Western New York

[pathfinder22]

Putting in a few taps at home Thursday night to catch the weekend thaw.

Looks to be cold for a bit longer after that so I will wait to get taps at my cabin.
accuweather temps do not look that good til march. I can only check the buckets on weekends so not really worth the drive for a couple gallons.

[plattmaple]

Did any one else get any ice damage from Tuesdays storm? I only had time today for a drive thru of our one bush, and i didn't like what i saw! Lots of branches down on lines. Errr! We were hoping for all snow, but that didn't happen! Looks like the sap might run this weekend, so there's not much time to get things fixed up. No rest for a sugarmaker i guess!

[barnbc76]

This is my second year, i tapped the end of jan and ive gotten 20 gals sap from 7 taps... waiting for my other taps to come in so i can expand. I got a decent run yesterday, hopefuly it keeps this up. I just cant wait to try out my new arch.

[Tickle]

Tapped yesterday ,got all 50 in ,all reds and silvers and 2 sugar maples ,and boy were they flowing

[wnybassman]

Got some flow yesterday and about half as much overnight. Small trees stopped and big trees still dripping a little. I think the ground is still frozen a little under this blanket of snow from the extreme cold just before it snowed.

[pathfinder22]

10 taps in at home, smaller trees are bone dry.....weird.
Took a run to my cabin this morning, tapped another 10, most were flowing good.
Now just watchin the race................

[mudr]

So what are people at for sap/tap. I tapped in late January, and I just broke 4 gal per tap (today is feb 21). Just curious. Having a blast this year.

Go sabres!

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm at 3.3 gallons per tap on 120 taps so far this season. I had a long but average run of about 120 gallons from Friday afternoon through today. I made 3 gallons this weekend which probably brings me to 7 or 8 for season so far. I'm making all dark with lower sugar concentration, even with RO. I'm a little concerned because I have 50 taps that have been exposed to 3 days of 50+ degree weather. Hopefully they can last long enough to catch the best runs.

[wnybassman]

I had a 92 gallon run for this warm-up, from 80 taps. 1.8% Today's boil seemed REALLY slow, just couldn't pick up the pace. Hoping for a run mid week with another few days of favorable temps after a little freeze.

I have not kept perfect track of sap totals so far, but from what I can remember from a couple weeks ago, and this weekend, I am up around 4 to 4.25 gallons per tap.

[jimsudz]

3/16 have been in for two runs and have produced 4.6g/tap. Tapped 230 on 5/16 plus vacuum before this last run and got 1.2 g/tap.Finished 17 gallons of amber to date. 3/16 have been 1.5%-1.7% and the 230 have averaged 1.35%

[lyford]

Anybody else not tap yet, I've been out of town and can't decide if I should tap my 90 buckets for this 3 day warm up or wait til after the next cold spell, don't wanna miss any late season flows. If I was vacuum I'd go all in for sure but buckets I'm hesitant. Any thoughts?

[Tickle]

i was out of town and came home friday and tapped on saturday and today i have 45 taps all on buckets and collected about 20 gals of sap so far,today was high of 35 and some were driping slow hoping good run tommorow before the cold sets back in , but to answer your question if i were you and had not tapped yet i would make sure i had them in before next warm up so i didnt miss anymore ,but thats me , i had a hard enough time waiting on the first warm up before polar vortex brought -15 temps last week

[dbeitz1891]

I have 680 on 3/16. And am about at or above 6 gallons per tap. Installed RO yesterday and it's maiden voyage was 900 gallons at 1.45 to just under 200 gallons around 9%

[DANNY-L]

6 gallons per tap on natural vac? We have 1700 on a very steep hill,at least 20' from last tap and we got around 3/4 gal saturday afternoon and through the night. We knew it was a slow run but we expect a bit more. We put in 4 vac gauge's at the top and they ranged 15-25"

[dbeitz1891]

Yes all on natural vac. 500 foot laterals. 35-45 per lateral on big runs

[YBSean]

I put in 64 taps on Saturday (buckets) and have collected 63 gallons with 45 on Saturday alone thanks to a sunny day. Flow has been very slow in this cloudy weather.

[DANNY-L]

Yes all on natural vac. 500 foot laterals. 35-45 per lateral on big runs

Sounds about like our setup so this is good to hear. Sap started dripping this morning at 11 and should run the night and all day tomorrow before being hit with another cold spell.

[dbeitz1891]

Yup. I just checked my tanks on lunch and it's just starting to run. Should pick up as the wind calms and temps rise. I've been very pleased with 3/16. Almost astonished really. I don't have a line under 24 inches of vacuum.

[DANNY-L]

Our only setback is we arent exactly on the right side of the hill. But we feel it'll mean we might get a few days of running when many are starting to clean up.

[wnybassman]

Sap very slow to get going today. I was hoping it would break loose before dark so it could run strong all night into tomorrow, but that doesn't look to be the case.

[DANNY-L]

Going by accu weather it's suppose to start climbing around 4pm,I hope so

[wnybassman]

Going by accu weather it's suppose to start climbing around 4pm,I hope so

Wow, according to Accuweather, after Friday it looks like awesome weather for the next couple weeks. Lots of warmth and good freezes.

[dcurtis1971]

Due to a family issue I have not tapped yet this year. I was wondering if anyone thought there was still enough of the season left to make it worth tapping this weekend?

[barnbc76]

I just added 6 more taps yesterday, up until yesterday i was only at 3 gals/tap but i kinda screwed up drilling the holes so there are alot of leaks ... im hoping this water level receeds as one of my buckets is now in a pond right after i put it there yesterday....

[barnbc76]

Great run past couple days...weather forcast looks excelent...now that i got more taps in i suddenly have more sap than i can handle.

[plattmaple]

Just finished up our second barrel of the year. We have jugged 120 gal. so that puts us at 200 for the year. Last year our first boil was on march 11th. I figure we are at 5.1 gal per tap. We are on gravity with some 3/16.
Gonna drain & clean the evaporator tomorrow. Then walk the woods on sat. & maybee add a few more taps since we have some tubing left.
Looks like sap weather here starting sat. or sun. Gotta get some rest & get ready!
Jeff

[jimsudz]

Gathered 775 gal of sap from New 3/16 bush over the last few days. Brings me up to 6.99 gal/tap. Wish the sugar would come up, been getting an average of 1.6%. My home bush is only averaging 1.4-1.5%.

[wnybassman]

Got exactly 1 gallon per tap on this little run, most of it was after dark last night after the temp spiked at 48º at 4:00am. I got boiling late morning but had to shut it down to do an emergency collection at 2:00 because things were freezing up fast. Sucks with no help during the week. Fired back up at 4:30 after I picked my son up from school.

The next couple weeks look pretty nice for good flows!!!


https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12745462_1681288388808049_2790720955040813542_n.jp g?oh=20b1911c7e479a8db4c02feae4df9561&oe=575824BA

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I only got 80 gallons with this run on 119 buckets. I think the temps here never reached higher than about 38 but I think most of the time it was above freezing, it was colder than 38. Oh well. Looking forward to the weekend and a pretty good forecast after that. So far I am making all dark robust this year. The sugar has been only 1.5-2.0%. Hopefully my tap holes keep flowing for a few good runs. Sunday is supposed to be 55, then cold again. I think that makes it the 4th 50+ degree day with the taps in.

[MapleMark753]

Experienced natures RO last small run, overall average was 3.3 percent on raw sap. .....Of course a third of the collection was ice I threw out, but still it was nice. (nope didn't melt and measure the sap ice) We're making all Amber so far. Zero golden, and no dark either yet. This is a little unusual in that it normally starts out golden, and goes darker from there as the season goes on.
good luck all
Mark

[Homespun]

I tapped my few trees this morning. The sapwood was just barely frozen (but mostly thawed). The long range weather forecast looks really promising.

Update: 2/28/16 - Just a couple ounces of sap (total) were in the buckets at sundown on tapping day (yesterday). The temps stayed at 40 deg F all night since sundown, but at sunrise this morning I collected 2-1/4 gallons of 2-1/4%.

I hope the rest of you have a very productive season!

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I added 24 more taps yesterday afternoon. All were flowing. I'm for a good run today, then it's going to be cold during the week. The last 4 or 5 days of the all forecast look like all 50s with no freeze at night. Hopefully the long-term outlook changes like it always does. I'm not ready to be done.

[wnybassman]

I added 24 more taps yesterday afternoon. All were flowing. I'm for a good run today, then it's going to be cold during the week. The last 4 or 5 days of the all forecast look like all 50s with no freeze at night. Hopefully the long-term outlook changes like it always does. I'm not ready to be done.

Mine opened up last night a bit, so far a .5 gal/tap for this run. Seems like smaller trees are already slowing down since last evening and bigger trees are just getting going this morning. We still have snow cover in the woods from the storm a couple weeks ago, and I think there is still frost in the ground from the extreme cold just before that.

I hope my taps last at least a few more weeks.

