Getting the same amount in each jug

[wvsugarshak]

OK here is a question i have. What is the best or accurate way to get he same amount in each jug, say 1/2 pt, pts and qts. right now I put the coffee urn way up high and and use a digital scale with the jug on the scale to fill each to the same amount it works but just wondered if there was any easier way to do it?

[wiam]

I just fill to the bottom of the neck.

[lew]

sugarhill jugs are designed to be filled to the bottom of the neck, just before the threads. Filling over this is giving syrup away. Filling less than this is ripping off the customer. Filling by weight is not accurate. Syrup can weigh anywhere from 11 to 12 pounds to the gallon if you are not right on with your density. We sell syrup by volume not weight. Hence the gallon, 1/2 gallon, qt. etc. Not 5 pound jug.

[wiam]

sugarhill jugs are designed to be filled to the bottom of the neck, just before the threads. Filling over this is giving syrup away. Filling less than this is ripping off the customer. Filling by weight is not accurate. Syrup can weigh anywhere from 11 to 12 pounds to the gallon if you are not right on with your density. We sell syrup by volume not weight. Hence the gallon, 1/2 gallon, qt. etc. Not 5 pound jug.

But if you are not right on on density your are ripping off the customer or giving syrup away.:rolleyes:

[wvsugarshak]

hey thanks will change how i do things

Thanks again

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

selling and buying by weight is how the big boys do it . dont understand how that cant be accurate. if you dont make it to the right density does anything matter

[TapME]

Then why do they make the containers the same for both the metric and english systems.. Oh and by the way fill a pint jug to the bottom of the treads and you will be giving the customers 2 oz more, quarts are 4 oz more and so on. And it doesn't matter who's jugs they are. Every time I fill one it raises the hair on the back of my neck. Wish they filled beer cans the same way or liquor, or food and all the other items we eat. This just pi___s me off that we live in a world that the jug makers make.. Fill qt canning jars and pints they are the right measure. Wish Icould buy gasoline the same way.

sugarhill jugs are designed to be filled to the bottom of the neck, just before the threads. Filling over this is giving syrup away. Filling less than this is ripping off the customer. Filling by weight is not accurate. Syrup can weigh anywhere from 11 to 12 pounds to the gallon if you are not right on with your density. We sell syrup by volume not weight. Hence the gallon, 1/2 gallon, qt. etc. Not 5 pound jug.

[SevenCreeksSap]

I haven't filled with jugs yet (but will If we get a sap run and we finally get to boil). I thought the reason to fill to the bottom of the threads wasn't so much a measurement of volume but more to decrease the airspace where mold or bacteria could develop. I can see each bigger jug will take a little more to fill.

By filling almost full and tipping the jug when Hot out of bottler would sterilize/sanitize the air in the jug and kill any undesirables. That makes sense to me since we're already producing from a plant and need to be as safe as possible. Saves having to scoop mold off and reboil, although I understand you should be able to and it would be safe. I'm not for eating anything thats had mold on it, but thats just me. I Don't eat the bleu cheese.

This is what they told us in the one maple class I've been too, so if its wrong or off someone let us know.

[markct]

Then why do they make the containers the same for both the metric and english systems.. Oh and by the way fill a pint jug to the bottom of the treads and you will be giving the customers 2 oz more, quarts are 4 oz more and so on. And it doesn't matter who's jugs they are. Every time I fill one it raises the hair on the back of my neck. Wish they filled beer cans the same way or liquor, or food and all the other items we eat. This just pi___s me off that we live in a world that the jug makers make.. Fill qt canning jars and pints they are the right measure. Wish Icould buy gasoline the same way.

The reason is that syrup expands when hot, thus to be a legal quart at room temp the jug has to be bigger, look how much the syrup goes down in glass after it cools. Some folks have actualy gotten in trouble selling mason jars of syrup as quarts because there is not a full quart of syrup once it has cooled

[Turtlecreek]

When you measure out water in a measuring cup and put it in a jug it comes to the bottom of the neck. I havn't thought about syrup expansion.

