Tapping in Franklin Couuty

[Russ008]

I'm shooting for sometime in march . Thought I'd start a thread in case somebody has a better idea .

[maple2]

we tapped 1100, today. a little chilly

[sapman28]

we tapped 550 or so over the last couple of days. will finish all the tubing this weekend. No buckets till the first of march.

[Green Hill Maple]

My Daughter and I tapped in Gill today.

[log cabin luke]

I was thinking of tapping in colrain this weekend. still alot to do

[Ed K]

I'm thinking next weekend,coming week has cold night's.Not good for sugarhouse w/o a stove to keep the cold at bay.

[YAZER]

Anybody yet? Thinking about this week or weekend.

[maple2]

got 3500 in, last week. not a drop of sap. should finish, today

[log cabin luke]

drilled in 875 in the last few days. Still waiting for the power company to put in my meter. I found out that my 4000watt generator can't handle the starting surge from the vac pump. stll managed to get 700 gallons of sap in the last 2 days. First boil coming up on friday. 25 day forcast says this is going to be a long season, lets hope so.

[saphead]

I live up around the corner,been watching your progress...sugar house.mainlines,laterals,etc.I used to help a friend of mine boil sap from that bush years ago,will have to stop in and swap howdys.
Craig

[log cabin luke]

Stop by and check the place out anytime. I will be there for the first boil tommorrow.Its been a chore getting the place set up with such little time but It will be almost at 1/2 capacity

[Ed K]

Tapped on Sat.-Sun. boiled Tues. Wed. good sugar content,just may be a good season.

[Russ008]

Started tapping Sunday, I haven't counted my taps yet but I've collected about 100 gals of sap going to boil on sat. I built a new shack and I've got so much more to do. Looks like a good run I hope I can keep up.

[sapman28]

Getting a suprise run today. We will boil tonight and it looks like a good weekend. Maybe hit 100 gallons by sunday night. Sugar has been good 2.2, kids sugar has been great 3.1. I'm jealous.

[sapman28]

Didn't make to 100 this weekend ,sitting at 80 after boiling tonight. We got everything cleaned up and boiled tonight. We will now wait for the next freeze.

[Russ008]

Tapped late last year as I was just putting the roof on the new sugar house in Feb. Had nothing ready for wood, was a hard season made about 10 gals. This year I'm putting up some lines and looking for new trees to tap. In the past I've increased yield by putting up lines. Still behind on getting ready but plugging away. Haven't smelled the maple yet but soon !

[WESTMAPLES]

yeah im still plugging away, getting everything ready, tubing with vacuum is the way to go in my opinion, even on a small number of taps it makes a world of difference in production, don`t get me wrong I still put out buckets in the areas where tubing won`t work ( small hotspots) to bring up the numbers but I have mostly everything setup so I can do everything easily enough myself, without rushing. even on days it runs nonstop. hope we all have a good season, just have to keep watching the weather

[Russ008]

Its colder than normal, I hope when it warms up the temps don't climb too fast ! Hope for a nice slow warm up with some snow on the ground !

[WESTMAPLES]

yeah the weather is playing games so far, we see alittle warmer temps for a day or 2 , then its too cold again. but some snow, along with a slow warmup would be great.

[Russ008]

Going to get warmer this weekend, I have to put up 1500ft of hose . The weekend after I'll start tapping. I hope the weather is agreeable to my plans !

[WESTMAPLES]

yeah the weather looks temping but im holding out till about feb 10th (after looking at the recent weather forecast) to tap everything. ive got a few test taps with buckets out near my two sugarbushes just to see whats happening and test sugar content

[Russ008]

GroundHog says six more weeks of winter, takes some of the pressure of , should be ready :lol:

[Russ008]

Looking back it looks like it ran the end of Feb last year.:confused:

[Green Hill Maple]

We are looking to tap February 22nd here in Gill, MA. I think that was about the date we started last year and had a first boil end of February.