[barnbc76]

This crazy wind had a few of my buckets blown off the tubing, i was real dissapointed because out of the 13 taps those 4 taps produce 60% of my sap.. this is a nice run otherwise. Looking foward to boiling again...last boil i got 1/2 gal and 8 oz from 24 gal sap. Just eclipsed the amount of sap i got all last year at 44 gal.

[Waynehere]

62 degrees out and barely running. Maybe they will open up overnight and have a big surprise for us in the morning... :)

[barnbc76]

Its the same temp here but it is flowin great...

[plattmaple]

64 here and flowing ok but not great. Too much south wind, way too warm.

[Waynehere]

Just checked again and now it broke loose. Gonna have to take tomorrow off I think... :)

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I got close to 150 gallons of 2.5% today and still flowing at 1PM. The taps I drilled yesterday definitely outperformed the older tap holes. I will have to collect the leftovers Monday afternoon and boil again tomorrow. Weirdest thing...my sap today was the clearest freshest looking sap I've had all season. The sweet in my went from dark to amber too. Very noticeable how much the syrup lightened up, which is odd since some of my taps are a month old. Hopefully we can make it until the 20th of March or so.

[wnybassman]

Just shy of 100 gallons on this run so far off 85 taps. Big trees keep flowing stronger and stronger just before dark tonight and the smaller trees really slowed down. Should have about 30 more gallons by morning. Won't be boiling until tomorrow evening at the earliest, so hopefully my insulated milk tank proves its worth and keeps the sap cool enough.

Had a steady flow of visitors today. My evaporation rate suffered, but it is awfully nice to have company. :)

[barnbc76]

30 gal in 2 days with 13 taps...not bad.

[wnybassman]

A little worried about the 5 or 6 days in a row next week in the 50's, with only one low below freezing at 31 during that time. That won't be good for my aging taps. Looks great for a couple weeks after that though.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

A little worried about the 5 or 6 days in a row next week in the 50's, with only one low below freezing at 31 during that time. That won't be good for my aging taps. Looks great for a couple weeks after that though.

I'm thinking the exact same thing as you. I collected another 90 gallons today which was the last of the weekend run. I still have to filter and grade, but tonight was the lightest syrup I have ever made. I hope it grades golden for me.

Anyway, I think I should get one more big run if the weather people are correct. I hope they are wrong because 5 straight days above 50 with no freeze is probably going to end it.

[mudr]

I'm thinking the exact same thing as you. I collected another 90 gallons today which was the last of the weekend run. I still have to filter and grade, but tonight was the lightest syrup I have ever made. I hope it grades golden for me.

Anyway, I think I should get one more big run if the weather people are correct. I hope they are wrong because 5 straight days above 50 with no freeze is probably going to end it.

I was talking to the wife about this stuff too. Days are getting longer, now that many days in the 50s and even low 60s. I head peepers at my house yesterday morning already.

Pulled 62 gallons out of the woods yesterday from my 38 taps. Best run I've had in my not quite 2 years. 55 gallon barrel full in trailer and two 5 gallon buckets sloshing. Was a slow ride up on the 3 wheeler. Now I've got 90 gallons waiting to get boiled at 8-10 gal/hr. Good news is its cold and won't spoil. Hope it doesn't turn into a block of ice for friday.

Now I've got to take my wx10 into my small engine guy. I've got it narrowed down to a blockage in the carb. I'm smart enough to figure that out, and am smart enough to realize that I don't have the tools, time, and knowhow to tackle that project. I'd rather pay someone to do it right in half the time. :)

[peterjd89]

I know it might be too early to tell put next week when we get into the 60s will it be the end of the season

[plattmaple]

It was 58 here today. Way too hot! But the sap did run really good. I just wish the sugar content was better. Ours was 1.3 the last 2 days. If it would have been at least 1.6 like it was running, we would have made another 20 gal. Plus our sap turned real cloudy today so i don't how much longer we have. If we get the really warm temps next they are forecasting, i don't see us going past tue. or wed. So far we are at 80% crop, but we have gotten more sap this year than last year. If the sugar content would have been 2% we would have a record crop going. There's nothing you can do about it & i still love making syrup no matter what we get.
Jeff

[jimsudz]

Jeff can't believe you were at 58 yesterday . I'm in bennington ,only 25-40 miles and we were only in the lower 30's all day. I think I better go check my tanks maybe it ran and I did know. Yes you are right next week temps look disappointing. Hope the long range forecast changes. I'm no where near 1/2 crop yet. Think possitive.

[jimsudz]

Sorry Jeff my bad, thought you were from portageville. I see you are in portville, much further away than I thought. Seems the last few fronts have kept you warmer then us.

[highlandcattle]

On 450 taps we have 1525 gallons of sap at 2%, bottled about 20 gallons of robust with great flavor. Now the rest is bulk. Horizontal snow right now with really high winds. Ron had to shut off the windmill at the sap house. Spinning so hard was tripping the breaker. House turbines are screaming. We'll keep going until the peepers are out and the trees bud. Love that Hanna meter!

[barnbc76]

I always wondered if those windy days were good for windmills, i pass one everyday to work we've had a lot of wind this week and last.
Made 1 gal syrup from 32 gals sap yesterday....

[wnybassman]

This next run early next week may be it for me. That long range gets worse and worse, now they are saying 8 days without going below freezing and most of those highs are mid to upper 50's. Yuck Yuck Yuck!!!!

I bottled just over 6 1/2 gallons today of Robust.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s163/wnybassman/maple/3-2-16_bottling2_zpsnzedq17d.jpg

[plattmaple]

Jimsudz,
We are located right on the Pa. Ny. border & yes we have been quite a bit warmer than you this year.Hopefully for you, that will work in your favor this coming week. So how has your season been so far? We have had some big runs, made a fair amount of syrup, and have had a blast doing it!
Jeff

[jimsudz]

Jeff, right now i'm at 1/4 crop. I did miss a few early runs. I'm tickled pink of a new bush I set up on 3/16. 324 taps and gathered 2925 g of sap so far.Sugar % been a little lower than I'd hoped for.But it is what it is.My home bush,230 on vac has just got up and running.only have gathered 3 times at home. Sugar started lower than usual but is coming up. Hope i can weather this warm spell.New bush has sothern exposure, so I'm hoping for lots of wind and clouds next week.Usually hang 150-200 buckets but not this year. need to up size my RO. Having fun though.

[plattmaple]

jimsudz. Do you work the maple booth at the Alexander steam show, or the Erie co. fair maple booth? I think i may have talked to you at one of them last summer?
Jeff

[jimsudz]

I work at steam show,erie county fair,wyoming county fair , and a day at the state fair. I run into a lot of good people at these events,hard to keep track.

[bowtie]

I have only boiled three times so far, and will finish everything so far tomorrow, was waiting for parts for finisher. I have about 100 gallons of frozen sap in tank right now. I tapped about two ago and have only had 3-4 runs. I would bet that the season will last until late March or early April as the temps will likely return to normal after this next warm streak. Definitely a strange year compared to the last two years but similar to the few years before them. Everyone always gets worried when they see some warm temps early but Mother Nature seems to have it figured out pretty well. Anyway we can only get what nature gives us and be happy about it.

[wnybassman]

Today's warmth got the trees loosened up a little bit by late afternoon and a few buckets even had an inch or so in them. Shortly after dark it quickly dropped to 29º, the ground surface froze a bit and taps had ice on them. The temp bottomed out, but quickly turned around and it is already up to 37º. The "test tree" by the house is already dripping a little. I have a feeling I'll be collecting at least some of the buckets before work tomorrow so they don't overflow before I get home.

[plattmaple]

Was hoping for a big run today but it didn't happen. We did get 700 gal, but the sugar is horrible. 1.2% It looks like we will be pulling taps later this week & starting the cleanup. I doubt it will run much here tomorrow since the temps are going to be in the 60's.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I was thinking it would be a great run today, but it was just so so. I picked up 90 gallons of 2.5 which is great, but I will have to see how much is in the buckets after work Tuesday 3/8 to really judge the run. I think that might be it for me too. I will keep the taps in past the weekend but I don't think the forecast will change much. The older tap holes are noticeably much slower than the newer ones. It was good learning experience this year with timing when to tap and observing how flow declines over time.

[wnybassman]

I was thinking it would be a great run today, but it was just so so. I picked up 90 gallons of 2.5 which is great, but I will have to see how much is in the buckets after work Tuesday 3/8 to really judge the run. I think that might be it for me too. I will keep the taps in past the weekend but I don't think the forecast will change much. The older tap holes are noticeably much slower than the newer ones. It was good learning experience this year with timing when to tap and observing how flow declines over time.

So-so run here today too. About 70 gallons from 85 taps collected just before dark. Big trees still going strong though, and in the woods there still felt like a frost under the surface slime, so I am hoping for a bit of a release by morning. I put five new taps in last week, and those five weren't doing any better than the ones I put in in January. That actually made me feel better about the early tapping I did. If we didn't have this warm-up, I feel mine would have been OK for another couple weeks or so.

Still sucks though. Not ready to be done. Hoping for a 2 gallon/tap run all said and done for this round. I didn't check the sugar in it, I'm boiling it tomorrow no matter what :)

[wnybassman]

Big trees ran great overnight and the smaller trees are about done. I'm going out to light the fire.

