Whats everyone doin new for 2015?

[PATheron]

Seems like kind of a boring year this year with everybody kind in a hold pattern. Anybody with any big or new ideas this year? Were just kind of doing maintainance and maybe hooking up some easy taps in some reds but not a lot else. Anybody have big plans for this year? Theron

[Sullydog]

No BIG plans here. Just adding another 1000-2000 taps. Been real busy the last three years and it feels good to slow down for a season.

[TheMapleMoose]

Adding 1000 taps sounds like a big deal to me. Although it's a lot of work if your like me with a full time job "on the side" :D

[GeneralStark]

Adding taps and an ro. After considering many different machines, it looks like I will be pulling the trigger on a used Springtech Elite 500. Also doing some logging and thinning in the sugarwoods.

The big change here is I am planning to tap early this year and be ready to make syrup in February. Got a feeling that after two late seasons, this one may be different.

[ennismaple]

Theron - We're adding a 2nd tower to our RO and will likely add another 300ish new taps. Nothing major but the RO expansion should make boiling next spring go much faster!

[wiam]

Hoping to put 1-8" membrane on my RO instead of 4-4".

[coyote]

Just ordered a 500 gph RO machine from deer run maple. Also switching some of our 5/16 gravity over to 3/16.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

building another 2 tower ro, Leader is soldering up my flue pan, recon fig AOF a little.
wish list
filter press

[K.I. Joe]

Running 1800 feet of 1.25 pipe to pump the sap up the hill and 1800' of 1.5 to run the vacuum down to the releaser. Building a sugarhouse and adding a dry line to my mainline

[wnybassman]

Everything. lol

[PATheron]

Marty- That will be great having another post. That's just night and day better. I think we had 3000 taps the one year with a single post and it was almost undoable. Seems like that's the common denominator with about everybody trying to get more ro. Im tinkering on that too. Sully- You must have busted butt to get those taps in so fast. Weve been adding maybe 1000 to 2000 per year since we started and that's seemed like a lot. All were doing for taps this year, and I wasn't going to even do that, is some thick young red maples. Itll be fun and easy though couse its real thick. Other than that I need to just sweep through the woods and finetune mostly. We cant do much more volume anyway. Were doing all the syrup we can pretty much do now without dying at it. Just need to keep making it easier. Theron

[lakeview maple]

Im shooting for another 350 taps all on 3/16 lines, I got permission to tap 30 acres all on a nice side hill with an east slope . I watched the seminar on the 3/16th tubing and want to give it a try, and I hoping for things to work out and get a filter press before the season gets rolling. An addition on the sugarhouse is a definite also , the new evaporator takes up a lot more room .

[unc23win]

My ultimate goal would be to double my taps which would be to go from 1400 to 2800. Realistically I will settle for as many as I can get between now Feb 1. I'm getting a new 60CFM Airablo acuum pump and I think the boost in vacuum will be well worth it. Very excited to start my second year in my new sugarhouse and very much looking forward to not having to work on it all fall like last season.

[Chicopee Sap Shack]

Stainless head tank, Main line, gast vacuum pump with a bender releaser. Hopefully adding 75 more taps


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[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Theron,

Could always go to one of the new Leader RO units and get down to one RO for you that will go to high concentrate.

[JoeJ]

Planning to add a 12' x 20' tank room addition to sugar house for one 775 gal ss permeate tank and two 775 gal ss sap tanks

[PATheron]

Brandon- Your probly right. Thing is Im really trying to pay down my maple syrup debt and bottom line is I just don't want to spend the money. Maybe someday Ill get a new ro but I want one that will do so much your talking like 70000 or so and even with the grant if I did that your talking 30000 or 40000 and I just don't want to do that. I actually don't struggle much with the old ones. They do me pretty good. Theron

[southfork]

Adding another 3,500 taps, two collecting/pump stations, and a new and larger RO machine.

[maple2]

I have been reclaiming an old sugarbush that we bought last fall. Lots of chainsaw work. Put up over 3000 ft of mainline, so far

[GeneralStark]

Theron,

Could always go to one of the new Leader RO units and get down to one RO for you that will go to high concentrate.

He'll have to wait til 2016 at the earliest anyway as they are all sold out.