[maple2]

we shoot for around the 20th. usually get a major snow storm a day or two before that

[Green Hill Maple]

Looks like lots of snow on the way the next ten days

[WESTMAPLES]

we need the snow to insulate the ground, I was looking to tap in around feb 10th but the cold looks to be set in for another 16-20 days but im still going to get everything rolling by the 10th im using cv spouts so they should stay fresh till the first good run. buckets ill wait till the first good run to get them out i cant wait to get this season rolling what are everyone elses plans ??

[Green Hill Maple]

My plan for tonight is plowing plowing and more plowing! where about in Northfield are you located?

[eustis22]

I was planning on tapping this w/e in Haverhill as the big boys up the road in NH seemed to have started already

[steam maker]

Where in gill r u located brooks farm

[Green Hill Maple]

Green Hill

[WESTMAPLES]

hey im firing up the drill sunday morning and getting this season moving forward, I was up at bascoms today, they where out tapping trees and talked with bruce for a few. his words where being tapped in early is the way to be even if the weather changes day to day, being to late is profit loss !! and with all being said im logging off now, to get the sweet madness underway

[Jebediah]

Have some buckets out now, checked some today and one crazy tree was actually running. My new favorite tree. Tapping remaining trees tomorrow.

[jcb]

I think I'm going to wait at least a couple weeks in Shelburne

[Biz]

Long range forecasts look like it might start running next weekend for several days, then turning cold again, till maybe mid to late March. Thinking I will tap next weekend so I don't miss the early run like I usually do. Worried that the season is gonna be about a week long otherwise.

Dave

[WESTMAPLES]

I just made a short trip to red bucket sugarhouse in Worthington, ma they are a leader dealer. I picked up more tubing and supplies this morning to add another hundred taps on one of my sugarbushes. they are just about tapped in ( 9000 on tubing ) and they also told me better to be early if your using tubing on vac. with cv spouts. catch the early runs, if you can. it adds more to your overall gallon per tap yield. good luck everyone

[log cabin luke]

Thinking of tapping in colrain in one week. although I can never trust the long range forecast on accuweather. it changes drastically every other day.

[Green Hill Maple]

Luke where in colrain do u operate?

[log cabin luke]

I am setting up operation on west leyden rd colrain. This will be our first year at full operation . we have somewhere around 1550 taps or so and hopes to expand soon.

[Green Hill Maple]

Nice i know the road well ride it all the time. I look out for your operation? Good luck!

[MarkL]

I'm a backyard sugar maker setting out 60-80 taps. Thinking about tapping Sunday to catch what appears to be a likely mid-late week run this upcoming week. Anyone else tapping this early down here?

Mark

[WESTMAPLES]

ive already tapped in my 340 CV taps on vacuum in westfield, waiting to put out the bucket taps as they heal over quicker. but you should be good to tap in, and get ready for the up coming runs good luck

[Swampmapleman]

I'm going to tap in wilbraham tomorrow. 50 buckets maybe

[Russ008]

Sap should start Flowing Wednesday. Waning Gibbous moon, thawing temperatures, Wind from either the northwest or southwest through Sunday. Gets cold again on Monday, wind from the east. Next full moon Mar 16. When the wind is from the west the sap flows the best, when the wind is from the east it flows the least. That's my prediction. Ran 3000 ft of hose, still not enough, Wife took away the checkbook, guess I still have to use some buckets. Love this time of Year !!
8759

[Green Hill Maple]

Tapped in Gill today!

[Biz]

How does the full moon affect sap flow?? just curious...

Dave

[Russ008]

The full moon causes sap to rise in trees. This is due to the gravitational pull of the moon.
http://www.chacha.com/question/what-...-have-on-trees (http://www.chacha.com/question/what-effect-does-a-full-moon-have-on-trees)

Oldtimers down here refer to a “maple moon,” the full moon closest to the harvest season. They hold that the sap really breaks only once the maple moon comes. I even heard one talk about a gravitational effect on the trees. I have a lot of respect for a lot of what these oldtimers say, but when it comes to maple syrup being affected by the moon, I get into a lot of arguments. We have a chalk board in our sugar house, and it’s a pretty odd site to see the formula for gravitational force juxtaposed against our lists of sap and maple syrup outputs per night. Makes it look like we’re doing something sciency.
http://www.freshmaplesyrup.com/maple-syrup-moonscape/