[barnbc76]

Well looks like this last run is a good one...my big trees are all still producing as they have been probably next to nothing off my smaller trees... shoud be boiling tomorrow. Wil it continue like this another day or more? I've run out of buckets to hold all this sap..

[wnybassman]

Little trees actually picked up a bit today from what they were dripping this morning. Boiled off 110 gallons, collected 50 more before dark and decided to shut down to fire back up in the morning after I collect again. Should have 80ish for tomorrow. Sap slightly cloudy but should hold overnight I hope.

Holding off pulling taps until Saturday. Two different forecasts showing 35º for Friday night, and I am hoping they are off by 5 or 6 degrees :D

[plattmaple]

Just when we were about to throw in the towel because of a lack of sap and such warm temps yesterday- we get a pretty good run. Go figure! We started boiling at 11am. with around 700 gal. boiled 10 hrs, and still have 700 gal, and it is still running. I can't figure this year out for sure! We just hope the sap keeps ok till tomorrow. I didn't want to stop tonight, but i was wore out and i have to work at 5:30am. We now figure tomorrow will be it for us.

[jimsudz]

Got 650g on monday.Got 775 today . 3/16 was running good when I picked up a load at 3:00 pm. Made 12 gal of a light dark yesterday and 13.5 g of dark robust this evening.I'm at 80 gal. right now.Sap has been nice and clear.Will see what tomorrow brings.It was 81* in the shanty this evening.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Yes it's 3AM and I am just laying down to bed. I got 215 gallons from 143 taps today at about 2.2%. So, that's about 300 total from yesterday to now. Unfortunately I was pretty much on my own collecting so it took a while. Because of the warmth I felt like I had to get it all boiled tonight. Almost 5 gallons of amber rich tonight. I hope we get one more run before the taps are pulled.

[mudr]

Collected 50 gallons last night from my 52 taps, probably going to be my last collection out here in elba. Just looked at some of the buckets around the house, I got maybe a cup or two last night and the taps are were not dripping.

Ive got 100 gallons on hand that, unfortunately, I can't get to till Friday night due to being slammed at work, a lot going on after work, and kids. I've got the sap inside a metal shop and am freezing and adding sap ice chunks every 12 hrs. Hope that keeps it cool enough. Getting a sap hydrometer in mail today (and new syrup hydrometer since I broke mine). Will test sap friday.

[wnybassman]

Another 35-40 gallons this morning, making a total of about 190 gallons of sap off 85 taps for this run. Probably get another 10+ by days end. Not bad. Sap got cloudy overnight though. Accuweather showing 31 degrees Friday night, down from 35 they were saying yesterday. Slight hope....................

[wnybassman]

Wrapping up right now, 8 more gallons is the head tank and that's it. Awesome run!! Boiled 110 gallons yesterday, and 115 today. 225 gallons from 85 taps (mostly buckets) ain't too shabby for one run. Sap is still running a little, but getting awfully cloudy. Syrup turned pretty dark. It's time.

Very thankful for this awesome last run though!!!

[MapleMark753]

Got a couple of last good loads of sap today from our woods trees. The woods ones are about 10 degrees cooler than the pasture edge ones, which were done yesterday. Today, after collection early, I went back out to see if any of the full sun trees were salvageable sap wise. Nope. Breaks my heart to see full bags, and realize the sap is not good. Sap had started to turn, (only took a few/ couple of hours of warm and sun) so boiled what we got, and we'll call it a season. Unless it goes back into the good freeze thaw cycle before budding begins...lol...got a couple hundred trees in reserve to tap if that's the case. ;)
This is the only year where we've had zero cloudy sap. All clear, and then the clear started to go bad, ferment I guess. Fizzy. Chose not to boil iffy sap. If it IS done for the year, this is about a month early for us. We usually, on average, go til about the second week of April. We'll see!
take care, Mark

[Waynehere]

We collected 400 gal today, 540 yesterday on 220 taps. Most disappointing is the sugar is only 1.5% last couple of days. Highest we got all season was 2%. We are all yard trees and are use to 3-3.5%. Have heard of others having bad sugar content as well. Was thinking about wrapping it up tonight, but think we will wait and see what all this rain tomorrow will bring. Have seen some pretty weird runs after a rain, especially when the ground is so dry...

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I went out today and was surprised to get 150 gallons on this lovely 72 degree day. So, over the last three days I got 450 gallons from 143 taps. My Syrup also turned dark. I didn't hear any peepers but the ants are having a field day. I think it's over unless we get a freeze Friday night, but it's not looking good. Overall I'm less than 100 gallons short of my goal for the season but far shorter on syrup due to lower sugar contents.

I was just reading that La Nina is coming and that should mean a much colder winter going into 2017.

[Marlin]

Similar experience here -- 1.5 gal/tap yesterday, and 4.5 gal/tap for the 3-day run. A little bit in all the buckets this morning, but sugar content is getting very low.

[barnbc76]

Finished up our last boil last night, 52 gals made 1.5 gal syrup, (used my hydrometer for the first time) and it only took 10 hrs on 15 taps, of which only half were running, but the ones that were did great. Rain messed with us a bit but it wasnt too bad. I out did last year with 126 gal, 3.5 gal of syrup i am very happy and look forward to getting it right next year.

Hey marlin, i'm curious about small RO, and how much they cost to make, i have a bunch of trees i could tap, but i wouldn't be able to spend that much time boiling, so i was wondering if it was more cost efficient to buid a cheap RO rather than spend more on my evaporator.

[wnybassman]

Accuweather saying 28º for tomorrow night here. I might go around tomorrow afternoon and give all my buckets a quick rinse with some fresh water if that forecast holds for another day.

[bowtie]

Did not get a chance to check buckets yesterday so I will have to dump any sap I in them tomorrow, but from about 210 taps I have only made 11 gallons with about 2 left to finish, not a good ratio so far, especially if the season is over. My only saving grace may be that almost all my taps are high up on a hill and the trees are usually later to bud. My trees usually are closer to 5-7 taps per gallon of syrup made but not the 20ish per gallon this year. You can only take what Mother Nature gives and be happy about it at least I will anyway.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I went out and got the last of it today. A final 40 gallons and I didn't bother with the RO. The big trees really gave a lot this week. Four straight nights of boiling and 490 gallons of sap in that time. That's almost half of what I had hoped for this season but due to lower sugar content I'm a few gallons short. Hopefully they will run again Saturday and after that I'm thinking it's really over. I heard peepers today.

[Marlin]

Hey marlin, i'm curious about small RO, and how much they cost to make, i have a bunch of trees i could tap, but i wouldn't be able to spend that much time boiling, so i was wondering if it was more cost efficient to build a cheap RO rather than spend more on my evaporator.

I gotta say I love the RO. It certainly saves me a huge amount of boiling time and fuel/energy. I simply turn on the pump and let it run, and it removes 4-5 gal/hr while I go off and do something else and check on it every hour or two. I'll send you a PM with more info, but I think you could probably get started for $200-$250. Since I'm heating with propane, it made a lot of sense for me to go this route, but whether it's more cost-effective for you depends on your evaporator. If you have free wood and a wood-fired evaporator, maybe it makes more sense for you to upgrade your evaporator -- I can't say that what's best for me will be what's best for you.

See this thread http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?12517-Homemade-RO for great information about DIY RO. I essentially built the one shown in the photo in post #39, except with two 150 gpd RO membranes (so far) and without the insulated box.

[barnbc76]

Perhaps it will flow again with this cold night. I had one tree give me 5 gal yesterday, still clear. Peepers and frogs here Wednesday.

[82cabby]

Finished up our last boil last night, 52 gals made 1.5 gal syrup, (used my hydrometer for the first time) and it only took 10 hrs on 15 taps, of which only half were running, but the ones that were did great. Rain messed with us a bit but it wasnt too bad. I out did last year with 126 gal, 3.5 gal of syrup i am very happy and look forward to getting it right next year.

Hey marlin, i'm curious about small RO, and how much they cost to make, i have a bunch of trees i could tap, but i wouldn't be able to spend that much time boiling, so i was wondering if it was more cost efficient to buid a cheap RO rather than spend more on my evaporator.

I built mine for about $500 and it's worth every penny. It will remove a gallon of water every 7.5 minutes which really speeds things up.

[wnybassman]

Kind of disappointed in the run today after the effort I put into cleaning things yesterday. About 35 gallons of 2% clear sap.

A few things jumped out at me. We must have been right on the edge of the right temperature for a decent run. On the slope behind the house (40' drop tops), the upper trees did squat, while the lower trees on the slope spit way more sap out. A couple of those were only two week old taps that nearly filled the buckets. Which led me to believe it was a tap age thing, but the buckets I had down at my neighbors had four nearly full buckets and those were seven week old taps, but he is a 1/4 mile down the road, and lower in elevation. My other neighbor "up" the road did not do as well. I think some trees just froze a little better than others, and if we dropped another few degrees it may have been a heck of a run.

