Gravity Feed Question

[ohiomaplejohn]

I am rather new to sugar making, I started 4 years ago when I was 14 with 5 taps boiling in a propane turkey fryer. Now I am 17 and have 56 taps and a 2' X 4' flat pan on a cement block firebox. I am expanding to 100 taps next year. (do you think I caught the bug?)

All introductions aside. Here's what I need to know:
I need to know the best way to gravity feed sap into my pan. I was going to use a pre-heating pan on top of my other pan, but I was told that the condensation on the bottom made it worthless to use one. (makes since to me)
A very detailed description would be great!

While I'm asking, what's the best way to filter sap into the storage/hauling tank? I use 55 gal drums but may be getting something with a wider opening on top. I can't find a good way to filter it.

Thanks,
John in SW Ohio

[n8hutch]

A inexpensive way to make a filter would be to build a square out of a 2x4, and stretch an old bed sheet over it. Pour your SAP through that, you could buy a flat pre filter also, stretch that over your frame. That is what we used when I was a kid. If you're selling the syrup probably should buy the square prefilter.

As for a feed tank , you could use one of your 55 gal barrels, put a bulk head fitting in the bottom or low on the side & use a piece of tubing to get it to your pan, you'll want a valve. Half inch or 3/8 copper tubing should be plenty for a 2x4, I am guessing you don't have a float box so you can use your valve to maintain your desired SAP/syrup level. Mount the tank higher than the side of your pan. My feed tank is 6" higher. It doesn't take much.

[wnybassman]

Back when I used my 2x4 flat pan I had a warming pan that sat on top of it. I propped it up a little bit on the front side and hung it over the back of the other one about an inch or so. Most of the condensate found its way to the back edge and dripped off.

[maple milker]

I put a milk filter on the end of the line going into my feed tank and change it daily. It really cleaned up any sediment in the evaporator.

[ohiomaplejohn]

Thanks for the tips. I never thought of stretching my pre filter sheeting over a frame. That will work great!

[maple flats]

You've got the bug. There is no known cure. Welcome aboard.
For your pre-heater just do as wnybassman says, it will catch a very high % of condensate drips. For the feed tank, just lay a food grade plastic barrel on it's side. Then cut an opening big enough to reach inside for getting it clean (we cut ours about 12" x 8") . Then make a cover (we used a sheet of aluminum flashing) and hold it in place with a bungee (use heavy twine or light rope for most of the circumference with the bungee for tension to hold the flashing in place). Before making the cut out, look at the bungs that came with the barrel. Then if the barrel came with a bung plug, look to see if it has a pipe thread 3/4" fitting in the center. That's one option. Another is that most barrels have a 3/4" pipe thread vent plug. On many of the 2" bungs, the thread is a much coarser thread, called a buttress thread. Here's a link to work with that if you need to: http://bascousa.com/container-components/drum-plugs/ Also look at the gasket on the bung, if not good, replace it now. Most buttress plugs have an O ring seal, pipe thread plugs might be a flat or an O ring design.
Whichever opening you will use, make the cleanout opening so it will be up when the barrel is full of sap. Make sure the stand for the barrel is sturdy, if you fill it to near the cleanout, you could have near 400# and if some buddies come over and get rowdy and bump it, the stand must take the abuse.

[SeanD]

Dave's advice is excellent and has every important detail. I had a heck of a time figuring out what a "buttress" thread/fitting was called to I could get one. I wish I had read his post about 5 years ago.

The only thing I will add is a different way to do the opening for a clean out. I don't have sheet metal kicking around, but I have as many buckets as I want. I cut an opening to fit a 2 gallon bakery bucket. It's very easy to cut it to fit and it is amazingly bug and water-tight. I use this in my head tank and all my collection tanks.

Trace the bottom of the bucket onto the barrel. Don't worry about exact size. The buckets have a slight taper so even if you cut it exactly to the size of the bucket, it will barely fit in more than a few mm. So, I actually go a bit bigger than the bottom of the bucket. Just keep the shape relatively uniform. Use a jigsaw to cut the circle out. Take it slow. It cuts through it fast and it's easy to go off your line.

Next, use a sharp utility knife to tweak the shape and size of the hole to fit the bucket. Cut away from yourself. It's easy to hit a soft spot and have the knife fly out. Cut off any burrs and wash out your barrel and you are good to go.

Jam the bucket in there as hard as you want. The pliability of the bucket fills any oblong spaces and it is water tight.

Sean

[Super Sapper]

You can also take a cover for the bucket and cut the center out leaving the ring and put a sack cloth or whatever you use on the bucket and put the cover ring on top and you have a filter. Put the cloth on so it sags into the bucket some so it does not overflow the filter as you are filling it.

[ohiomaplejohn]

Great idea's SeanD and Dave.

I saw a picture of sap hauling/gathering tanks made with a drum with a bucket in the top (side).
I just had no idea how you would keep the bucket in the hole! You don't use anything to keep it in? Just wedging it in the hole is enough?

Last year I used the barrels standing UP in the back of my ATV to gather sap. I funneled the sap through the bung. Translation: Pain in the tail end!

If I used the bucket in the top (side, really) to pour the sap into the barrel I could lay the barrel on it's side in the ATV and do it from the side instead of having to get up in the bed every time I dump sap buckets.

Thanks for the tips on rigging up the feed barrel, Dave. That sounds like what I will do. It takes to long to batch boil. It takes like 4 hours just to boil when the pan is full! The more taps I get the more efficient I HAVE to be.

[SeanD]

You can also take a cover for the bucket and cut the center out leaving the ring and put a sack cloth or whatever you use on the bucket and put the cover ring on top and you have a filter. Put the cloth on so it sags into the bucket some so it does not overflow the filter as you are filling it.

That's what I have at my dump station for buckets, but I leave the lid alone. The bottom of the bucket has a bunch of 1" holes drilled in it. I nest a cone pre-filter inside like you are talking about and hold it to the rim of the bucket with office type (food grade) spring clips. I can pour at full speed and makes quick work of emptying four and five-gallon buckets.

When I'm done, the pre-filter comes in the house for a rinse and the lid of the bucket goes back on for a water and bug-tight seal.

Sean

[psparr]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/10/c2d270eb69420251924595ce82b04333.jpgnot the best pic, but that's my setup. To filter sap after I collect I have a "potato salad bucket" in the top of a drum. A pre filter fits in it nicely and folds over the top of the bucket. No need for and fasteners