Sap flow varies from day to day and tree to tree. Many claim that flow is heaviest during the full moon—a period the Chippewa call ee skee guh mee see gay gee zis (maple sugar moon).
(http://www.freshmaplesyrup.com/maple-syrup-moonscape/)http://www.north-link.net/cmsakry/1pub/89413dnt.htm

Many believe that full moons can cause a spike in criminal activities. According to E Prise Now (http://www.dothaneagle.com/enterprise_ledger/news/article_29e97428-96e4-11e2-883a-0019bb30f31a.html), this theory revolves around the fact that the moon controls the waters of Earth, causing large waves in the oceans. Therefore, with the brain being a very moist organ, it has led many to believe that the moon can control the human body, which is about 80 percent water.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/5835/20130327/full-moon-worm-come-out-tonight-typical-march.htm

[steam maker]

Russ how many taps do u put in? Just bein nosey!!!

[Russ008]

68 on line, got 60 buckets to put up later. First run today, 15 gals in the tank, I wonder how many Gallons it takes to fill the lines. Vt hobby evaporator, its hard to keep up with what I get. Wife took away the check book so I can't buy anymore line. I'd like to put another 15 or twenty taps on line. It will nice not to gather so much. Just come home from work and light the fire.

[sapman28]

400 in today, running ok but I don't think we are missing anything, 120 more tommorow, we will get 300 more next weekend and that will be all of our tubing in. Not in a hurry to do buckets, we will wait till after Polar Vortex # 3.

[Green Hill Maple]

What are the chances of the taps drying up with cold coming in?

[sapman28]

it will not affect them at all. They will not run, but they will not start to heal. A cold spell is like keeping the trees in a fridge. It is the warm spells that do the damage to the holes.

[maple2]

we are going to start tapping, tomorrow.The snow has settled and firmed up over the weekend. Mabe wont need snowshoes.Went to Bascoms today. They made 1000gals.sunday

[log cabin luke]

Collected over 2000 gal of sap over the weekend in colrain. Sap was down around 1.6 % or so. hope it gets up alittle in a few weeks when it starts up again. sap was flowing better than expected on Sunday.

[Ed K]

Spent last two days and got everything tapped,but it's not running very good yet.

[MarkL]

Tapped on 2/16 to try to catch the early run. 68 taps. Got one boil done before it locked up tighter than a gnat's *sshole. Sap just started to run again but taps not consistently putting out yet.

However one benefit of the cold weather is the poor man's RO - freezing sap. I have about 35 gallons of 4 percent sap ready to boil, just need tomorrow's run to give me enough to work with.

[Green Hill Maple]

Just had two good sized whitetail run through my property while boiling here in Gill!

[Green Hill Maple]

Hey folks the Gill Agricultural commission is hosting a Maple Night. We will be showing the Movie Sweet Traditions, serving maple syrup and ice cream. Free of charge donations are welcome. Please come check it out and support the Town of Gill.

Wednesday February 4th Gill, MA Town Hall 7 PM

[log cabin luke]

Tapping in Colrain tomorrow. I think this season will last well into mid April . I thought at the end of last season I might not ever get sap that far into April again. I think I thought wrong. Fun here I come.

[Russ008]

I'm trying to guess what week to take Vacation in 2015. Any predictions on the sap run ??

[WESTMAPLES]

russ i think mother nature is the one to ask ..... but if i was to point the finger at a area of time i would say march something ??? but they are predicting a cold and snow.... but who knows really its new england !!!!

[Russ008]

just took a walk in the woods, starting to make my plans !

[WESTMAPLES]

anyone tap in western mass yet ?? if so what are your results so far ??

[MarkL]

What a weird winter. Seems like I should probably tap, given this week's forecast. What does anyone else think?

[Swampmapleman]

West maples. Us boys in Hampden wilbraham area are tapped in. Maple mass already made 25 gals. I need another run today to start drawing

[Russ008]

When ever I've tapped too early I've been sorry. A deep freeze screws every thing up, I used to worry about missing a good run, it seems when the run gets interrupted the second flow is darker . With a one man, part time, small lot I like to intensify my season results. I love going back though the past forums, and see us all trying to predict the season. I remember when Maple Trader crashed and the records were lost, Thank You Maple Trader for working hard and preventing this from happening again. Good luck to all in the coming season !