Anyway, I'll collect in the morning. The best running trees should give me another 10-15 gallons and enough total to fire things up one last time for a few hours and make another gallon more than I would have if I pulled the other day.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

About 90 gallons today of "marginal" sap at 2%. By marginal I mean a little cloudy. The steam aroma is starting to change. It's pretty much over for me unless the forecast changes. Nevertheless I made about 27 gallons. I'm not experienced but I'd say this has been a strange season.

[pathfinder22]

I am all done,
Trees are budding and peepers are peepin'.
The last batch was dark but flavorful.
Pulled about 100 gallons, finished 2 gallons + a little bit which mysteriously disappeared this morning. Thought I smelled french toast while I was outside.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I pulled my oldest 50 taps taps today and collected about 27 gallons of marginal sap. Just enough to fire up and then I chased the sweet out of the pan with permeate. I just have to boil down about 3 gallons of sweet. I will pull the other taps Monday or Tuesday. No freezes in the forecast, high daytime temps and buckets are getting slimy, so I figure it's over for 2016. I should have about 27 gallons when I'm done canning. A very early start and strange weather for this season. My goal was 30 gallons, but I'm happy I got as much as I did considering the weather. Time to get things cleaned and put away.

[Marlin]

I am all done,
Trees are budding and peepers are peepin'.

I've got peepers now too, and I've finished up processing all of my stored sap. I might call it quits in the next day or two, but right now I'm hesitating because all my taps are still showing some activity. I got a 0.25 gal/tap in last 24 hrs, and it's still clear & free of off-flavors. If I quit now, I'll be happy with this year's crop -- I ended up with the same sap volume as last year, though the sugar content was lower (2.5 gal syrup vs. last year's 3 gal). But the only reason I got the same volume was because I put in 40% more taps this year -- I was worrying about the weird winter weather, and hedged my bets.

[Marlin]

All taps warm and dry for two days now. Going to leave them in thru the weekend to see if the upcoming freeze/thaw cycles revive them, but not expecting anything.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Going to leave them in thru the weekend to see if the upcoming freeze/thaw cycles revive them, but not expecting anything.

Me too. I would expect some sap for sure, but how the syrup tastes from sap is the question.

[barnbc76]

I still have 2 trees giving a gallon a day, sweet but starting to taste buddy only a little though.

[wnybassman]

I hate afterthoughts. If I was smart, I would have left a few taps in on random trees just to see how this upcoming weather would have run for me on old tapholes, for future reference. Maybe I am better off not knowing! lol

[bowtie]

I am giving my buckets a quick cleaning and hoping for a big run at the end of this week. My trees have not pushed buds in the woods and I would not expect them to for a couple of weeks still. Maybe this will be the year having higher elevation trees will pay off, maybe. As long as the sap is good I will continue to give it a go, but I will keep an eye on the tres and dump and buckets that are cloudy. I know cloudy sap can be fine but after having a bad experience with metabolism a few years I ago I don't like to mess with cloudy or questionable sap. I love making syrup but nasty boils are not for me.

[bowtie]

I acrually am going to dump about 100 gallons I collect yesterday because it is a little cloudy and has a little bit of a fruity smell. Not worth chancing a bad boil.

[Revi]

We don't have quite enough to boil yet, and I'm hoping it keeps until we do. It's going to be in the mid 50's today, but up on cold mountain where we have our sugarhouse it will probably not get that warm. I used to live in Alfred, Bowtie. We have a 2x6 Phaneuf also. I saw Patrick making it up in Ste. Marguerite, Quebec.

[wnybassman]

How are the Western New York guys doing? What am I missing? lol

My tapholes have been oozing pretty good yesterday and today. Have no idea on the quality or quantity of the sap though.

[jimsudz]

yesterday my 3/16 ran a 1/2 gal /tap vac at home ran but not as much stayed frozen til 1 an froze up by 6:30.3/16 bush is a southern exposure,which will end the soonest but made good syrup today.sugar was the highest also finally was 2%. didnt check tank today but home bush ran slow today also.

[Waynehere]

With the temps dropping into the low 20's every night, the trees are barley starting to break loose then freeze back up. I think we will have to wait till the warm up they are calling for on Tuesday and see what happens.

[Tickle]

i am very curious to see how my trees do ,as half of them had budded out prior to this freeze up so it will be interesting to see how this affects the sap ,hopefully for the good

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm still hanging in there too. Hoping for some sap that isn't buddy on Tuesday into Wednesday. I will have to boil some on the stove to check first. But, I haven't noticed that any of the buds are swelling. The cold has delayed things, but once it warms up again it won't be long.

[Marlin]

I'm still hanging in there too. Hoping for some sap that isn't buddy on Tuesday into Wednesday. I will have to boil some on the stove to check first. But, I haven't noticed that any of the buds are swelling. The cold has delayed things, but once it warms up again it won't be long.

We had high winds come through on Thurs afternoon, and I had to go out and reconnect my buckets that got blown around. While I was doing that, I noticed red buds on the ground. Not too many (it'll be a carpet later), but they're definitely starting, so I'm not expecting much sap. The last two years the reds all shut off abruptly at bud time, and I only have two sugar taps.

[barnbc76]

Got 10 gallon of SAP off the only trees still running 1 bucket clear the other a bit dark but not buddy

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I got 55 gallons yesterday and hoping for more today. I boiled it and it doesn't have any odd flavor or aftertaste. Hopefully what I get today isn't buddy.

[wnybassman]

I think I erred in pulling all my taps a week ago. Every tree is pumping out the sap during the last half of the day, all have icicles in the morning that go all the way to the ground from the tap hole. Buds are still relatively tight except for the big yard tree which has bulged a little but still not popped.

I goofed.

Lesson learned

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I think I erred in pulling all my taps a week ago. Every tree is pumping out the sap during the last half of the day, all have icicles in the morning that go all the way to the ground from the tap hole. Buds are still relatively tight except for the big yard tree which has bulged a little but still not popped.

I goofed.

Lesson learned

Would it be impossible to re-set your taps and do one last boil? The holes are already drilled. I'm not sure if such a thing is frowned upon.

[wnybassman]

Would it be impossible to re-set your taps and do one last boil? The holes are already drilled. I'm not sure if such a thing is frowned upon.

Seeing I have already spent a better part of a day washing, sanitizing, scrubbing, drying and tucking everything away, yes, it would be an impossibility at this time. lol

Like I said, lesson learned. I will go 'til the bitter end in the future. Pun intended. :)

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Seeing I have already spent a better part of a day washing, sanitizing, scrubbing, drying and tucking everything away, yes, it would be an impossibility at this time. lol

Like I said, lesson learned. I will go 'til the bitter end in the future. Pun intended. :)

Can't blame you. I would not want to get everything dirty again either.

[Tickle]

pulled all old taps that were not running and new taps running like crazy , collected 10 gal this am and just went out and collected another 6 gal on about 15 taps , lost count on new taps old taps and one i have pulled ,a little crazy around here right now as i want to get it boiled down right away and worked last night and have to work tonight and tomorrow,but loving every minute of it as i know the season is coming to an end and will be counting the days till next season

[wnybassman]

For the heck of it I popped a tubing spout in a hole to see what I was missing.

Crap!

Hole drilled 1/28/16



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_VGxU2HArk

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I collected about 80 gallons today bringing it to 135 over the last two. The syrup lightened up today and the sap was crystal clear. So far no "buddiness". I might get the leftovers tomorrow and I'm thinking that this weekend might be it for me. Many tap holes have really slowed down and some have stopped. I've been going for almost 2 months. It feels like it has taken forever to come close to my 30 gallon goal and it's taken more taps than planned to make it happen. Getting tired.

[Tickle]

hang in there it will be over soon and before you know it you will be wishing you were still going and counting down the days till the next season

[Waynehere]

I collected 180 gal of decent sap and dumped another 50 from 2 tanks that have the older tubing. Guess I need to replace those sections next year. Made almost 4 gallon of Grade B tonight. But I have some customers just begging for this too.. Trees still running yet.

[jimsudz]

Gathered 440g of 1.7-1.8% off my 3/16 yesterday and today,crystal clear.140 g off vacuum taps that was cloudy,but not bad. Boiled it down and the shanty smelled much better than maple weekend. Syrup lightened up and has a a strong carmel flavor,definitly not buddy. should have semi full tanks in the morning. Lost a good friend tonight.I broke my long stem sap hydrometer that I had from 1990.I turned my head when I should have been looking at what I was doing.

[jimsudz]

Just checked tanks this morning and yes it did run good. My 3/16 bush has 450+ since 4:30 yesterday. My vac tanks are at 1g/tap. So yes Noel you shouldn't have pulled so early.

[wnybassman]

So yes Noel you shouldn't have pulled so early.

Believe me, I am beating myself up pretty good about it!

[Waynehere]

I had another 150 of good looking sap from overnight. Poor Noel.... :(

[wnybassman]

I had another 150 of good looking sap from overnight. Poor Noel.... :(

Stop it!!! :lol:

I put a red Solo cup on the tap I put in yesterday. Half filled it in about 10 minutes and was just as sweet as could be. I don't dare check the % lol

Seeing we seem to be done with the extreme cold nights, I just took my hood off and flooded the pans with vinegar/water and lit a fire to get it up to a boil.

