Sugarhouse interior

[SUGARSMITH]

Last weekend I finally tired of the winds blowing through the siding of my surarhouse walls. On the western facing wall I insulated it and then put up a plastic vapor barrier. I am so pleased with the difference I am planning on paneling the wall thais weekend with some planed pine boards.

What have other people used to seal the boards with. I would like to keep the light pine finish with no maintenence. Therefor I am thinking linseed oil. Poly flakes in time.

Any reccomendations ?

[mapleman3]

Just wondering, will rain be able to get in to the insulation? any place for Mice? I'd like to do the same sometime after I put a hood on to keep the temp up in the sugarhouse.

[sweetwoodmaple]

My 12 x 16 sugarhouse with a 3 x 10 evaporator keeps nice and toasty. 8O

Too much so, actually...

I do my canning in the house, so that helps too.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Might want to put the vapor barrier between the outside wall and the insulation vs putting the vapor barrier between inside wall and insulation. :D

[SUGARSMITH]

The exterior is rough cut vertical siding. Soon the be board and battens. As far as the mice go I dont consider it a problem, because being a building thats used a few months out of the year, I realize that they will find a home if they try hard enough. I will probably put some d-con in there this year however. It has a oak plank floor over gravel that needs updating as well, probably put down a cement floor eventually.

Its weird considering doing these changes. I built this sugarhouse with my father about 30 years ago and this past summer he passed away. Makes it real hard to make any changes or updates. I would like to live in the past out there. But the paneling would be a small change

[Al]

I used 8 inch wide rough cut pine boards in one room and 6 inch wide hemlock boards in another. Left them there natural color and it looks pretty good. Easy to handle and the price is right.
Take care

[MASSEY JACK]

I have some friends that coated their little horse barn with used motor oil. It looks like stain and seems to hold up O.K. They did not blend it well and some areas are darker than others. That could be avoided if you had a big batch and stirred it up well before use. It might even be a deterent to insects and such. Maybe some people would think it an inapropriate product for a sugarhouse? Linseed oil,stain,petroleum,.........just some info.

[ibby458]

The trouble with linseed oil is that it darkens almost to black over time. I think Tung oil would be a lot better if you want to keep it natural colored.

I'm hoping to get my sugarhouse built this year (and get the evaporator out of the tractor shed), and I'm going with some used aluminum roofing that I got for free, painted white. Dim surroundings make me sleepy, so I;m putting in lots of windows and fluoresent lights.

To control steam & condensation, instead of a steam stack or coupola, I'm putting in a huge squirrel cage blower. I'll have to let you know how it works out.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Hydraulic oil works good on outside.

[andrew martin]

I would take Brandon's advice on moving the vapor barrier plastic. As a remodeling contractor, I have seen this all too much. THe plastic does not allow your wall to breathe, and if you are boiling a lot, you will get condensation between the plastic and insulation, and eventually this will lead to mold growth. I would take the plastic out and just panel the inside like you mentioned. Vapor barriers should go on the outside of your exterior sheathing, upon which you place your exterior siding.

Andrew

[Pete S]

This vapor barrier issue is addressed in the Building Code. Here in WI we have our own Building Code but we do parallel the model codes in many areas for One & Two Family Dwellings.

When you are insulating a "Dwelling", concerning the "heated envelope", the vapor barrier is installed on the warm side of the insulation. The vapor barrier provides the insulation from aquiring moisture from the "inside" air, as it is warm and moisture laden.

As for the installation of a vapor retarder on the "inside" or "outside" of the insulation of a Sugar Shack............I'd say, don't bother.

If you wanted some relief from the wind/air penetration, install a "House Wrap" material under the exterior siding, like Tyvek, etc.

As for the Decon, Id' wait to see if they[the mice] even set up shop in there, as the Decon, will "attract" the mice, as it's supposed to mimick "food".

Sorry, I couldn't help sharing my opinion.

Pete

[SUGARSMITH]

What a coincidence, I was out boiling sat night, lo and behold a mouse ran acroos the floor, up the wall onto a counter top and a stared at me for about ten minutes. I think it was mad at me for being out the there that late. So theres the answer to the mouse question

[brookledge]

How come you let it stare at you for 10 min.? 30 seconds is more than enough time to take care of it.
Keith

[SUGARSMITH]

I waited the ten minutes for it to relax and when I thought it was comfortable and then I launched an attack on it. It was quicker than I.