[Gary R]

I bought a spare front pan, modifying the AOF, replacing all drops. I'm thinking of building an RO. I hope I have it all figured out:rolleyes:

[BlueberryHill]

Im shooting for another 350 taps all on 3/16 lines, I got permission to tap 30 acres all on a nice side hill with an east slope . I watched the seminar on the 3/16th tubing and want to give it a try, .

Where can I find this 3/16 seminar that you mentioned? I am interested in that. Sounds like it's worth a look.

I think you'll love the 3/16 results! I certainly do. I did about 30 taps on it last year and I'm prepping now to add another 30 to 60 more. Other than adding those, my only plans this year are to build a new shack, upgrade my evap, and tap a new 50 tap or so property down the street.

[Jim Brown]

Closing down my main bush(1000 taps) and only going to tap 400.Will be pulling high vac on those.
Jim

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Theron,

I understand, just had to put ideas in your head! I've got to go pick up my Deer Run 500gph RO in couple weeks. Put up about 120 new taps on 3/16 so far and still have 11 rolls of it left. Hope to add another 80 or so new taps and change out couple hundred of gravity 5/16 to 3/16. Working with the hot end system and it works great and I really like it. Adding 12x8 RO Room, bathroom and 12x11 kitchen in the sugarhouse too. Hoping to get up to producing 200 to 400 gallons of retail syrup per year.

[ennismaple]

Marty- That will be great having another post. That's just night and day better. I think we had 3000 taps the one year with a single post and it was almost undoable. Seems like that's the common denominator with about everybody trying to get more ro. Im tinkering on that too.

Theron - 100% agreed. We're well beyond the limits of the RO running off a single post. Several days this spring I had 3,000 gallons of sap sitting in the sugar camp waiting for me. I got to the camp at 6am, fired up the RO to recirculate at equal concentrate and permeate flow rates and went back to the house for another 2 hours sleep! By the time I'd gotten the front pan changed and was ready to fire up I'd start sending concentrate to the feed tank. Once the feed tank had 150 gallons in it I'd fire up and put the RO on to rinse because it had been running for 4 hours. Once The Beast was at full steam the rinse was done and I'd start concentrating again. I made sure to do a rinse every 4 hours and by the end of the day I'd processed over 6,000 gallons of sap on that single post! Another day I re-circulated like that, had good sugar content and good wood and I made almost 120 gallons of syrup off a single chord of wood.

[handtapper]

New for 2015 season? a new 2x6 sunrise metals drop flue, new 230 gallon stainless cdl head tank, new honda wx10, used 700 gallons plastic storage, got 100 buckets from local bakery. All the new purchases for the 2015 season has also made another change for my 2015 season.... a fed up wife. Im currently looking for another sugarbush also

[Sunday Rock Maple]

When we installed our main lines, we stopped 100' from the end of the woods and ran long lateral lines. We want to extend the mains and shorten the lateral. Also replacing a Coster 300B with a Leader 2 post HC.

[PATheron]

Brandon- You've got to be loving the 3/16 deal. That's right up your alley. You get that ro youll have that stuff strung everywhere. No pump or releaser to worry about youll have a stress free season and still make a bunch more syrup. Theron

[PATheron]

Marty- If you were getting that much done with the one post youll really love having the two. I think I usually get around 300 gph of water per post on my cdl especially recircing or open flowing it. I know with the one post it was alwys around 300 gph of water. Theron

[lew]

Theron,

After all of the up dates last year, upgrade electric to 400 amps, new addition on sugarhouse, build woodchip fired arch, replace old busted up concrete in existing sugarhouse with 4 foot of cobble for drainage underneath, drainage behind sugarhouse, rewire front of sugarhouse and other smaller projects, I'm doing nothing! But somehow that just feels wrong.

[nymapleguy607]

Adding a Steamaway, and about another 100 taps. All sugars running up the creek next to the tank, still need to figure the best way to pick the sap up. Depending on the time I have I want to thin out some of the reds in the big woods, and extend the dry line about 100 ft. Would also like to rebuild the vacuum pump so it pulls a few more inches. All it takes is time and money.