[mudr]

You and I can commiserate together, bassman. :cry:

[wnybassman]

Still sulking here in WNY. That tap I showed a video of the other day is running even stronger today after last nights light freeze. And 26 tomorrow night? 28 Monday night? :(

[WMF]

You didn't miss out on anything. The sap from the woods I tap a couple miles down the road from you is plentiful, sweet, clear and buddy.

[wnybassman]

You didn't miss out on anything. The sap from the woods I tap a couple miles down the road from you is plentiful, sweet, clear and buddy.

Ouch, that sucks. (But does make me feel better)

One of these days when I see you working around that tank I'm going to stop in and say Hi.

[Troutman10]

I too don't think you missed out on much. I'm not right down the road, but got a small run yesterday and it seemed to have a yellowish tint to it. I figure it'll be a waste of time if I boil it. Gonna stick it out for a couple more days to see but don't really think much will happen for me. Only thing I could have done differently is tap a little earlier, like january.

[jimsudz]

Still making good syrup in Bennington. Fellow sugar maker on the east side of Attica went buddy on Saturday.My new bush in Cowlesville Is still producing good sap. When I bought it I knew it would be a early woods (southern exposure) but I thought it would go bad early.Got 400 g 1.9% yesterday and 250g today. My home bush didnt run as well today but is running good right now,sugar has gone down here. Syrup was dark and strong over the weekend but has lightened up and got milder since the freeze up.I'm not sure if we'll make it for the next freeze,but I should. The syrup is definitly not what I would enter in a competition but it is not commercial.The 3/16 in the new bush is awesome.Yesterday's run was the biggest of the season .

[Urban Sugarmaker]

The syrup is definitly not what I would enter in a competition but it is not commercial.

Since you have one awards before, what do you look for in your syrup that would make it "competition-worthy" syrup? Also, since taste testing is subjective, what are the qualities the judges really like when tasting?

[Waynehere]

We boiled Tues, wed and last night. Made about 11 gallons on my newer lines, about 120 taps. Went from Grade B to medium. Going out to wash my tanks today and hook my Shurflo pumps back up tomorrow since we are suppose to have a low of 25 tonight. Everyone around me pulled their taps 2 weeks ago, so I am really rubbing it in with them about getting out so early... How long is this going to last??? :)

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm holding out for a freeze tonight. We did not get the very high temps the southern portions of WNY experienced yesterday. Either way, I am pulling my taps Sunday because I am leaving town Monday for a week. It's been a 2 month season for me and I am happy with how much I made. Just a few gallons of finished product short of a full crop for buckets.

[jimsudz]

Just boiled in yesterdays sap.The flavor and grade is just getting better. The strong carmel flavor that I was making last weekend has mellowed to early season syrup Flavor. I don't think it will be long and it'll be over. Plan on gathering up everything before church tomorrow and boiling early afternoon.Two weeks ago I was hoping to get to half crop,Just made 165g , last years total was 170g. I was originally wanting to make 250g but the poor weather and lower sugar% that is only a dream. I really happy I made what I've made.Urban too answer your question about comp worthy syrup.You want a good maple flavor, one that matches the grade that it is.You don't want any after taste other than maple. Smooth texture, I,and the judges prefer a thicker syrup. 66.9 not 66.5 brix. You cant control the flavor of the syrup that you produce, so you have to pay attention to the things that you can control. Enter your finest tasting syrup,make sure it is the right density, as clear as possible,presented in a clean container,and read the rules so you Know what they are looking for. If it says to enter in 12oz glass,enter in 12oz glass.If it says hot packed make sure it is hot packed.My Little area of Western New York produces some of the best dark /robust anywhere,followed up by amber.There is a handful of producers within a 2mile radius that do really well at the competitions.The climate and soil conditions must be just right. I said that you can't control you flavor , But actually you can. Keep everything as clean as possible and boil as soon as possible. Hope this helps.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Thanks Jim Sudz. That is very helpful. Someday I'd like to enter a competition and see how I do. There's always more to learn and improve upon in the process of making syrup. Of course I am very pleased with the syrup I have made the last two seasons. But, whenever I taste another producer's syrup it always seems to taste better. Maybe I'm self-conscious. It's kind of like food that always tastes better when someone else makes it. I haven't had yours, but I have had Merle, and it is excellent. Their candy and cream is excellent as well. I mention this because I think they are near you and talked about some good qualities of the syrup in your area.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will pick up my last run and pull the taps. We have to leave town for a few days and I won't be around to get any more sap. Hopefully what I get tomorrow isn't buddy. Either way, I wanted to make at least 30 gallons and I hit 31 not including the sweet in my pan. It's been a 8 and half week season for me, and I am glad I tapped based on weather vs. calendar. If I hadn't pulled my 50 oldest taps a couple weeks ago, I would have had a full crop. To me, I consider a full bucket/gravity crop to be 0.25 gal/tap. I think I will end up with 0.22 or 0.23. Last year was 0.30.

[Waynehere]

The rest of our lines went sour today. So we are all done.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm done. I got 65 gallons today which included whatever ran yesterday too. The steam smelled great today and no off flavor, so I think I missed the buddy sap. After 8 and a half weeks I'm glad to be done, but I'm already looking forward to next year. I have nice little wish list going. Good luck to everyone who is still going.

[jimsudz]

Boiled in 835 g of sap from yesterday and today. Thought about pulling the plug till I seen the forecast for Mon so ill keep going.One section with mostly reds I will not gather.Up to 176 g of syrup. Real low on wood so I will not go much longer.

[wnybassman]

Boiled in 835 g of sap from yesterday and today. Thought about pulling the plug till I seen the forecast for Mon so ill keep going.One section with mostly reds I will not gather.Up to 176 g of syrup. Real low on wood so I will not go much longer.

Even colder Tuesday night.

[barnbc76]

I thought I was done a week and a half ago, but I got another 27 gal on the same 2 trees over the past few days. 3/4 gal syrup Sunday, I probably will get more good SAP since the buds still haven't broken...but I'm just too tired and busy to make anymore. 4 gal for the season.

[jimsudz]

Boiled in 300 g of sap last night,and chased with water.Throwing in the towel.188 g of syrup in the barrels. Running out of wood and need to save some for Maple Weekend, so I can have some heat and steam in the shanty. At mid season I thought i'd only have have half to 3/4 crop, but ended up at a full crop.I can say the quality of syrup since mid march was not to my standards.

[jimsudz]

Still gathering sap from my down town Cowlesville bush. I'm done boiling but sap is still running on my 3/16. Gathered 410g yesterday of 1.8% clear sap and took to a neighbor who is still boiling. 7525 g so far on 324 taps. I knew this woods would start early and was hoping it would run late, because it's in a cool little vally. It is still not buddy but the flavor is off . More of a butterscotch flavor.

[wnybassman]

Still gathering sap from my down town Cowlesville bush. I'm done boiling but sap is still running on my 3/16. Gathered 410g yesterday of 1.8% clear sap and took to a neighbor who is still boiling. 7525 g so far on 324 taps. I knew this woods would start early and was hoping it would run late, because it's in a cool little vally. It is still not buddy but the flavor is off . More of a butterscotch flavor.



What a find that little piece of land was!

[jimsudz]

Pulled all the 3/16 taps today.Dumped about 125-150 gallons of sap. Season is officially over. While pulling taps some of the vacuum gauges were at 25" with sap running good. I did have some gauge at 0, 2 spouts were pulled.I think a deer may have hit the lateral pulling out the spouts.Ended up gathering 7900 gallons off 324 taps. Still need to pull 130 vacuum taps at home bush. I have to check records on Vacuum taps so I can figure out how they performed..34 gallons of syrup per tap.

[wnybassman]

The roller coaster weather pattern continues this winter also. Warm earlier this week, cold now, warm again next week. If this was the end of February I'd be elated!

[Troutman10]

Got my new Evaporator to use this year. Can't wait to take her for a spin, but I will most likely be waiting a little longer till I'm "all in". These different weather changes make me nervous this time of year. Should be an interesting season as I'm taking a class that will be overlapping syrup season. :o

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm waiting a few weeks too. I still don't have my pan back from the manufacturer and I have to set up tubing for 80 taps. I need at least 3 weeks.

[lyford]

Urban, just out of curiosity are you setting up the tubing in the city of Rochester or r u tapping somewhere else? If in the city I can only imagine your confused neighbors!

I too will be waiting as the my arch for the new pan isn't quite ready yet, either am I.

[mudr]

Glad I'm not the only guy in WNY not ready yet. :(

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[barnbc76]

I'm not quite ready either, 90% finished with my arch just have to firebrick it. And waiting for my pan to get welded. Plus need to save enough money for all things I need to make syrup, glad I still have about a month.

