How much longer can I expect good sap?

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Hi Folks,

My first year, and just started 3 weeks ago.
The weather is changing to warm finally. I have only been tapped for two weeks, and have 50 taps now. Got a total of 120 gallons, and made just a gallon of Grade B last Wed. Will boil another today or tomorrow.
It has been so cold here, at 2000ft, and some days so little sap. Now it will warm up. Any idea how long I can expect the sap to run under the following conditions? 2 Days?
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.80604356394655&lon=-73.0120038986206

Thanks,

Eric

Here is my new member intro...
http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?20488-Hello-and-thanks.-Newbie-Intro

[happy thoughts]

I don't see any freezing temps in your forecast. I wouldn't expect any sap flow.

[wiam]

I don't see any freezing temps in your forecast. I wouldn't expect any sap flow.

It would run with vacuum

[happy thoughts]

He mentioned frozen milk jugs. Somehow I wasn't thinking vaccuum :)

Eric- looked at your videos. That's a very nice set up for a block arch! You really put some thought into it :) Looks like the siphons are working well for you.

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Yes, a lot of thought and designed using many ideas from others here, as well as some of my own. I did very well for a steam pan arch, as I am boiling 8 gph. That was the average on two 50 gallon sap batches, the second today, which I just finished tonight, and got a little over a gallon. I will be doing one for on Tuesday I guess with the sap that is out there waiting for collection tomorrow. No more cold nights, so it looks like I am done till next year when I will get an early start, and let the tubing do the word from up the hill! Both my batches were Grade B, which is all right with us, as we usually have tried to buy that.

Eric
2013 50 taps
Block arch with fire brick
pre-heater
8gph
Grade B only

[PerryW]

My non-vacuum trees ran great for 48 hours after the last freeze(right through the night and into the next day), but that doesn't always happen.

[maple flats]

My buds are still tight, if you have frozen jugs, your are likely tight too, especially since we have not seen many days in a row without a freeze. With tight buds I will most likely get another run next weekend, since the forecast calls for 33 Friday night and again Saturday night. If that temp. is correct, my taps are all up in the hills where it is usually 3-5 degrees colder at night (but not always). If you are on sugar maples you may get 2-3 more days. I don't know what is after that. However with buckets you may be disadvantaged, because the warm temperatures between now and the weekend my get bacteria going enough for bucket taps to dry up. Only time will tell if that will be the case, but since you are only tapped 3 weeks you may still be OK.

[DoubleBrookMaple]

My buds are still tight, if you have frozen jugs, your are likely tight too, especially since we have not seen many days in a row without a freeze. With tight buds I will most likely get another run next weekend, since the forecast calls for 33 Friday night and again Saturday night. If that temp. is correct, my taps are all up in the hills where it is usually 3-5 degrees colder at night (but not always). If you are on sugar maples you may get 2-3 more days. I don't know what is after that. However with buckets you may be disadvantaged, because the warm temperatures between now and the weekend my get bacteria going enough for bucket taps to dry up. Only time will tell if that will be the case, but since you are only tapped 3 weeks you may still be OK.

The sap is running good today..
I went out today and gathered 30 gallons off my 50 taps. I checked, and flow rate is anywhere from 16-30 drops per minute today. I placed a couple more, and one is running at.... get this.. 120 drops per minute for a couple hours now. Many of my taps are on tubing into containers. Just 10 old 7/16 bucket taps.
Some of the trees are budding a little now. I read somewhere that the syrup can taste bad off those. Should I pull those taps?

Thanks,

Eric

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Most of the snow melted off here today, but still lots of it around, and most of the buds are still tight up the hill. Sap is still running, and I will collect in the morning and boil off maybe 80 gallons from 2 1/2 days. That will require 10 hours. Temps are dropping through the week, and will drop below freezing, and mid twenty's Saturday night here. Maybe one more good run.... I started late, and enjoying this to much.
I visited a local producer and chatted with him. His vacuum is running good he said, and on the way out I check his buckets. They were running and half full. He is hoping for the cold weekend. He expects a yield somewhere between the last couple years.