[Pete S]

Some peanut butter on a trap'r two would add some sport and intrigue with the mouse situation. If ya sit real quiet-n-still.................you can even witness the "event"! 8O

[maple flats]

Yep, peanut butter works real good, get it stuck to the trip lever and they rarely miss. Attracts them real well too. You sure don't want a mouse floating in the evap some day, you'd have to ring him out good before tossing him out so as not to loose any sugar! (not really)

[Bob Shields]

The food inspector visited me last week and explained a method he uses in his hunting camp.
Take a 5 gallon plastic pail, drill two holes in top rim across from each other. Use a dowel rod a little longer than diameter of bucket that will fit into drilled holes.Take an empty 24 0z. plastic pop bottle, drill hole in bottom of bottle that will allow it to slip over dowel rod. put peanut butter on outside of plastic bottle. Mount bottle in top of bucket with dowel rod.Put a couple inches of water in bucket, add anti freeze in winter. Set next to wall or place a board leaning against the dowel rod. Mouse will climb the board, get out on dowel rod, move out on bottle to get peanut butter, and fall into bucket. Liquid will pull the body heat out of mouse or it will drown. I havent tryed it yet, but have mateials gathered up to put mine together.
Inspector said he has caught as many as 80 in two weeks.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sounds like a great idea. I don't have any mice problems, but my sugarhouse isn't a year old! :D It is pretty tight, but I am sure a mouse will eventually find a way to get in! :(

[Fred Henderson]

That my friend is what is called and Adrondack mouse trap and there is one sitting outside my sugarhouse right now. As soon as we are done it goes back inside.

[Fred Henderson]

All that you really need is a 5 gal bucket, a piece of stiff wire( gas welding rod) and a soda pop can. run the wire thru bucket and can, coat the can with molassas& peanut butter and put a board on the edge of the bucket. you will be amazed at how many you will catch.

[ibby458]

You gotta remember to check and dump it regularly. I went with a friend to check out his hunting cabin in July one time. THe stench from that bucket would blow your socks off!

[TroutBrookSH]

I discovered the antifreeze solution above by accident. I filled a pitcher with 50/50 water/antifreeze to top-off the radiator on my tractor. Had a hose leak for a little bit. Got the leak fixed but forgot to empty the pitcher.

Was cleaning the barn recently (which is attached to the sugarhouse) and "found" the pitcher. When I looked in I found 8 pickled mice. Guess what? No smell either!

Greg

[Dave Y]

Bob,
Your Inspector Must not give mice much credit for there ability to get where the food is. All you really need is a 5 gal buckect a hand full of dog food and about 2" of water in the bottom of the bucket. set it along a wall the get in and can't get out. they die of exposure. No need to poison them. As Anti freeze is toxic to dogs and cats also.

[Revi]

Our sugarhouse is 5 years old and the mice have discovered it! We put out mouse traps, but they have learned how to eat the peanut butter without setting them off! We got two this week who hadn't read the memo. We'll keep killing them off. They can't get in the evaporator because we covered it with a sheet of insulation. I cut holes for the plugs and we even put a board over the float box. I had to take the float out to cover it. It's endless war on mice. Anyone who thinks farming is peaceful hasn't tried it!

[Bob Shields]

Dave ,
I probably was not clear on the anti-freeze. You only need it in the winter time to keep the water liquid. One person told me some mice could jump out of a five gallon bucket if there was not liquid on the bottom. Don't know if that is so.

[Dave Y]

Bob,
I don't know about that either. I do know of some that didn't.

[Brent]

We did quite a bit of checking before we re-did our cottage. The best combo is a Tyvek or Typar style housewrap on the outside. This stuff breathes just enough to allow vapour to escape ... an you'll have lots of that. You will not feel any air / wind penetration from it. Inside that goes your insulation.

If you put the vapor barier on the outside of the insualtion, the vapor barier will be cold and you will get condensation on it and soak you insulation. It will run down inside and soak the bottom of the wall and will likely cause rot.

So if you think you need a vapor barrier be sure it goes on the inside of the insulation. That's in the building codes in every province in Canada.
On new construction if a building inspector sees the vapor barrier on the cold side he will insist on it's removal.

Good luck.