[wnybassman]

I think I could be ready to drill holes in about four hours time. I just don't want to until at least the middle of February :)

[dbeitz1891]

I'm thinking about letting this week slide so we can finish up stuff and then tapping the 15th and 16th. We went 13 weeks last year and the taps were still running when we pulled them

[Tickle]

Well once again I am struggling with the decision to tap or not , anyone in the area going to tap today ,the 10 day forecast looks like perfect sap flow weather, just seems to early, I put in 50 taps on buckets, Any thoughts would be great,

[Rosser's Ridge]

I'm holding out even though I missed 1st run last year. I'm struggling with not putting them out but just heard this morning the warm up is gonnybe short lived. February suppose to be below average. Besides that will give me. Little more time to work on the wife to let me spend the $$$ to build an to)

[Tickle]

i think i am overly anxious to get started ,and will wait as well ,Feb. can be a bear for cold weather,dont want to jump the gun and have tap holes dry out at the end, thanks

[wnybassman]

I am going to let this warm spell pass and see what happens after that. I am really hoping to hold off until the first or second week of February, unless February is cold then I'll happily wait longer. This week is supposed to be nice and warm, but not much below freezing at night so it would likely stop on its own anyway.

[Tickle]

good point on it stopping on its own , thanks everyone for sound advice and talking me off the ledge of maple mania

[mudr]

I'm with Bassman. If I had thousands of taps on vac+check valve taps, yeah sure. But I'm all on gravity. I want to time my main production time to hit before my holes dry up.

[mountainvan]

I am one of those guys with some taps and vacuum and have tapped some already, including some buckets using the antimicrobial spiles. The buckets were full last week and if the weather holds will be full in April. With the new spile technology if you want to tap early do it.

[berkshires]

I am one of those guys with some taps and vacuum and have tapped some already, including some buckets using the antimicrobial spiles. The buckets were full last week and if the weather holds will be full in April. With the new spile technology if you want to tap early do it.

What spiles are you talking about? I'd appreciate a link. Thanks!

[Waynehere]

All of our taps are lines and either field or yard trees, so we have to take them down every year. This year we are able to get the lines all up early and tanks put back in place, but will hold off tapping until mid Feb. Feb looks pretty cold if the long range forecast holds true.

[wnybassman]

They pushed the 40+ degrees highs out two more days today. Not supposed to have a high below freezing until 1/28. Same scenario as last year, keep dangling that carrot about a week or so out. Almost seems after ten days, they just revert to historical averages for forecasting.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I won't have a pan until next week and my tubing is not done. Still need to build a head tank stand and set up the float when my pan arrives. So I can't start even if I wanted to, but I was thinking of waiting it out a few more weeks anyway.

[82cabby]

Tapped 5 yesterday and got 10+ gallons over night. Tapped 51 today, all were running hard. Should be a good week.

[mudr]

I haven't been below freezing, even over night, for a week. The forecast shows the same until next Thurs, after which it won't warm up for quite a bit. For me, I'm glad I held off. I understand the folks south of me, like in attica, have been getting runs. But I'm at a lower elevation at the north end of genesee county and typically stay a bit warmer. Being a bit closer to the lake may help too, but im a fair bit inland for a strong effect. I don't see me tapping for at least two weeks.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Tickle]

I am in Niagara county and had to just put in a least one tap today to see how much I would get tapped at 1:30pm so will see how much I get in 24hrs , also want to run a test on new check valve spile and see how long before hole closes up with tapping so early

[wnybassman]

I haven't been below freezing, even over night, for a week. The forecast shows the same until next Thurs, after which it won't warm up for quite a bit. For me, I'm glad I held off. I understand the folks south of me, like in attica, have been getting runs. But I'm at a lower elevation at the north end of genesee county and typically stay a bit warmer. Being a bit closer to the lake may help too, but im a fair bit inland for a strong effect. I don't see me tapping for at least two weeks.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Exact same here, no below freezing in several days. A couple nights forecasted below this week, but barely. Starting Friday it looks like good and cold for a few weeks. February 24th is looking like go time it that forecast holds, which it won't :D I know I have missed a good early run or two, but I tapped too early last year and didn't quite make it to the end.

[Rosser's Ridge]

Now I do have the elevation. 1800' in southern Erie county. I to missed 1st run last year, and in panic mood rushed to get my 200 buckets out and only ended up with 25 gal. Not sure why my yield was so low. Not sure if I egg shaped holes or maybe bad drill / improper speed? But I am chomping at the bit to get going...

[82cabby]

I'm getting about 2 gallons of sap per tap per day at the moment. Buckets and tubing combined, no vacuum.

[Tickle]

you should put one in just to scratch the itch ,thats what i did and seems to be passifying me for now

[Dinorocks]

Hi, I'm new here. I just posted some questions under the boiler topic but though I would also post here...we tapped a dozen trees on Friday (tap with gravity drip to milk jug and/or bucket)...collected ~16 gallons of sap by Sunday morning which boiled down to 40 ounces of syrup by Sunday evening. Much smoother than last year (our first year) but would like to further increase my efficiency. If possible, I had a few questions that I hoping you could help answer...

Questions:

1. Should I leave my taps in the trees until the sap starts flowing again (probably another month based on long term weather forecast)?

2. Should I leave the tubing connected...I'm assuming if it is cold, bacteria/mold, etc. will not start growing until it warms up again?

3. I used poly tubing that is 1/4" inner diameter. If there is a low area in my tubing, will the sap coming from the tree push sap through the low spots in my tubing into my bucket (I did collect some sap...not as much as I would have expected...might have been more weather dependent).

4. Boil pan. I have a friend that offered to fabricate a boiling pan for me. Based on the size of my fire pit (newly constructed with firebrick this time), I was thinking 32" by 22" by 10" deep (or possibly a little smaller...30" by 20" by 8" deep). I would like to install a spout at the bottom corner and handles on the ends. What gauge stainless steel do you recommend? What type of welding material (I'm not a welder but can pass this on to my friend). Any suggestions regarding the size of my pan...or possible anything else I should consider in the design? Below are some picts of the current fire pit.

Thank you very much for any help!!!

Dino

Picts from January 2017 below

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/dlzack825/sap5_zpsqwex3qy5.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/dlzack825/media/sap5_zpsqwex3qy5.jpg.html)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/dlzack825/sap4_zpsabri9zlb.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/dlzack825/media/sap4_zpsabri9zlb.jpg.html)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/dlzack825/sap1_zpsqvjtt9cj.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/dlzack825/media/sap1_zpsqvjtt9cj.jpg.html)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/dlzack825/sap3_zpssxlu4ugh.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/dlzack825/media/sap3_zpssxlu4ugh.jpg.html)

[bowtie]

In response to rossers ridge, depending on the type of maple tree, it is not uncommon to to get 25-35 gallons from 200 taps especially if you have a lot reds and are not on vac, I tap upwards of 325 trees and have most 1500 ft or so and have many reds, so the common assumption of 1 gallon per 4 taps is unrealistic, especially when sugar content runs low. Talking to some experts a more realistic goal is 1 gallon syrup from 5-7 taps from buckets in woods, when tapping a mix or sugars and reds. Some reds just won't give much sap without vac.

[wnybassman]

Well, according to Accuweather, today is the beginning of a big freeze that is supposed to last until the last few days of February. We'll see how accurate it is!

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Well, according to Accuweather, today is the beginning of a big freeze that is supposed to last until the last few days of February. We'll see how accurate it is!

I saw this too. Glad I waited to tap. I'm still getting ready but I think I should be completely ready by Sunday or Monday.

[wnybassman]

I saw this too. Glad I waited to tap. I'm still getting ready but I think I should be completely ready by Sunday or Monday.

I held off based on what I was seeing also. The last thing I wanted is to get going, then have everything sit idle for a few weeks. I should be ready to go by the end of the weekend as well, just in case things change.

[mudr]

Bassman and Urban- I'm with you guys. I think we made a good decision to wait. That's not to say the big guys south of us made a bad decision, I think they actually had some better weather that actually included freezing temps, which I didn't get during that warm spell. They also run systems that allow for longer seasons.

[wnybassman]

Nice article yesterday on a forum member

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/a-childhood-activity-turned-into-sweet-side-gig-for-aampa-maple--20170126

[mudr]

I saw that. Just can't figure out why there wasn't a picture of Doug working or feeding the fire. :lol:

[bowtie]

Looks like I will be tapping next week/weekend and let Mother Nature do her thing from there, I have to wash buckets again this weekend and give the pans a once over and hopefully be ready to go. This is my last year on buckets one way or another, looking to grow substantially next year, new evaporator, bigger sugar house, and more, may even look into buying sap if things work. I am looking to try to turn this into more than a hobby and the only way is to take the plunge,i.e. Spend even more money.

[wnybassman]

What to do, what to do..........................

Forecast is looking like I should be grabbing the drill soon. Still hoping to make it until the weekend of the 18th/19th though.

[mountainvan]

Do it. Could be 80 in March and then you'd be unhappy.

[Waynehere]

We just put in about 2/3rds of ours today. Will finish up tomorrow. Looks to me like our weather is going to good for the next 10 days. Nice warm up in the middle of the week and on/off the rest.

[lyford]

Way where and Bassman, you guys tapping with vacuum or buckets, I'm all buckets and bags, but wondering the if it's time as well.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm hoping to make it at least another week. We will see. At least I am finally almost ready. I just need to flush the RO membrane and finish a couple other odds and ends.

