backyard sugaring" Parks & Rec class next weekend and wanted to have some trees tapped to show the class (yeah, teaching after two seasons, this should be good!). Looks like there should be a bit of a run this week. With the strange weather don't want to miss out. So, eleven taps out so far.Hi Logan Cabin, I remember the filing cabinet arch, very cool. Good luck with the class, it will be fun.

[j.howard]

tapped about 80 or so in perry co. i have got just about enough to boil tomorrow. my best tree filled it's bucket

[ahowes]

I tapped 22 yesterday. I checked three of them near the road on my way to work this morning and they averaged about a gallon per. It should quit running by noon since it didn't freeze last night? I hope so. I can't boil until Thursday and my fridge is only so big...

[Indiana-Jones]

Tapped 45 this afternoon, only maybe 5 trees offered sap. I think the temp was right at 32. There was freezing rain start to finish. The forecast looks good, hoping for collecting enough to have a boil this weekend.

I'm in agreement with who ever said "I think we are getting February weather now."

I have twenty more buckets to hang tomorrow. Then I will need to get tubing or more taps. I sure do wish there was a maple supplier close by. I have been getting plastic buckets with lids for one dollar a set from a local bakery, but I will have to send off for taps or tube.

[ahowes]

I put out 28 more last night in the rain. The sap had just started running and it was running hard. I don't believe it ran long though, as my "indicator" milk jug by the road only showed 1/2 gallon in the dark this morning. I should have about 70 gallons to boil on Friday night/Saturday even if we don't get any more before then.

[Indiana-Jones]

Collected about 50 gallons on the 45 taps. I'm a little surprised by the way the trees produced, about half gave a gallon and a half, a few gave 2 to3 gallons, one tree over flowed it's 4 gallon bucket and there was 15 or so taps that didn't give a drop. There was no south slope, north slope rhymes or reason, I'm guessing that is just the way the early tapping season is. Some trees wake up late. This being my second season I have a lot to learn and experience.

[DougM]

We are planning to put all of our taps in tomorrow, hopefully the weather forecast will hold and next week will be a good one.

[Indiana-Jones]

I'm happy to see others tapping in. I was thinking that I was way early.

good luck and happy sapping weekend.

[DougM]

Well, looking at the forecast last weekend we wanted to tap early this week, but we use plastic bags and our order didn't come in. Turned out the weather wasn't all that great until today anyway so now we have everything ready to go & I don't think we have missed much.

[Indiana-Jones]

This weather is a killer. 65 degrees two days in a row and no really cold temps in the forecast. Yesterday I collected about 25 gallons from 50 taps. Lots of bugs.

So far I have about 150-200 gallons of sap that I'm keeping cool with frozen buckets of sap. Planning to boil Saturday.

If I had not tapped early I would be afraid of not getting any sap to boil.

[DougM]

We got 167 taps in on Monday, collected 500 gallons today. We're boiling now trying to get some of it through in case it's either really warm the next couple of days like they say or we get more. The trees were running pretty good when we collected today. Hopefully the forecast for freezing temps early next week is correct.

[DougM]

An update: we didn't really get going until 3PM yesterday and had some trouble with wet wood, but we boiled off all but 30 gallons of the 500. I got an email from my partner at 4:30 this morning that he was finishing up. He had 4.5 gallons in the finisher and what sounded like at least another 2-3 in the drawoff pot.

It did get down to 31 or so last night so they may run again today. Saturday may be another long day if they run tomorrow, too.

[ahowes]

I got a surprisingly large amount yesterday. If nothing else, the warm weather is killing my annual sugar production in that my honeybees are out and are drowning in the sap buckets :(

[Indiana-Jones]

I'm heading home to gather what sap there maybe and then I plan on washing all of the buckets and collection tanks. I ordered more taps and bag holders today. My thoughts are to get ready to tap every tree I can get to when and if the weather turns in our favor.

The guys that I have been buying stuff from Sunrise Metal shop in the north part of the state, make bag holders and sell them for about half the dough that I have paid for them from others. I think he priced a box of 25 for less than 70.00. I will know when I get the bill Monday.

[DougM]

I got a catalog from Sunrise last year, and saw some of their work firsthand at the IN Maple Syrup Assn. meeting. They had some really nice stuff.
We made all of our bag holders from old metal bucket lids (except a few manufactured ones we got at an auction). We were fortunate to get the old lids with an old evaporator we bought and rebuilt, so we have virtually no money in them, just some cuts & blisters.
That evaporator has gone down the road, but we still have the bag holders, with enough for a few extras. They aren't all as pretty as the manufactured ones, but the price was right.

[Indiana-Jones]

Sapping here in West Terre Haute has been very poor. Three days and about 10 gallons. I have bought more taps, bags and buckets. My plan is to hope for a better forecast and then jump in and add, move and reconfigure. I have had 50 taps in for almost two weeks and collected a little less than 200 gallons. Been freezing buckets of sap to keep the tanks cool. Today we boil what we got.

[redrob]

very slow in the northern part of the state also...Im tapping two different types of maples. All of one type has completely shut off and the other is a very slow drip. I drilled an 11th tap today at about noon and when i checked it 4hrs later the bottom of the bucket was almost covered....tomorrow supposed to be better sapping temps....we shall see