[johnpma]

anyone tap in western mass yet ?? if so what are your results so far ?? Up up in the hill towns......not seeing too much out my way. We are just putting our new tubing lines up now

[WESTMAPLES]

ok good to hear some have made a few gals of syrup for there early efforts, im probly looking at the end of this week or so to get tapped in. it looked so tempting last week but with freezing temps setting in, i thought id hold on a little bit longer before going all in

[johnpma]

Looks like we are going from frigid cold to the 40's next week.....this is the earliest I've ever tapped the trees but then again only been at it for a few years

[johnpma]

Thankfully this cold passed. -22 at my home Sat night. Started tapping today, and will continue throughout the week into the weekend

[sapman28]

300 in between Sun afternoon and today. Hopefully all tubing will be done by weekend.

[johnpma]

My yard was singing last night "ping" "ping" "ping" music to my ears

[steam maker]

Sapman make sure u tell them about your 3/16 magic tubing 😀😀😀😀😀 got 600 of mine in today , back at it in the morning 3000 more to go

[sapman28]

550ish in so far. Hope to get the rest done by the end of the weekend. The magic tubing has produced about 45 gallons since 8:30 Tues night on 74 taps. Hope it gets better. I like the no snow, a road that took me 6 hours last year to plow only took 20 minutes this year.

[steam maker]

Watchin sapman28 boil tonight , the magic tubing pulls him ahead in the syrup count😢😢😢😢but ill catch him

[Russ008]

There seems to be a controversy going on with who makes the best maple syrup, Massachusetts or Vermont. 22News went up to Gould’s Maple SugarHouse in Shelburne Falls to find out their thoughts.

http://wwlp.com/2016/04/12/massachusetts-maple-syrup-vs-vermont-maple-syrup/ (http://wwlp.com/2016/04/12/massachusetts-maple-syrup-vs-vermont-maple-syrup/)

[Russ008]

Looking at the Historical average for Feb on accuweather.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/northfield-ma/01360/february-weather/460_pc

[weldable]

up on the hill in Heath.waiting it out looks to cold to run in the next week long term is a big ?

[log cabin luke]

Thinking of starting to tap next weekend in Colrain. Will check on the forecast a little later in the week and see if its a go. Still welding up the new arch.

[maple2]

We plan on starting,this week.Its always more fun with a couple feet of fresh snow!

[berkshires]

Slogging through the snow is certainly going to be... fun? I plan to tap this next weekend. Right now the weekend and and next week look perfect. Very excited to try out all the improvements to my little rig!

[berkshires]

Can anyone tell me what the snow depth in the woods is like in the hill towns now? I want to know what I should be prepared for.

Thanks!

[johnpma]

Can anyone tell me what the snow depth in the woods is like in the hill towns now? I want to know what I should be prepared for.

Thanks! Was out back yesterday in Chesterfield. We have about 22" in the woods before this wind, and compression adjusts the depth. I will be tapping starting Friday.

[berkshires]

Okay that's about what I figured. Thanks! And good luck with your tapping!

[weldable]

looking like tapping on Friday test taps in heath put out enough to say that good things are going to happen we have some new line and need to punch 800 or so

[johnpma]

looking like tapping on Friday test taps in heath put out enough to say that good things are going to happen we have some new line and need to punch 800 or so Best of luck!! We are starting tonight after work, and will continue through the weekend. Not sure about our buckets yet but the tubing for sure. Wife bought me a pair of slip on "ice cleats" after taking a digger last weekend while tightening tubing. Remember there is ice under all this snow.......

[Biz]

I am tapping at least half of my tubing this weekend. Weather looks good for next week! Our climate is about the same as western Mass since we are at 1000 ft elevation. I have three Shurflo pumps with my S3 controllers on them ready for action. Out on snowshoes this morning breaking some trails, it is going to be quite a workout setting lines in the woods.

