My turn for a shack

[sluggish]

The white stuff will soon be falling so it's time for me to get my butt in gear and get going on a sugar shack. This is only my third year into the hobby but two years outside was more than enough for me. Cold weather, sloooooowwwwwww boil rates on a small stove and having to give away 200 gallons of sap because I wouldn't have time to get to it was frustrating. So here goes. Before everyone says go bigger, it's not an option for a few reasons so lets leave it at that and move on. So here is my plan. The land is leveled, it will be a 9 x 11 with a cupola. 8 foot tall walls with likely a 6/12 pitch roof. All materials will be of reclaimed nature, hopefully it looks authentic more than junky but we shall see. The firewood I've been collecting will be stacked beside it, along my property line to also serve as a privacy fence all winter. Shack will have metal roofing, and from what I'm reading I guess it should be sheathed with wood beforehand so I guess that will need to happen. I love the cordwood wall look but I may just go regular framing this time around, and save that project for when I have more time. I have some old barn beams I would like to try and integrate in there but haven't figured quite how yet. Open to ideas. I've been doing a lot of searches on sugar shacks but in no way do I claim to know it all or even a fraction of it all. Is there anything I should consider when building or before building that will make life easier for me come sap season. I have some pressure treated materials but am wondering if I should avoid using it in case of condensation and then contamination? Is that possible? I'd like a concrete floor but that seems cost prohibitive for me. Plus a truck can't get anywhere near it. So I was thinking wood floor, but likely a good idea to put brick underneath the evaporator. Does anyone insulate these things or is it really pointless because it gets so **** warm in there anyway and since it's only used a few weeks a year, why bother. My shack will be for dedicated use only, not multi purpose. I will likely run some power from a neighbouring shed on my property just so I can have some lighting in there, and a radio.

I will be going from using a wood stove with a heat box on top, holds a 13x21 pan to making a unit from an oil drum that will hopefully speed things up. If anyone has advice, pointers, or plans on building on of those, I am all ears.

As far as taps, I will have about 50 this year. Fortunately they are mostly on a hill and the shack is at the bottom so the majority will be gravity fed toward the shack. About a dozen of those 50 are in front of the house on buckets so there will be a bit of hauling, but I have a nice hard bottom inner tube that fits a 5 gallon pail perfectly so just a couple trips a day should be good for that.

I'm a sponge here folks, let me soak up some of your knowledge and ideas and maybe learn from a mistake or 2 a few of you have made along the way.

thanks

[maple flats]

Go with 3/16 tubing and just collect at the shack. 3/16 tubing will give you some natural vacuum. That will get more sap while at the same time allow more time for boiling. Keep the last dozen on buckets.

[nekgsa]

I went with a wood floor as well for similar reasons. I put a footing and a carrying beam under where I knew the evaporator would be and have had no issues with the integrity of the floor, no bouncing or sagging. Under the evaporator I put down a 1/2" inch of hardybacker and put slate on top. looks nice and less weight than bricks. The floor is made of 3/4" PT plywood and I top dressed it with the Thinset that was left over after putting the slate down. It has held up better than I thought it would and again it does not weigh much.

I second the 3/16th recommendation. pretty cool stuff! After some learning experiences I managed to get high vacuum last year. It doubled my sap yield from buckets. If you can drop 30' in elevation after the last tap it helps a lot. If not no worries, you'll still get more than with buckets.

Hope this helps..Have fun.

[sluggish]

Okay so there are a few modifications that will take place, due to the acquiring of materials and zoning confirmation. I will be able to go 9x12 in size, which is a nice surprise, to get an extra foot of space. Here is the plan that will begin today

Drilling post holes at every corner and mid-way along each wall, then cement and set the posts. Might seem like overkill but the ground is all freshly disturbed and very sandy so I want to make sure I get down to a solid base to hold this thing up.
6x6 beams will then be laid across the top of the posts at ground level around the perimeter.
tamped gravel and then paving stones laid in place that will be the floor
stick framed walls and roof with plywood sheathing, then metal over top(6/12 pitch)
round profile log type siding on walls
eaves will be extended out to cover some firewood
one man door and a couple windows

Planning an oil drum evaporator, so about 2x6, assuming that means I'll need a cupola about the same size or slightly bigger. There will be no hoods or anything, just natural steam rising up and out the cupola. I do have a large fan if I need to use it to help.

I was planning on double wall pipe to go straight up through the roof with the chimney. One question I have is how far from the back wall should I keep the evaporator, and should I line the back wall with anything? Metal, brick, nothing, other??

I am assuming that with a 2x6 evaporator and only a 9x12 shack, I am not going to need to insulate as it will likely be pretty warm in there. Certainly wasn't planning to anyway.

The good thing is that if I screw anything up, I only have to put up with it for a couple years. We will be moving, hopefully to a larger property with more trees, so I'll be able to learn, plan and build something more appropriate and long term.

Anything I'm missing?

Oh yeah, so far I am into this thing for $6 in materials. I have some pressure treated for the framing and rafters but I'm wondering if maybe it's a bad idea to use it. How likely is it that condensation could form on the rafters and drip into the pans? I definitely do not want that. If I'm okay to use the PT wood, I have everything except a bit of gravel for the base. If not, I'll need to add about $250 for framing materials. Not bad for an econobuild that gets me out of the elements, and looks better than a pop up shelter like I was planning originally.

[Biz]

I had similar questions regarding stack clearances and type when I built my sugarhouse last year. I used single wall 7" SS stack on my 18x48" and it passed about 14" from an 8x8 wood beam, so I was worried about it, wondering if I needed something to protect it from the heat or if I needed insulated pipe. I didn't add anything but for the first few days when the fire was roaring good I put my hand on the beam and it was barely warm, so that's the way I left it for the rest of the year and 100+ hrs of boiling. Guessing stack temp was in the 600-800 degree range. Just my experience, I'm sure others have different opinions. I have a small 8x12 shack and it didn't have to be built to any codes. Whatever you do, keep an eye on it for the first few boils. If you have a blower or larger evaporator then it will be hotter than mine so decide for yourself.