[mudr]

From what I see I'm targeting the 18/19 too. Looks like mainly cold through then. I might tap that weekend because I'm out of town the 23rd-26th, so I'd rather get them in to be safe before then. At that point, 6 weeks of tap life would get me through march.

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[wnybassman]

Way where and Bassman, you guys tapping with vacuum or buckets, I'm all buckets and bags, but wondering the if it's time as well.

I'm about half 3/16ths tubing and half buckets now. I tapped January 28th last year with mostly buckets and pretty much made it to the bitter end. Not sure how much productivity I lost due to tapping early though. Taps stopped running numerous times due to being too warm, which I imagine is far worse than stopping due to freezing. I'm going to get 100% ready to go tomorrow, and make a decision Monday morning (I have the day off)

[Waynehere]

Way where and Bassman, you guys tapping with vacuum or buckets, I'm all buckets and bags, but wondering the if it's time as well.

I am all tubing and vacuum. Trying out some of the cv spouts this year. Hard call on the buckets. Don't miss them at all. Wish you luck lyford. :)

[Troutman10]

I'll be making the decision to tap tomorrow. My trees are in a lower elevation compared to some others in my area. Seen people around me tap within the last week or two. Had to hold off, but feeling the pressure now. Six weeks gets me to about march 20th and could maybe even sneak in another week to make it to March 26th if I tap tomorrow. Would much rather wait another weekend. Anyone have a crystal ball?!

[Shaggy acres]

I have no crystal ball or the lottery would be mine by now. I did find this very informative study done in Vermont. http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/tapping.pdf

Looks like the bottom line is when using new spouts tap when ever you have the time. I missed some early flows last year due to the 6 week tap hole drying worry but it looks like that is BS. 12 to 14 weeks is certainly plausible. The higher temps due more damage to flow than an extended cold spell so read this article if you have some time and tap early and often!

Tapping today and working on the shack! I am not that smart but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.

[lyford]

Looking forward to tuning and vacuum in the next season or 2, but buckets for now. Thanks waynehere and Good luck to all of you in. I may wait at least til next weekend to go all in, maybe a few test taps tomorrow after work.

[mudr]

I might be changing my plans. Might try to tap the afternoon of the 11th or the 12th when I'm back from Michigan for work. Looks like a run Sunday. I'd probably save that, then I see a run happening the 17th-19th, and I have Monday the 20th off. This could work. Oh man, get to light up the new rig!

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[georgelineman]

Tapped in Cornwall NY Hudson Valley. Orrs Mills Maple Works. 70 taps nothing dripping. Hobby Producer.
George (georgelineman)

[wnybassman]

I may very well let a coin make my decision whether to tap tomorrow or not :D

[mudr]

I may very well let a coin make my decision whether to tap tomorrow or not :D
What bassman didn't say is that the coin is two-sided.

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[Rosser's Ridge]

Well been watching forcast too as well your posts. just finished washing an extra 50 buckets (250 for this year). thats gonna push the limits of me n the machine only gettin 40 gal/hr out of it for now outside with out r/o. I too looking to make the jump from hobby next year. I'm planning on hittin the woods next week end. really hoping to hit the 50 gal mark this year but we all know what its like to play poker with mother nature dealing the deck! Good luck gentlemen.

[wnybassman]

I decided to wait until later this week. This early week warm-up looks to be very short lived, and possibly even well below freezing by the time I get home from work on Wednesday. Heavy rains, east winds and strong winds don't make for good starting conditions to work the kinks out either. I'll start tapping after work on Thursday, Friday and Saturday getting ready for the next blast of warmer air over the weekend.

I used my day off today to finish getting everything ready. I even ran a 100 gallons of water through the entire system from the truck tank to the draw off port to make sure I was leak free and ready to go.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I may also tap this weekend as well. Not sure. I don't think it would hurt to wait another week if I don't get around to it. The last two seasons I tapped the earliest possible and both times, the sap flow just wasn't that good for the first couple weeks.

[Tickle]

i put out 15 of 50 taps today just to get started and see how thing flow this week will probably put rest out by end of this week ,temp. today was 37degrees here , nothing moving yet

[mudr]

Change of plans- I may start getting some taps in today after work if I still have daylight. I'm not expecting much tomorrow/wednesday because the trees need to thaw and then the wind, but I want to get some in to be ready for Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I will be out of state for work Thurs-Sat late afternoon. I'd like to get the start of the run, because it may not freeze up Saturday night. Hopefully the run continues through Sunday. I just found out I have Monday off, maybe get my first boil in!

Stupid job getting in the way of my hobbies. Gosh.

[lyford]

Mudr, you tapping buckets/bags or vacuum?

[mudr]

Put in 118 taps on gravity tubing this evening. Will have 14 metal buckets at the house soon. Might put out 20 or so bags at the woods to collect while the tubed sap is pumped.

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[lyford]

Sounds like you had a busy night, any holes dripping tonite?

[mudr]

Actually, those 118 went in quickly. Now, this was my first year with a legitimate tapping bit, but I have a nicer drill this year. Those holes went quickly, not sure if it was due to the bit or drill. I was hustling in the woods, it's all maple so I never had to walk far, and there is zero understory (thanks, white tailed deer). Was done in a little over an hour. I saw dampness at a third of the holes, that said, I was moving so once the drill was out the tap was going in. Wasn't watching closely.

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[wnybassman]

I got home early enough to tap all my tubing taps, about 85. Not a drop out of any of the holes. That's a good thing, I left all the tubes out of the tanks 'til Friday. I still plan on putting the buckets in before the weekend too, probably 50-60 or so.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I got home early enough to tap all my tubing taps, about 85. Not a drop out of any of the holes. That's a good thing, I left all the tubes out of the tanks 'til Friday. I still plan on putting the buckets in before the weekend too, probably 50-60 or so.

Wow, going all in. I think I will get my tubing started this Saturday and maybe wait a week on the buckets.

[3trees]

Hey Urban Sugarmaker, just out of curiosity, why would you wait on the buckets? It's my first year tapping and I'm still figuring stuff out. Looking at the weather and what you guys have been saying I was thinking of my buckets out this weekend. Thanks!

[wnybassman]

Well, I lied. I just went out to check to see if things were running at all. Steady stream out of half of the 9 lines. I only put a gauge on one line here at the house so far, and no where near optimum slope, and it was already pulling 23 inches.

Needless to say, the lines went into the tanks :D Boiling tomorrow after work!

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s163/wnybassman/maple/2-7-2017_vac_zps2p91ncrs.jpg

[wnybassman]

Hey Urban Sugarmaker, just out of curiosity, why would you wait on the buckets? It's my first year tapping and I'm still figuring stuff out. Looking at the weather and what you guys have been saying I was thinking of my buckets out this weekend. Thanks!

Buckets are more exposed to open air compared to tubing, and tap holes will tend to heal much quicker giving you overall less productivity time, especially towards to end of the season when you traditionally get your best runs. With that said, I am hoping to hang buckets by the weekend. Six weeks will get me to the last half of March, and eight weeks will get me into April.

[Shaggy acres]

West lake rd on Conesus lake they are running like crazy right now. We will see for how long.

[Aa2tn]

I got in 186 taps on 5/16 gravity tuesday morning. When I checked one 40 tap run at about 9pm they were still running and I had over 20 gallons in the barrel.

looks like we will be boiling tomorrow afternoon!!

[Waynehere]

Got home last night and hadn't run much during the day. Found a couple of vacuum leaks when I walked the lines. This morning though I have 500+ gal sap. Really opened up last night. Guess I need to take the day off to boil... Oh no... :cool:

[wnybassman]

20 gallons overnight in the tank that has 20 taps. Wonder if the 65 tap tank has 65 gallons in it? Hopefully valves and hoses don't freeze up before I get home from work to pump it up! Still running good too.

[mudr]

So I tapped Monday before the warm up. I didn't get a chance to go out last night to check on things, but honestly I think whatever I got was mainly overnight last night. It was 37 at my house at 5 pm, but then mid 40s by 8-9pm. Maybe I can get out to check on the tank and pump it out after work today. Hopefully I can get it before it freezes. Leave tomorrow morning and won't be back until Sat afternoon. It's supposed to warm back up then.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I am 99% sure now I will tap Saturday with tubing and then do my buckets the 19th.

[Shaggy acres]

Checked before work and tank had about one gallon per tap in it. Going to sweeten those pans tonight! I lost out on the early runs last year with this weather but not going to happen this year! :)

[lyford]

I'm trying to restrain myself as I am all buckets and bags. Getting harder and harder to do the more I read this thread. I keep telling myself to hold off till next weekend. That would give me 6 wks till my season ends due to me leaving for vacation. Maybe ill do half or so this weekend and the other half next weekend. I dont know. Good luck to all!

[Troutman10]

Hoping for enough sap for this weekend. I'd like to fire this new evaporator up for the first time. I'll be checking bags and buckets after work tonight. Good luck everyone!