[TapME]

Hot syrup does expand your right, but the jug is made of plastic and will expand when that hot syrup is put into it. Now fill those jugs and let them cool and measure the syrup that is in the container, you may be in for a surpize. Those plastic jugs also srink when they are cool to the origanal size. It's so nice that you are giving away 12% more in your container. As for selling syrup in quart jars and having problems with uncle sam I don't know. I fill mine 1/8'' from the top and seal it and have always had a quart of syrup. Just remember that canning jars come in all sizes including a 24oz size. My issue is that they make jugs for metric and english measure off the same blow mold and just change the writing on them. You would think in the world that we live in that they would make one of each. As for mold in the syrup if it's the right density it will not mold. I have some from 5 years ago that looks just as good as the day I put it into glass. I bet if this was a large company complaining it would be taken care of. Again sure would like to buy milk,gas,beer,canned foods with 12% more in them at the price of 12% less. It just raises the hair on the back of my neck when I get into this conversation, but I'm in the same boat as all of you so I fill them jugs right to the top. I don't have to like it.

The reason is that syrup expands when hot, thus to be a legal quart at room temp the jug has to be bigger, look how much the syrup goes down in glass after it cools. Some folks have actualy gotten in trouble selling mason jars of syrup as quarts because there is not a full quart of syrup once it has cooled

[lew]

Ogden, you are right. when the "big boys" sell syrup, they are selling by weight in barrels. But when that barrel is broken down into consumer size containers, ie. quart, pint, etc. It turns into a volume thing. You can't fill a quart container 3/4 full and sell it to the public and tell them "that is a quart because it weighs what a quart should but I make my syrup more dense than what the law demands" Also the Department of weights and measures will be all over you for not filling that quart container.. You may have sold the customer the same amount of "sugar" that is supposed to be in a quart of syrup, but not a quart of syrup. A quart is a measure of volume. So long as your syrup is of proper density (depending on the state you live in 66.5 brix or 67 brix , maybe other densities for other states) fill the container to the bottom of the threads and you are good to go.

TapMe, As far as syrup jugs being off by 2 oz. for every upgrade in size ( I have never measured it) I don't believe it. I have packed up too many barrels of syrup to believe this. I am not sure how you were going with your explanation of giving 2 oz. away with a pint 4 oz. with a quart and so on. That leads to either giving away a pint or a half pint with every gallon jug packaged, depending how you take your 2 oz. theory. With just the 1/2 pint give away theory, that makes a 30 gallon barrel only hold a 28 gallon jugs and 1 quart that isn't quite full. I have never seen that. A 30 gallon barrel hasn't ever filled exactly 30 gallons of containers for me either, but I have always assumed loss from syrup youcan't get out of the barrel or the canner or the filter, etc. I have never measured what goes into my jugs but I have kept track of what comes out of my barrels, Just my thoughts.

[wiam]

I have filled plastic jugs on a scale before. It comes out pretty close to the bottom of the neck.

[TapME]

lew, your loss is most likely from the extra syrup that each jug takes. I understand the concept of hot fluids expand and contract but with that said, tins as well as plastic containers are all over sized Period. If I pour a quart jug (plastic or tin) it will be 2-3 oz over the quart mark on a measuring cup. As I said before, I am caught in this just all others who pack in contianers are. If you fill the jug to right level they come back and ask why they didn't get a quarts measure. Then you explain the situation and they say those big companies know how much it takes and they wouldn't cheat us. I pack mason jars most of the time and a quart is a quart when you fill it to an 1/8" from the top. It just raises the hair on the back of my neck that they let it go this far. If they don't want to make new blow molds just label the container right. 18 oz in a 16oz tin come on man, add 4oz to a quart and so on.Don't beleive me try it yourself.