First year useing a evaporator, vac pump,and releaser!!

[mrnorthshore]

Hi everyone, This is my first year with a new to me 2.5x10 evaporator (wood fired, raised flue, reverse flow,copper preheater,steam hood,marchland draw off). Before this i have only used small buffet pans 7 total on a home made block arch( with about 50-75 taps all buckets) This year we have 800 total taps and on vac with a new tubing set up from leader ( wet dry) my vac is a older masport w/oil reclaimer. This is my first year going a little bigger with this and its all new to me!!! So ANY and ALL advice I would love to hear it. Thanks

[Brent]

In ten words or less.

get the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual

You're going to need it.

You'll likely get new insights into the expression " chinese fire drill "
Most of us go through that.

That's one HUGE amount of expansion and learning curve to take on in one season.

[mrnorthshore]

thanks Brent, I have the second edition of the book and have read it more then once, great book!! The bigest thing I am looking for tips on is running the evaporator, these things look so complicated. I have never heard that before "chinese fire drill" might have to google that one!

[Brent]

Chinese fire drill - in maple terms
- the sparks coming out of the stack set the local bush on fire
- your pre-filter plugs while your getting a huge foam up and you need to draw some off quickly
- simultaneously you run out of raw sap, just after you threw a load of firewood in
- the power fails and you're in the dark
- you kick over your emergency bucket of sap in the dark
etc etc

All that you're taking on in one year is the step by step equivalent of about 3 years of normal expansion. I hope you don't have blood pressure issues.
Good luck, I hope it's better for you than I think it could be.

[mrnorthshore]

Thanks for the load of confidence brent!!! No I am just kidding. Thanks for the details on chinese fire drill. I hope it does not go any thing like that, only time will tell. I had to jump in to it at some time we were going for 600 taps and we had room for 200 more so I though why not put them in!! If everything fails this year it will be a great learner. Then I can be ready for next year. Thanks brent

[chevypower]

Well this thread doesn't leave me warm or fuzzy! My brother just sent me the link to this. We are going from selling sap last year from around 940 buckets to boiling on an oil fired 5x14 evaporator, probably around 3400 taps (2700 or so on pipeline), and a 1200 gallon RO.... I've been feeling uneasy and sick for about two weeks and it looks like Wednesday is do or die time for us:o.