Dave

[johnpma]

I am tapping at least half of my tubing this weekend. Weather looks good for next week! Our climate is about the same as western Mass since we are at 1000 ft elevation. I have three Shurflo pumps with my S3 controllers on them ready for action. Out on snowshoes this morning breaking some trails, it is going to be quite a workout setting lines in the woods.

Dave Good luck Dave!! This is what we have all been waiting for :)

[Russ008]

had a good start but its running dark, I hope it runs lighter after the reset.

[log cabin luke]

I finished boiling yesterday in Colrain. Ended the season with about 1 gallon of syrup per 3 taps. A little lower sugar than normal this year. All and all a good year for us.

[Russ008]

How's it going Friends ? I know its warm but it seems early to me , and I don't see a west wind in the close future.

[WESTMAPLES]

not doing to bad, keeping up atleast just passed 550 gals of sap with half my taps in ( im caught in the middle of reworking my other bush) since the weather is so earlier this year

[Russ008]

Anyone setting up yet ?

[Benewing]

I'm in Deerfield and I tapped at the end of February and had a really good four-day stretch. The taps are running pretty well today too. Looks like next weekend will be a great run

[ecolbeck]

We tapped around Feb 21. Collected 50-ish gallons of sap and boiled it down. Yesterday, some of our buckets were full of ice we collected 50 gallons of ice blocks and boiled that down. Hoping today is a good run before the big freeze hits this week.

[WESTMAPLES]

all ive done so far is make a new SS base stack a few weeks back, looked the equipment over and ordered a few small parts .... tuesday ill setup and get things together. ive been busy with other money making jobs and the weather hasn`t been prefect enough to get things really productive ...

[saphead]

Where I help out boiling we finally had enough sap to fill up the new pans and adjust all the floats etc. and boil some raw sap to get used to the new max flue pan and cross flow front pans. Strange not having a 6' syrup channel right in front of you to observe,just the end of a cross flow syrup channel. Changing just a few valves to change flow,that'll be easier and having all the float boxes on the same side does simplify things. Made some nice amber rich but took for ever with raw sap.

[Russ008]

Gould’s Sugarhouse in Shelburne won’t open this year.

https://www.recorder.com/Gould-s-Sugarhouse-closed-with-photo-WEDNESDAY-32454231

[Thegreg20]

Gould’s Sugarhouse in Shelburne won’t open this year.

https://www.recorder.com/Gould-s-Sugarhouse-closed-with-photo-WEDNESDAY-32454231

Was always a favorite spot to go for breakfast. I wish I was her kids/grandparents. I would keep it open

[Benewing]

I tapped in Deerfield last Thursday and we had an incredible run over the weekend

[Russ008]

Happy New Year 2021. The best thing about Maple Season to me is it gives me something to look forward to though January and February. Maple Trader forum gives me some historical references when planning the up coming season. Right now I'm looking prior year postings and trying to plan my March Vacation days. Good luck and a bountiful season to all.

[berkshires]

Thanks, Russ. I have a bit of work to do before I tap, with a lot of new stuff for me this year:

- New Mason 2x3 that I just did a couple boils on last season
- Sugar shack now has a hole in roof with flaps, so all the steam from the new evaporator has somewhere to go!
- New 55 gallon barrel I'm going to rig up to tow around for collection
- More taps

Here's hoping for a good season for you and for all of us!

Gabe O

[Russ008]

Nice, sounds allot like my setup. Anticipation of Maple season always helps me chase away the winter blues.

[berkshires]

Nice, sounds allot like my setup. Anticipation of Maple season always helps me chase away the winter blues.

Thanks! I'm making a little progress every year. And yeah, likewise.

GO

[Russ008]

https://weather.com (https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/ebc731fff87a78e2d13d32bfbf47f493ce4b8cc8f8824c20d5 a07cc135108709)
Feburary

When the winds from the North the sap comes forth,
When the winds from the West the sap flows best,
When the winds from the East the sap flow least,
When the winds from the South you go without.
I find that wind direction, Temperature and barometer reading have helped me predict sap flow.
http://www.usairnet.com/weather/maps...on-forecast-1/ (http://www.usairnet.com/weather/maps/forecast/massachusetts/wind-direction-forecast-1/) http://mapletrader.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=21891&stc=1http://mapletrader.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=21921&stc=1

[berkshires]

Still way too cold/early for me. I looked through my last few years, and anytime I've ever tapped before 2/14 it has been a mistake. Perhaps if I were on lines rather than buckets things might be different. Last year was a good example - I tapped 2/10 and the last week of March should have been the best run of the season, but was a trickle from some trees, and nothing from others. Certainly if there hadn't been a few 60/70 degree days early in the season, my tap holes might not have dried out so fast.

