Evaporator size

[peterjd89]

This year I'm going into the season full force I bought a set of woods with 500 taps set up on high vac and adding 250 gravity on my own property my plan was to build the arch and buy the pans I was thinking of a 3 by 8 or a 3 by ten size arch I would like something I can grow into I'm just wonder a suitable size for 500 to a 1000 taps thanks

[maple flats]

A lot depends on how much time you can spend boiling. You must answer that, remembering you need time to check for leaks (and fix them) plus collect the sap if it will not come directly to the sugarhouse. Then we can help you.
Other questions are, will you get an RO? How much help will you have?
I ran just over 1300 taps last year, with hauling help and I boiled concentrate from my 1300 + I bought sap from about 800 more taps. I also drive school bus, and I never got out of the sugarhouse later than 10-10:30. However, it was pretty busy in between starting the boil and the finish each evening. I R.O.'d to between 10-14%. Without an R.O, with sap from 2100 taps I'd have never gotten any sleep and I'd have missed several days at bus driving. Without the R.O the max for a 3x8 with the time I had would only be about 600.

[n8hutch]

I guess it would depend on if you plan to get an R.O. in the future. If not I wouldn't go any smaller than a 3x10. I'm going to have 500 on a 2.5x8 this year & I expect to boil 5-6 hours a day, it really comes down to how much time you have to boil.

[peterjd89]

I have plenty of time I'm laid off till mid April and just have to feed my beefcows. If I could boil 5 or 6 hours id be happy with that. Right now its just me don't really have anyone else to help my wife works and my boys are under 3

[maple flats]

With your boys under 3, will playing Mr. Mom eat into your boil time. You may need to figure that in too.

[n8hutch]

One thing that I didn't plan that well for last year is bottling, if you have an evaporator putting out say 4-5 gallons an hour your going to be pretty busy between fireing ,filtering & putting it in some type of container,bulk or retail. So try to match that process up well to your evaporator too. Good luck.

[BreezyHill]

I had always used 2.5g of sap per tap production per day and then used manufacturer numbers for the evap processing. This has generally worked fine except on days that it doesn't stop running. For this you need added sap storage or the will to boil in to the wee hours and stay awake.

A friend with an RO that can help in times of high production is a great asset to your operation.

The investment into an RO for 500 plus is a good investment while figuring your boiling time and fuel. A single post 4x40 or a double post can be built relatively inexpensively; when figuring your fuel expense. If you have plenty of wood source cut and stake the wood and sell it to buy the parts for the RO.

Last season on 650 and a 2 post RO I would boil from 3-5 hrs depending on the run. In 2012 the RO was not running and boiling 18 hrs straight on a 2x6 was living a nightmare. That year we had several mainline failures and had to retube the bush and only had 250-275 tapped. Each season since we have added more taps as we retube the farm. This season we hope to have the main bush all done for 1200+ taps and will be adding another 2 posts to the RO. I have lost 2 of my three sons to college and only 1 remains at home and is a senior; with college next fall.

IMO there is nothing more painful than dumping sap that you didn't get processed in time.

Nobody plans to fail...they just fail to plan.

So have a backup storage tank or three, preheat the sap is a great thing, have a place to go with sap if you cant keep up.

Packing as Flats said is another issue. I like to keep up with the evap and press into the canner and into Kegs same day. But when the press pump craps out you can get backed up. So be prepared for that too. Personally I don't have the time to pack in retail containers in season except for sales so it mainly goes in bulk storage to be packed as needed. Major time savings for our operation.

Boys under 3...I remember those days well. Ours road on tractors, in feed trucks and spent many hours in the feed mill. The bagging and mixing area is heated and AC so they loved to watch from their car seats. All the activity and sounds and lights kept them entertained. They all grew up strong lifting 50# bags as soon as they could and dragged them prior to that.

Suggestion: Don't add on all your taps until you know you can manage the sap production. Dumping 500 gallons of sap at a time is very heart wrenching when you have worked your butt off to make it.

This season, if it is like what we had the last time we had a El Nino affect will be rough...run for a few days straight and freeze up for part of a week, then thaw for a few days, and freeze... So we are moving a 3000 gallon tank into place for storage in the event that happens again.

There are s many plans of attack as there are producers so just ask; and keep in mind how many hours a day you can devote to boiling and your production numbers for sap. Figure a cushion and have fun with it.

Ben

[GeneralStark]

This year I'm going into the season full force I bought a set of woods with 500 taps set up on high vac and adding 250 gravity on my own property my plan was to build the arch and buy the pans I was thinking of a 3 by 8 or a 3 by ten size arch I would like something I can grow into I'm just wonder a suitable size for 500 to a 1000 taps thanks

What type of arch are you planning to build? What type of pans? Hoods? Pre-heater? All this will affect your boiling capability, so as others have suggested it would be best to determine your available time and possible boiling rate. It is the peak of the season that you need to plan for, the 8-14 or so days that you will potentially collect 2+ gpt so in your case potentially 1500+ gal. of sap.

If you can boil at 100 gph that would be 15 hours of boiling in a day. I boiled from 550 on high vac. for one season, and my rig can do 100gpt+, and had several days of long boils alone. I won't boil without an ro again.

Do you have any sense of how much sap these woods will produce?

[unc23win]

I think everyone has given you some pretty good advice without knowing the particulars of your set up. I would agree with GeneralStark I will never boil without an RO ever. I always figure on having to do everything myself I wouldn't want to boil more than 8 hours a night after my day job weekends I would go longer, but I would never save sap more than 24 hours. Sure others help some, but I don't rely on anyone or have anyone on pay roll either.

[GeneralStark]

Good point Jared regarding not letting sap sit around too long, especially later in the season. There is no point in making ropey or off syrup. This is another important thing to consider when determining your ideal processing time.

[peterjd89]

I appreciate all the replies all seem to be helpful an ro isn't in the budget theis year but is certainly an idea down the road. I think I'm goons go with a 3x10 possible leader or Smokey lake pans raised flues and a steam away set up

[unc23win]

I am not sure what 3x10 steam away goes for but my 2 cents would be to wait on the steam away and pick up a used RO $5000-$8000 maybe cheaper processing higher concentrate say 8% brix is way better than more sap at 2%. 400 gallons an hour @ 2% sap an hour is 9.1 Gallons of syrup while 100 Gallons @ 8% is 9.1 Gallons of syrup an hour. I went with no preheater and a used RO myself going on year 3 and I still don't need a preheater yet. You could also possibly get the NRCS grant in a year or 2 and maybe get a new RO or Steam Away or both.