Sweetening the pans

[BigAl'sSapShack@WBM]

Why does it take so much sap too sweeten the pans?

[optionguru]

My pans hold about 7 gallons at 2 inches deep, so think of how much sap it would take to make 7 gallons of almost syrup.

[Ausable]

Why does it take so much sap too sweeten the pans?

Hey! Big Al..... I know nothing about Your setup or what You know about making maple - so don't be offended by my being basic - If You already know everything I mention -- at this time of year it will help someone new to making maple.------ To leave the pans sweet is a term used by maple syrup makers with a continuous flow pan setup. I have a basic - continuous flow rig. When I do my first boil of the season I flood the Sap and Syrup pan sections with about two inches of sap and get my fire going - at this point I might as well be a big batch pan with no divided sections. I boil and boil and boil some more and as the level goes down sap is added at my first sap section. Finally in my syrup sections and especially at my last syrup section I have what looks like maple syrup so I draw some off into the test cup and check with a syrup hydrometer. If I'm at near maple syrup I begin to draw off and sap is added at the other end. OK ----- We are happy and making maple syrup. ---- I decide to call it a day - I let my fire start to die and maintain my level throughout all my pan sections at about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. I don't want to repeat this batch pan startup again tomorrow so I insert isolation plugs or close isolation gates so that the partial sap, halfway to syrup and almost syrup don't blend back together as the pans cool down. I check to maintain a level in all the isolated sections as things cool down - By scooping gradient forward if needed. ----'m keeping it simple and leaving a lot of things out - but - You get the idea.----- The next day when starting up - I check the levels in all the isolated sections and fire up - as we get back to boiling I remove the isolation plugs or open the isolation gates and the process begins a new - But - - being we shut down with sweet pans - we begin drawing off almost syrup as soon as the boil begins. ------Mike-----

[BigAl'sSapShack@WBM]

Hey mike thanks for the reply! Not offended at all!....I have a 2X6 and made about 10 gallons of syrup this weekend....But to get the initial draw off it took me something like 280 gallons of good sap....My question really is why it takes so much sap to get that initial draw-----Big Al

[Ausable]

Al - All my old brain can come with at the moment is Daaahhhhh! I started to answer your question several times and my replies keep getting worse. I hope - one of the younger - quicker minds can bail me out. It is getting dark and I gotta haul in some more firewood. -- Been a long Winter in Michigan, ----Mike----

[Russell Lampron]

Hey mike thanks for the reply! Not offended at all!....I have a 2X6 and made about 10 gallons of syrup this weekend....But to get the initial draw off it took me something like 280 gallons of good sap....My question really is why it takes so much sap to get that initial draw-----Big Al

It takes a lot of sap to sweeten the pans because you are stating with roughly 2% sap in the whole evaporator and a lot of water has to boiled off to get the sugar concentration to syrup density. Once the pans are sweet it doesn't take as much because the sugar levels are still high in the evaporator.