Long-range forecast is suggesting Feb will be roughly average to maybe a little warmer than average. So if you're tapping soon - good luck! I'm going to hold off.

Cheers,

GO

[eustis22]

I think the sun has to be at a certain declination as well

[SeanD]

I don't just look at the highs and lows, I look at the hourly trends that show up in the graph underneath the daily highs and lows. That shows me that maybe the thermometer might kiss 40 at some point in the day it might realistically only be above freezing for 4-5 hours. Given how deep the deep freeze has been, nothing is going to be thawed out on that first day touches 40. In a few weeks the sun is at a much higher angle and that will increase the length of time the temps are above freezing. So the graph is more of rolling hills than peaks and valleys.

This is the first really cold/typical January in a long time around here and I'm loving the extra time I'm being given to get ready!

21833

[berkshires]

I don't just look at the highs and lows, I look at the hourly trends that show up in the graph underneath the daily highs and lows. That shows me that maybe the thermometer might kiss 40 at some point in the day it might realistically only be above freezing for 4-5 hours.

21833

Exactly. And if the lows the last few days have been in the teens and low 20s, no way in hell is 4-5 hrs in the 30s gonna defrost a big chunk of wood. Particularly when you look at that graph and you have much more time below freezing (longer nights) and less time above freezing (shorter days).

I think that's probably a part of why maple production is so big further north (VT, Canada, etc), rather than in Missouri. When the trees really get going, it's March, April, even May - when you get much longer days, and really big temperature swings.

Gabe

[csk91]

Interesting point about northern areas having longer days when the weather is turning. Here in buzzards bay my trees are budding in early March. By the 15th I am getting cloudy sap and it’s time to get the boat ready. I tapped 6 of 30 trees last weekend and I am not getting any sap despite the temps hitting 40’s in the mid afternoon. We are getting 50’s end of next week. Probably going to tap another 15 trees Sunday or Monday. Then my remaining trees next weekend. Figure the 6 weeks my taps are flowing will get me into early/mid March. One of my trees got hit by some equipment 2 weeks ago and it was running like crazy on a warm afternoon.

[Russ008]

Looks like I'll have all my line up and flushed , tanks washed by the end of the weekend. Then I'll start the tapping. Shooting for 125 on-line 75 bags and 50 buckets. Hope I find enough trees ! Fingers Crossed, Knock on wood I'll be boiling next week.

[ecolbeck]

Next week is looking warm but not really sunny. Given this cold spell I’m wondering how quickly the trees will thaw. Are people here locally gonna go for it?

[Kamina]

Next week is looking warm but not really sunny. Given this cold spell I’m wondering how quickly the trees will thaw. Are people here locally gonna go for it?

Yes. I’m in central MA and will tap my reds Saturday.

[Biz]

I will start tapping here in central MA on Saturday also.

Dave

[BitterSweetAcres]

In Charlemont, be tapping within the next week. We have collections in royalston, leverett, northfield and charlemont. Always looking for more taps, any leads? Admins please delete if not allowed.

[Kamina]

TAPPED! 2/20/21

10 reds. Central MA. Temp is 33 and a couple of them are already producing a minuscule amount of sap. Will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow - sun will be out. Next week they should explode when it gets into the 40s.

[Kamina]

Still next to nothing from the reds I tapped. Barely a dribble from all of them. There was one tree that produced a couple of cups of sap one day, but it's back to a dribble too. Wondering if I did something wrong.

[bruff64]

Tapped last Wednesday. Collected 63 gallons yesterday the 26th from 75 buckets, sweetened the pan last night with first boil. Have a few reds tapped and they did not run. Buckland, MA.

