Frozen sap

[Lloyd Miller]

This cold snap has caused my sap to freeze in storage (about 60 gallons) . It is in barrels and the ice is about one inch thick all around.
My question: Do I discard the ice to reduce my boiling time or is there enough sugar content in the ice to boil both liquid and solid sap? Does freezing concentrate the sugar in the liquid portion? i searched the site for sap ice and frozen sap and found nothing.

[KV Sappers]

I throw my ice off. That being said my operation is very some and I try to reduce my boiling time as much as possible. If my fading memory serves me, I recall a discussion about this somewhere and someone saved the ice they took off and boiled it down and the results were not worth the effort. Just my 2 cents worth.

[not_for_sale]

If it was below 15 outside when it froze it will have sugar in it. Otherwise no sugar.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

The sugar is concentrated in the liquid portion. I'd throw the ice. If it had frozen to a solid block, I would try to melt the whole thing.

[Bucket Head]

Back when we stored sap in barrels and it froze, I would hatchet a hole in the middle of it and we would pump out the liquid. Then I'd break up the ice, or let it thaw/melt some by itself, and I would throw it out on the lawn. It was that much less we had to evaporate!

Steve

[slammer3364]

If it freezes I throw the ice out on lawn,boil down the liquid

[killingworthmaple]

I had the same freezing problem this week and always heard that it could be discarded but I wasn't sure. I took some of the ice melted it and put it in my hydrometer cup and measured it sure enough sap hydrometer read zero. From now on any ice in the buckets and tank are being discarded unless its frozen solid.

Nathan

[cpmaple]

back when i boiled on a 2x3 i let some ice melt down and took a sugar reading on it tested at .5% not worth the time to boil it since then any ice in my pails i throw out only thing the ice is good for is to keep your sap nice and cold.

[Darkhollow Sugar Bush]

i have 200 gallons and it froze solid in the tank. how long will it keep or do i just pitch all of it when it thaws?

[Big_Eddy]

If it froze solid - all your sugar is contained in the ice. Leave it somewhere where it can thaw gradually and use it. It will keep fine as long as there is still some ice left in the tank and it isn't in direct sunlight. Once you have 80-90% out of the tank - the rest is just ice anyway so you can let the remaining ice melt and drain in the sun.

[Lloyd Miller]

Today I tested the sap with my hygrometer and indeed the sugar was in the liquid and the ice had about 0.5%.
Therefore, out goes the ice and since half the volume was ice today's boil was half as long as it otherwise would have been.
Thanks everyone.

[Burnt sap]

Chuck the ice or use it to keep da beer cold in da sugaring haus.:cool:

[Sugarmaker]

Folks,
This was a good reminder thread for those that experience this for the first or second time. The key is to get a sap hydrometer and test it! Have dumped tons of ice over the years.
Regards,
Chris

[Tom59]

Ok all question for you. Being a small time mapler, If i want to cut down on my boil time , all I have to do is freeze some of my sap to increase the sugar percentage? Lets say, throw a 5 gallon container in the freezer overnite, or 8 to 12 hours, take it out, chuck the ice & the sap is more concentrated?

[not_for_sale]

As long as the temperature is not less than 15 F in your freezer you will have more concentrated sap if you toss that ice.