How long can sap sit?

[mikek101]

I am only able to boil on weekends :cry: and store my sap in a cool basement. I’m wondering how to monitor my sap to know if the bacteria is getting bad enough to not use the sap. So far it has remained clear, but when should I consider dumping my sap? I really was hoping to get 1 more boil in this season.

Mike

[VA maple guy]

A cool basement may not be cold enough to keep it verry long, try filling some gallon milk jugs with water, freezing them and put them into your sap, that will buy you some extra time. If your sap starts to get a sour taste or smell, it's time to dump it.If it becomes cloudy, don't dump it, you will most likley make dark amber or grade B.
Gerry

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mike,

I can't boil very much either and I have a whole house UV light that I run all my sap thru first thing when I bring it in and it helps a lot. :)

[brookledge]

Mike
Definately a UV light will work the best (has to be germicidal lamp) but another idea instead of freezing water in jugs is to just freeze containers of sap and then just toss them in they will melt as they cool the sap. Some times when I collect the few buckets that I have and if they are frozen solid I'll just toss them in my tank.
Keith

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I hope to have a fridge at the sugarhouse and keep a couple of buckets of frozen sap in the freezer at all time so I can keep ice in my 625 gallon milk tank at all times. :D

[VA maple guy]

Hay Mike, Keith is right, sap is a better idea than water, I also use a uv light, it's money well spent.
Gerry

[mikek101]

How much does a UV light system go for?

[MaineMapleDave]

Sounds like me up until about 4 years ago!!

I used to freeze sap in either big rubbermaid containers or food storage buckets from a restaurant supply house. Once I had a couple frozen, I'd put them in the big storage tank with the sap--worked a charm at keeping the sap cold.

I got tired of lugging frozen sap blocks around so got fancier.

Now, I have an aquarium pump and UV unit. I filter the sap into the storage tank, then just let the pump run continuously, pumping the sap through the UV unit back into the tank.

Been doing that for 4 years now, and I can say that I have not had any sap go bad. Granted, I am not trying to make Fancy or Extra Light syrup (red maples, flat pan evaporator, slow evaporation rate, weekend boils only......), but it's been working great.

There are some photos on my photo page showing the UV and pump setup--starting from scratch would go about $200 or so from:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Shop.cfm?N=2004

Have fun!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have the same one Leader sells in their catalog and I got it online 2 years ago at an internet special price of $ 288 plus $ 12 shipping. Definitely a good investment for me due to having to hold sap for several days. :D

[mapleman3]

If my memory stands.. I think those bulbs need to be replaced often as they tend to lose their effectiveness... Brandon you may have passed your limit with it.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jim,

Mine is good for 365 days of continual run time. I only run mine a few hours per year. I would be interested in what others have to say on this subject that have more experience than I do. I will probably try to get a couple more years out of it. :)

[sapman]

Brandon is correct. I install them occasionally in homes, and the rule of thumb has always been to replace them at one year intervals, with continuous use. But lately, they are saying 9 months results in a more effective kill of the bacteria. Either way, in a sugaring operation a bulb should obviously last several seasons. I would check the quartz sleeve at least once a season, though, as any coating on that will diminish effectiveness. Sap seems to act like hard water, to me, which could potentially deposit solids on surfaces.

Tim