[StoneHillFarm]

Tapped 2/22 & 2/23, didn't run until Friday we collected 65 gallons & sweetened the pans. Just got a warm spell over the last few days, hoping we have a decent amount in the tank tonight. Shelburne, MA

[Russ008]

I wasn't getting the boil rate I was expecting out of my new evaporator so I took a radical step and cut out the baffle in back of the drop flue. It seemed to help but my feed line to the evaporator started freezing and I ruined last weeks boil ( 150 gals). I put a heat tape on my feed line in case this happens again. I'm preparing for a much faster boil rate. I'm going out this morning to set some bags on a neighbors property. Got the next week off so I hope to keep up. I had a year I lost a few hundred gallons of sap because It spoiled before I couldn't boil it all. I hoping to get a better production this year.http://mapletrader.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=22138&stc=1

[ecolbeck]

I wasn't getting the boil rate I was expecting out of my new evaporator so I took a radical step and cut out the baffle in back of the drop flue. It seemed to help but my feed line to the evaporator started freezing and I ruined last weeks boil ( 150 gals). I put a heat tape on my feed line in case this happens again. I'm preparing for a much faster boil rate. I'm going out this morning to set some bags on a neighbors property. Got the next week off so I hope to keep up. I had a year I lost a few hundred gallons of sap because It spoiled before I couldn't boil it all. I hoping to get a better production this year.

Russ, That is a beautiful rig, very similar in size to my D&G. What evaporation rate were you getting that was unsatisfactory? What is the baffle that you refer to?

[Russ008]

On the base of the stack is a vertical plate that stoppes about a inch from the bottom restricting the draft in back of the drop flues . Looked like to be about a whisper of smoke getting by it, Its gone now . I had much better draft on my smaller evaporator. The 1 Inch Insulation I put behind the brick may have taken up too much space, but I felt it should have it. I was getting about 9 to 10 gallons boil down, suppose to get 22. I came real close to burning the pan after I took the baffle out because my feed line was freezing up. Put a electric heat tape on it for next time. I got 90 gallons in the tank and I not going to boil until the saps running again.

[ecolbeck]

Despite the cold temperatures this last week, sap had slowly been accumulating in our buckets. Had to clear some of them out this afternoon in anticipation if a big run this week. My wife ran the show for a time while I was doing other chores.

22162

[berkshires]

Speaking of chores, boiling off those big blocks of ice must have been a chore.

[Russ008]

Had a good Day and a half Run, boiled down about 250 gallons, all caught up and waiting for the next Run.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=375684097325637

[ecolbeck]

How are things going for folks here in Franklin County? I've called it a season. I'm estimating 15 gallons made from 60 taps although I haven't bottled yet to get an accurate count. Worried that it would be a bad season but boiled 5 days in a row, last Thursday through Monday. I think that saved us. Not counting on it running again, so cleaning up this weekend.

[twomaplefarm]

We’ve called it a season too midweek last week. We got about 4.6 gallons on 24 taps. Somewhat lower sugar content in our sap than we expected, but we’ve heard that’s been true for a lot of people in the area.

[Russ008]

Worked out some problems on the new evaporator. Lost my first batch but saved the pan when my lines froze. Produced 15 gallons, and 15lbs maple cream. Next year going to add a Steam Hood, Tank heater and finish the Sugar house interior. I learn allot from the Maple trader Forums and was real worried the year it crashed. I've got to Map, Sanitize and take down the lines and Trim the Sugar Bush but will continue to check in when I can. Thanks All !

[Russ008]

Noticed some Folks tapping a month ago. I'm cleaning up the Sugar House, Tanks and equipment now. Planning on a short but sweet season in March. Let you know how it works for Us !

[Russ008]

Russ, That is a beautiful rig, very similar in size to my D&G. What evaporation rate were you getting that was unsatisfactory? What is the baffle that you refer to? It wasn't even warming up and filled the sugar house with smoke. There's a plate that hangs down in front of the stack about the same length of the drop flues. Probably because I insulated and bricked there was a very narrow space for the heat to flow. Everybody at H2o speaks french And the dealer I bought it from didn't know.