What the * is this?

[toquin]

Bottom of sap pan after 10 hrs of boiling on both pans. Is it because of the 60 degree weather we had last week or because I put brick under flue pan and it stayed warm all nite? Sap sat overnite before I boiled, and overnite in flue pan before finishing next day Looked clear as a bell when I first started. Thought it was some kind of creature!

[jmayerl]

That's not good, looks like snotty syrup is in your future. I would drain and wash everything so your next batch doesn't get infected. Sap doesn't sit well when it gets warm. I only saw this at my buddy's lady year when it got real warm at the end of season, he had to dump 3 barrels of syrup.

[maple flats]

I'm not sure what it is, I've never seen something like that. Did you get it up out of the pan yet? Does it stay stuck as a unit when touched? Are you sure no one or no critter could get to it? Was the pan covered?

[happy thoughts]

The last picture I've seen like that was taken by the Mars rover. Now I just have to ask, lol- Do you know what you did with your chewing gum last night? If it's not on your bed post where it belongs then I think I can tell you where to find it :o

Seriously, I'm not sure what that is either.

[DonMcJr]

Got me clueless too...Maybe post it in the main Evaporator forum to get more views...I'll see if I can move it and leave a re-direct here...

[mellondome]

you sure all your taps are in MAPLE trees?

[bowtie]

never have seen that before, that being said i have only done this a few years. i do remember reading about ropey syrup and that some guys in the past would leave sap in pans after season for cleaning later(acid in sap) and the resulting "substance" was a slimy rope like snotty material, maybe this is similiar?

[tom jr.]

looks like snot from your tubing lines to me or feedpipe from tank to evaporator got threw your filter somehow. or mabe its pipe thread tape:o

[red maples]

yeah I was gonna say the same thing, tubing or some type of line build up that came loose and made it through the pans. I would just filter out everything in the evap maybe even finish that out and start over. it will probably be fine but keep it separate just in case.

[jimsudz]

Looks like a tubing snake to me.

[toquin]

Went thru 2 filters befor boiling. Sap was clear and 1.7-2.5 sugar . I did tap new trees, but how does this form past the filters? this was the largest, 3" long . Maybe 1 hour after hard boil had subsided

[325abn]

Whatever it is, it is dead so filter it out and enjoy your syrup.

[Moser's Maple]

looks like niter (sugar sand) to me....... how has the syrup been filtering????? if it hasn't been filtering good them you have some of that nice slimmy sugar sand and may fight filtering syrup for the year...... if you have filter press you won't notice anything accept you'll have to change your filters more often.
Jake Moser
Moser's Maple

[nymapleguy607]

looks like niter (sugar sand) to me....... how has the syrup been filtering????? if it hasn't been filtering good them you have some of that nice slimmy sugar sand and may fight filtering syrup for the year...... if you have filter press you won't notice anything accept you'll have to change your filters more often.
Jake Moser
Moser's Maple

Ding Ding we have a winner, Sometimes the sugar sand will come off the bottom of the pans and will look like that. I heard about someone that bottled in glass had it happen in a bottle and a customer thought it was a worm.

[TapME]

if you were to ask me I would say that that is left over foam that syuck to the edge of the pan. even if you skim you sometimes leave a little behind. Could be sugar sand but looks to stringy.