[maple2]

I have an old wood wood chip gasifire that needs a new home.It ran a 5x14

[Sunny Knoll Farm]

Well, 2013 was an adventure. I went from 25 to 350 taps. We were building and installing equipment while collecting sap! We did not break or burn anything. I sat down after the season and made a list of things to do for 2015 ( remember ( if you can:confused:) the second thing to go is your memory - I can't remember what the first was! ). I had a list 2 1/2 pages long.
I'm expanding to 500 taps. I've acquired 200g & 300g stainless milk tanks and a 700 gal fiberglass raw sap tank. The RO system will be tested and operational. Add preheater, air injection to evaporator and improve float/level control. Filtering and bottling are the weak link!!! I acquired 20 ( 5.5 gal) soda kegs and nitrogen tank with regulator ( free from defunct medical production facility). Build prototype filter/bottler - I have the parts and will post the project.

This will be a piece of cake compared to 2014!!! We are operational and only upgrading and tweeking ( not to be confused with twerking)!.

2016 - The Boss (wife) insist I build a new shop/sugar shack/commercial kitchen! :)

[maple maniac65]

Took a trip to Ontario Lanark Co. to visit Wheeler's Sugar House and maple museum. If you like sugaring and chainsaws it is well worth the trip. Also stopped at Charlie Temples and saw a sugarhouse that just made me smile. The banquet hall was set up for a wedding that day and was just beautiful. Plenty of strawberries and the countryside was breathtaking.

[Loch Muller]

Lots of new stuff for 2015. New to me 2.5 x 8 raised flue evaporator, 2 stainless dairy tanks, used vacuum pump and releaser, turning a 14 x 20 pole barn into a sugar house, a bunch of other random sugaring equipment, and hopefully adding 200 more taps (or more if I can) on tubing.

[PerryFamily]

Sold the 2x6 and bought a new to me 3x8. Had to rework the ceiling to accommodate the bigger stack. Hammered out the old heaved and cracked concrete floor and poured a new insulated and reinforced thicker floor. Leased another bush (was 1200 taps) and hoping to get at least half online. Going to get a new membrane from MES and hopefully convert gas powered vac pumps to electric.

[mountainvan]

I got lease on another 250 acres, lots of maples, and it may be aiding more taps. I'm thinking 5,000+ may be too much for one guy. Still pondering the future.

[WESTMAPLES]

for the 2015 season prep has started with new steamhood, preheater, air under fire unit, and alittle brick mods under flue pan to channel heat better on the evap and a cdl 250 gph ro unit with SS insulated bulk tank for storage. last but not least another 250- 300 taps on vac with all new wet/drylines throughout my bushes and homemade continuous vac units in my bender huts. this will be my first year of not scrambling at the last moment to get equipment together thanks to all the nice used equipment ive picked up since the end of 2014 season good luck to everyone with there upgrades

[ennismaple]

Took a trip to Ontario Lanark Co. to visit Wheeler's Sugar House and maple museum. If you like sugaring and chainsaws it is well worth the trip. Also stopped at Charlie Temples and saw a sugarhouse that just made me smile. The banquet hall was set up for a wedding that day and was just beautiful. Plenty of strawberries and the countryside was breathtaking.

Both are great operations to visit - but I've never seen them with steam flying as I'm always boiling at the same time! Vernon and Charlie are great guys to talk to.

[whitetail farms]

still setting up the new 3X8 when ever I get some time between work, had to send the flue pan out to get fixed up a little bit,probably gonna add only 50 more or so taps and put vacuum on my biggest woods the rest is just fine tuning to make things a little more efficient

[sugaringman85]

We are putting in new t's, drop lines, and am trying out the new CV2. Heard some good remarks from other people. and really liked the CV1, except that they would come apart after a hard freeze thaw. Hoping the CV2 solves those problems. Also rebuilding our canner to make it shine again.

Dream: Add 2-2500 taps to a 40 acres sugar orchard we used to tap. Biggest issue is its 40 min away from the sugar house and tubing is expensive!

