How to Thaw out Frozen Sap?

[vtgaryw]

Haven't had this problem in the few years I've done this, but this weather is crazy, the temp seems to get up to the high 30's for a day or two, and I get a small run, then it gets cold again. Unfortunately, most of the sap in my polyethylene tank stays frozen. I'd love to boil what I have, especially since after tomorrow we've got another 5 days with highs below freezing coming.

Any idea on how to thaw my sap out? I've probably got about 20 gallons or so in there right now.

Gary

[CampHamp]

You can pour hot sap on top and keep draining, heating and pouring.

Later in the season, you might wish that you had an ice cube keeping things cold and fresh, though...

[CPlace]

I had this same problem last weekend. I have a platform on the back of my sugar shack that holds my head tank. We stapled a tarp around the platform and put a small propane heater inside. After an hour, I was able to thaw the slushy sap and boil away.

[vtgaryw]

Both good ideas, I'll try the heated sap first. Not sure what the softening point of the polyethylene used in this type of tanks is, but I imagine I don't want to pour in boiling sap.

Thanks,

Gary

[CampHamp]

Yes, I would say that warm sap cycled through a few time is safer on the plastic. If you pour it slowly over the ice, it will cool quite a bit before it hits the sides (until you get holes right through). Bob your ice around and wait a little while before draining to get the most melt from each pour...

[maple flats]

I've got a similar issue. At one bush, my 850 gal tank is frozen with about 700 gal of ice in it. I'll wait for warmer weather and then I'll need to pump the tank more often until the ice melts. That tank is 800 feet from the road and I can't even imagine heating enough sap to thaw it out.

[grimmreaper]

if it was froze as a sheet of ice,would it be better to remove ice?rather than thawing?is there any sugar content in ice that forms in sap tank ?