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davey
03-18-2006, 03:20 PM
I have been reading where many people are stating their pre-boil sugar content of sap. How is this measured?
John Burton
03-18-2006, 03:49 PM
use a hydrometer rated for cold sap
davey
03-18-2006, 05:19 PM
Would that be like the type they use for wine or does someone actually sell a cold sap hydrometer?
Russell Lampron
03-18-2006, 05:36 PM
Maple dealers sell sap hydrometers. Check MapleGuys.com or contact Chris. They are not too expensive.

Russ
John Burton
03-18-2006, 05:38 PM
most any supplier of maple equipment would have one usually around 15 dollars give or take some change.
lew
03-18-2006, 11:26 PM
A hydrometer tells you the specific gravity of a liquid. This relates to sugar content for us sappers. If you have a wine hydrometer and it is calibrated for bottom end of the scale (0 to say around 10), then you could use that. Just check for what temperature it is calibrated at. Some are calibrated for 38 degrees and others at 68 degrees. Temperature correction charts are availble for both.
hodagswim
03-30-2006, 03:08 PM
Besides the hydrometer for checking the sugar content of sap you can also use a refractometer which is more accurate and will give you the percent of sugar that is in your sap.
Sugarmaker
03-30-2006, 08:15 PM
We used the refractometer to check the % sap in the front pans as we finished off with water. This allows you to stop boiling low % sugar content sap as it moves through the pans. We then dip all the high content sap into one compartment and finish as a batch.
Regards,
Chris
Father & Son
03-31-2006, 08:19 AM
Chris,
That might be a better idea than finishing in the turkey fryer. I'll try that tonight. Gives me an excuse to fire up the evaporator one more time :D

Jim
mapleman3
03-31-2006, 08:34 AM
Jim, I even use the evap to make hot water for cleaning buckets and things along with scrubbing the evap...
Sugarmaker
03-31-2006, 09:46 PM
Jim, (F&S)
Not sure how efficient this method of finishing with water is but while the evaporator was hot seemed like the best way to get that last 3 gallons. AI thought about just dumping the last sap but didn't have the heart. So we used dome more wood and just kept boiling. I thought about putting it in my canner and using propane but would have taken longer (?) and probably burned a 20 lb bottle.
Rick (syrupmaker) Might be coming down tomorrow?

Chris