[VT_K9]

We are moving up from a sap puller on about 300 taps to a 3hp vacuum with single releaser. Adding electrical and water to the sugar house (450' run from my house) to run the vacuum and RO. The vac. line will be about 1,000 feet of 2" pipe. The in woods sap shack will be moved about 300 feet to a lower point on the property. We are going to lengthen the pump line, add a 600 gallon tank for sap collection, and add a new mainline line about 1000' long to add another 150-175 taps. This will nearly max out all current tappable maples in this area of the property. We would have to put in a sap ladder to get the rest of the trees in a few spots. I am not sure it will be worth the money, time, maintenance, and any other unknowns to get these few trees. That money would be better put into another releaser and tubing to get to another area on the property where we can add 250-300 taps. But, thats is for a few years down the road.

Good luck to everyone in their preps for next year.

Mike

[bix]

Well we have been cutting wood and wiring up for a new RO hoping to go from 350 taps to 500 for 2015

[nymapleguy607]

Well we have been cutting wood and wiring up for a new RO hoping to go from 350 taps to 500 for 2015

How big of an RO are you getting Ray?

[Super Sapper]

Planning on one of Daryl's 5 inch presses.

[bix]

Hi Jeff I'm getting one of rays 250 I go out in October to pick it up

[tuckermtn]

We are putting in new t's, drop lines, and am trying out the new CV2. Heard some good remarks from other people. and really liked the CV1, except that they would come apart after a hard freeze thaw. Hoping the CV2 solves those problems. Also rebuilding our canner to make it shine again.

Dream: Add 2-2500 taps to a 40 acres sugar orchard we used to tap. Biggest issue is its 40 min away from the sugar house and tubing is expensive!

Tyler - set up an RO at the bush in Wilmot at the low spot where there is the power on the pole. Set it up with a few $ of automation and run it from your smart-phone. Truck concentrate to Sunapee...

[tuckermtn]

main upgrade to operation for this year will be access improvements at the sugarhouse. need to tweak entrance for wheelchair access (my ALS has progressed that I am mostly getting around in chair now) and some road sub-surface improvements to cut down on the mud near the main tanks behind the sugarhouse. erosion stone, crushed stone, geo-tex fabric are all on the list. not as sexy as new stainless, but just as necessary at this point...

-Eric

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Eric,

Great you are still sugaring in spite of your physical problems. You attitude is great and we are all pulling for you.

[Jebediah]

Circumstances require moving family ~20 miles to better accommodate various commute requirements. Unbelievably, found property in suitable location with plenty of maples. So 2015 will be an entirely new affair for us. Much to be thankful for.

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

building another 2 tower ro, Leader is soldering up my flue pan, recon fig AOF a little.
wish list
filter press Filter Press- I will give you a good deal on one- Its new on the market- It runs by helium injection......:lol::lol:

[Maplewalnut]

main upgrade to operation for this year will be access improvements at the sugarhouse. need to tweak entrance for wheelchair access (my ALS has progressed that I am mostly getting around in chair now) and some road sub-surface improvements to cut down on the mud near the main tanks behind the sugarhouse. erosion stone, crushed stone, geo-tex fabric are all on the list. not as sexy as new stainless, but just as necessary at this point...

-Eric

Stay the course Eric!!! Hats off to your personal resolve in embracing your condition. Good Luck

Mike

[fisheatingbagel]

New for 2015 season? a new 2x6 sunrise metals drop flue, new 230 gallon stainless cdl head tank, new honda wx10, used 700 gallons plastic storage, got 100 buckets from local bakery. All the new purchases for the 2015 season has also made another change for my 2015 season.... a fed up wife. Im currently looking for another sugarbush also

Hi handtapper,
Do you have your 2x6 sunrise evaporator yet? Are you buying an arch or constructing your own? Just curious, as I'm considering either the 2x4 or 2x6 sunrise "spitfire" evaporator for next year.

[tuckermtn]

Mike and Brandon - thanks for your thoughts. The ALS has robbed me of more than a few things so far, but my motto has been to try and give up ground slowly. It is going to take all the more help to make syrup this year, but it is one of the things in life that brings me the most joy, so I hope everything lines up so we can make some more steam in 2015...

keep on keeping on...