[Tickle]

Put in few more today getting ready for the weekend run total so far ,20 on drops into buckets 2 on pails ,had about gal in each bucket from last night which was 15-5 gal buckets

[mudr]

Got out to check the tank just before dark, I got 1 gal/tap on that late afternoon/overnight run, like bassman got. Estimating 120 gallons, 300 gal tank is 40% full. Happy to see the tubing worked!

Now here is problem- I have a bunch of things to do around the house, including packing, in preparation for a 2.5 day work trip. I can't boil this down tonight. Thankfully there is a cool down and I will have Sat afternoon through Monday to get things done, as I have Monday off.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170208/f794c7ebd97a86ed66daae894de5f2cc.jpg

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[wnybassman]

I ended up with about 140-150 gallons from those 85 taps in less than 24 hours. We ran 70 gallons of it after work tonight, and my dad is coming over in the morning to do the rest. Easily 70-80 left in the tank. Very much impressed with 3/16ths so far. Really makes me not want to mess around with any buckets any more :D

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I ended up with about 140-150 gallons from those 85 taps in less than 24 hours. We ran 70 gallons of it after work tonight, and my dad is coming over in the morning to do the rest. Easily 70-80 left in the tank. Very much impressed with 3/16ths so far. Really makes me not want to mess around with any buckets any more :D

Congrats on a great first run! Now I can't wait until Saturday.

[Troutman10]

Got about 1 gal/ tap just like you guys. I have enough to start up my new rig. Can't wait! Hoping for more sap sat and sun if the weatherman is correct.

[lyford]

how are sugar %s looking for those who have started?

[mudr]

forgot to check. Somewhere between 0 and 10. Hoping for 10. :)

[Kettle Ridge]

2%. Got caught a little off guard - tank overflowed.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I'm really kicking myself for holding off. Sounds like I missed a good first run.

[lyford]

Not bad at all kettle ridge, mudr, good luck i hope you get 10 too.

[wnybassman]

how are sugar %s looking for those who have started?

Mine was a tick under 2%. Ended putting 125 gallons into the evaporator, drew off a quart of syrup, and have about 10 gallons of ice left in the shack tank due to it being so cold last night and this morning. I checked % before it froze.

Good news is the pans are sweetened up nicely!!

[bowtie]

Still plan on tapping Saturday morning, then I have to clean up pans and feed tank, wanted to do that today or tomorrow but the weather is to cold to spray down things without freezing up, have to fix a couple small things but should be ready to boil Sunday. After this weekend it looks like there will only be two runs until next Sunday, then things should get going.

[barnbc76]

I held off tapping this run, I plan on tapping tomorrow for the next run. I did a couple taps In Friday but nothing came out so I decided not to tap anymore, guess it was just a dud tree if everyone else here had good runs. I just got a 55 gal plastic drum from my neighbor who was nice enough to give it to me, finished cleaning it and my pan. Almost ready finally!

[lyford]

Bowtie are you tapping all buckets. I keep going back and forth on whether I'm tapping this weekend or waiting. Thinking about maybe doing 50 buckets/bags tomorrow and another 50 next weekend. Just seems a bit early to go all in on buckets, but I've been wrong before.

[wnybassman]

I'm going to wait another week or two on the buckets. Personally I don't think the run this weekend will be all that great and then it is looking cold for a period of time afterwards.

[mudr]

It does look like this weekend does not look as good, but the following weekend looks nice as of right now.

http://www.myforecast.com/bin/expanded_forecast_15day.m?city=24046&zip_code=14058&metric=false

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[lyford]

I agree guys. When I saw the new forecast this morning it made for an easy decision. I'll be holding till at least next weekend. Best of luck this weekend, keep us posted.

[barnbc76]

Not a geat first run, weather forcast kept changing for the worse i probably only got a few total...hoping to get enough tomorow and maybe tues if weather works...well this next weekend hopefully will be better...

[wnybassman]

Yep, nothing to get too excited about here. Everything loosened up, but just enough to drip a little. Already down to 33º so it will likely stop tonight. Boo!

[bowtie]

A couple of things to do turned into 6 hours of cleaning and still have about 2 hours of "stuff" to do tomorrow, thing maybe get some taps in. There was a decent run today, neighbor had 1/2 full buckets about 5 pm, but the weather looks iffy for the rest of the week, as long as I am in by next weekend I will be happy.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I put in my 94 on tubing today. Not much flow. I will put the rest in on buckets next Saturday if the weather is still looking decent.

[mudr]

Collected this afternoon and started getting the evaporator set up. Have 130 gallon to sweeten the pans.

Pro tip- if you use an out of level level, you waste a good 30 min trying to level your rig. D@mmit!

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[mudr]

Finally got around to testing my sap. Now, I have a short stem sap hydrometer which I'm sure is the most inaccurate way to measure, plus I haven't calibrated it to pure water at the correct temp. But, it says 2.5%.

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[barnbc76]

Another one of those "I knew I should have waited another week" moments but just had to try. Weather forecast gets it wrong again.

[wnybassman]

I agree, kind of a bust of a weekend. Temps got nearly to what they said, but too little too late. Running a tad right now, but just hoping to get enough to pump up to the truck just before dark.

[Tickle]

Same here ,got overly anxious and started a week early , but will see if March warms up I won't regret it

[Waynehere]

We had a decent run from last night. Gathered 300 this am and another 100 in the afternoon. Only problem is the sugar is only 2%. We have the huge yard trees and are use to 3-3.5% Hope we don't get another low sugar year like last.

[doocat]

I'd kill for 2% sugar!

[Shaggy acres]

Looking good for this weekend. I had a good run last Tuesday with about 100 gal from 70 taps. Just a drizzle over the weekend but next weekend looks promising. Maybe even a bit on Tuesday. Just a pain to stop and start. Clean everything and then sugar it all up again for a day then clean it all up!

Could be worse! If you are on Tug Hill you can't even get into the bush without something with tracks.

[lyford]

Interested in hearing how everybody with taps in did today, sunny and windy here in Lakeview. Should the forcast hold I'm goin all in with my 100 bags/buckets this weekend (fri. nite, sat. morning). Good luck everybody.

[wnybassman]

Interested in hearing how everybody with taps in did today, sunny and windy here in Lakeview. Should the forcast hold I'm goin all in with my 100 bags/buckets this weekend (fri. nite, sat. morning). Good luck everybody.

I got home from work about 2:15 this afternoon and the 3/16ths looked like it was beginning to run a little. Just now it is running a little more than it was. I might have about 20 gallons of sap from the 85 taps so far. Not supposed to go below freezing until midnight or so, and only a low of 30 at that. I might pump everything up in the morning before I head to work. I'm going to do a majority of my buckets on Friday, if not all of them. It's getting to the point of not being early any more.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I got about 25 gallons from 94 taps and that includes a little from Saturday. It's running but not very much. Buckets on Saturday morning and then I'm all in.

[bowtie]

Put in 200 buckets today, most were dripping, I am on top of a hill 1500-1700 ft, some of the reds weren't but only a few. Had 43-44 degrees in wellsville at 4:30 so up the the hill it probably got 41ish. I will check tomorrow but I doubt I will get enough to collect, next run looks to be Saturday. That's ok I still have a few to to do anyway. The forecast for next week looks like some nights are not going to get below freezing, got to love Mother Nature.

[barnbc76]

Stayed warm all night was pleasantly surprised to have 1/2gal tap still not enough to do anything with but soon we'll be able to.

[Troutman10]

Got about the same as you per tap yesterday barnbc76. Might be some more from last night. Gotta check after work.

[wnybassman]

Had a 65 gallon run last night. Not quite a gallon a tap, but more than I expected! Boiled that off after work.

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16729369_1844224259181127_5450971858295427013_n.jp g?oh=c44e3b084237100f648b606bffa2371a&oe=58FFA222

[lyford]

That's a great pic, can't wait to see steam rising

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Noel that's a beautiful sugar house. Great pic. I wound up with 80 gallons today. Ran it through the RO and got the lightest syrup I've ever made, and I'm thrilled. The pan is sweetened too. Looking forward to Saturday. I'll be up to at least 150 taps.

[Troutman10]

Last night and today the trees gave me about .5 gal/ tap again. Surprisingly ran about the same as yesterday while the temp was probably 5-10 degrees cooler. Can't complain! Great looking pic of your sugar house wnybassman! I hope to have something like that in the future.

[adk1]

I wish I could find a tank like that!

[bowtie]

Nice sugarhouse. Buckets are froze, waiting until Saturday to collect unless it runs tomorrow, I am hoping to leave ice in buckets to cool the sap for the weekend, temps are supposed to be in the low 50's.
I bought a 400 gallon insulated milk tank a few years ago, I am going to build a metal stand for it but it is very similar, got for around $450 I think, found it on Craigslist.
Looking forward to first boil Saturday.

[treehugger89]

Can't wait for this weekend. Gonna be around high 40s. Putting on another 42 buckets.

[wnybassman]

Heading out the door now to tap the bucket trees. Just hit 32º here. They are showing at least two or three nights below freezing for this upcoming 7 days, and a couple of those at 27º*or 28º. Man I hope they are right!!