-Eric

[PATheron]

Eric- To say your a class act is an understatement. Your an inspiration and a role model to me. Hope you have a great season and lots of fun this spring making syrup. Theron

[JoeJ]

It has been a busy August and September. The sap tank addition is finished, three 750 gal tanks installed and the only thing to finish is the tank piping. Hopefully, the pictures will come through98739874987598769877

[JoeJ]

Floor beams are 7" x 7" 20" on center. It is difficult to find load tables for white pine beams. So I will find out if the 7 x 7 beams are overkill or not when I put 18,000 pounds of sap and permeate in the 3 tanks.98789879988098819882

[spud]

I got the green light to add on this year. I plan to have another 2000-2500 taps. I am hoping to be all set-up by mid November. My wife is going in for a major surgery in November so I want to be done before that happens. We cut all 6000 CV2 spouts off the drops yesterday. We plan to put the new CV2s on the drops during the kids Christmas vacation. Bow season starts Saturday so I plan to hunt only in the late afternoon and work in the woods during the day. I can't wait to relax in my tree stand and just take in the fall colors.

Spud

[jrmaple]

Taking the first baby step, adding 500 taps on high vac, and still keeping 200 bucket taps, will probably keep boiling under the lento and on the 2x8 for this year and sell the extra sap and hopefully get one of those mythical creatures they call a "state grant"….

[Super Sapper]

The woods owner where I have about 200 taps thought I worked too hard collecitng with bags and suggested tubing (will have to be taken down each year) so I will use 3/16" on the top half and 5/16" on the bottom with a surflo pump on the ones I can get the rest will still have bags. I am also going to try a surflo at the MIL's silver maples as they have not been very good the last 2 years. If I have any money left over I want to get a filter press also.

[collinsmapleman2012]

its been tough to do anything maple this year, been milking cows and working on the farm but we will be driving hard on maple here pretty soon. plan on putting in a 16x14 addition on the saphouse, so I have room for more stuff. looking for some tanks, I plan on doubling the tap count this year, finishing out both of my woods. inside the saphouse, I have an old receiver jar from a milkhouse, I want to set it up so I can see the sap coming in, hook up multiple tanks at once, and pump faster. that way I can pump off purchased sap or go to the next woods faster, and get boiling faster. going to do a little redesign in the woods this year, making everything come to the road. should be fun, just trying to do a little better every year.

[red maples]

just in need of a Filter press and maybe add on a few taps here and there. we'll see.

[adk1]

A new filter canner

[Jim Brown]

Down sizing!

[nymapleguy607]

Added a Steamaway this year, hoping to have a new concrete floor in the saphouse with a couple floor drains. Then adding more taps and fixing some lines to hopefully get better vacuum transfer. Shooting for 1/3 of a gallon per tap. Lots of other little things to do but since they haven't got human cloning figured out I will stick to this

[lakeview maple]

We are pouring concrete tomorrow for a sugarhouse expansion , adding 250 taps all 3/16th and Im really hoping to get a filter press before the season starts, the expansion isn't huge just adding 10 x 12 to the front for a little more room.

[Mountain Winds Farm]

putting in a new 200 amp service to the barn along with water line to sugar house. Reverse osmosis machine ordered through Leader and should be in place for the upcoming season

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

Working on finishing up new sugarhouse 14x24 Long road but will be worth it !! adding 100 taps on north side of hill. Season will be here before you now it!!!

[VT_K9]

Electrian was here last week and hooked up service to the sugar house. We are ready to start putting stone down for a pad for the sap shack in the woods and waiting for the sawmill to call on our hemlock we dropped off last month to be sawed into lumber for the sap shack. On rainy days we will wire the sugarhouse.

Just to be clear when I say "we" I am still the "safety officer" for my Dad doing most of the work. I am still out with a torn rotator cuff until early November pending no set backs. I hope everyone else is doing well.

Mike

[lakeview maple]

Comstock good for you and the sugarhouse build, Ive been kinda busy as well added an addition to the front , and looking to add more taps when I get time.Ill have to stop and see the sugarhouse one of these days,Allen

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

Thanks lakeview Sounds good . If i see you out working i'll stop in. hoping to see your new rig up and rolling this season too..

[theguywiththename]

just to add the the ro portion- im personally looking at building one. Also I have found that culligan water on the commercial end has good prices on filmtec membranes. they also sell the nesscacary housings and im pretty sure pumps. Might be worth while based on my pricing through them vs. the maple companies.