PA German Sugar House

[PA TAPPER]

After boiling outside spring of 2015 I decided to re-purpose an existing farm building for the 2016 season. The best suited was a 16 x 20 building our family called the Wash House. It is a dimensional lumber building built in 1910. Building had a brick firebox with cast iron top. Cast top had 2 sets of nested rings to place kettles on when heating water for hand washing clothing. Building and firebox were also used for butchering during fall and winter. Many farm vegetables were also processed here during harvest time. Attached are current pictures. Many more Interior pictures to follow.

[PA TAPPER]

Beside the Sugar House is a " Spring Cellar " . This is a 10 x 12 underground storage room to keep farm produce and products 50 - 55 degrees year round. This spring cellar is called such because it has a fresh water underground spring running thru it in a cemented trough along 2 walls. Trough has a 3 foot deep section and a shallow 6 inch section. Cans full of milk were kept in the deep section before farm had electric / refrigeration. This was also a great place to store farm produce. Veggies placed here for a least 1 day were more crisp than when picked from the garden due to high moisture and cool temps. Ice was also stored here. Ice blocks cut from farm ponds were packed in sawdust and due to insulation from saw dust would keep well into august. Note cement widow vent at far side of cellar room . Above green folding doors, in the distance , can be seen one of my 3/16 " sugarbushes. This should be a great place to store hot packed syrup in stainless !

[pennslytucky]

Looks great

[PA TAPPER]

The building being just over 100 years old still has the original wood siding. Water from many storms has seeped thru the cracks and given it a cool log house look. I had to replace some of the lower 10 x 10 beams and bottom of upright posts where they touched on the cement footer. This left me with new wood on the bottom and nice vintage wood up top. I decided to put a shelf 360 degrees around the inside of the building. I then covered the new wood with green roofing material under the shelf. This roof material also acts as a splash guard when I wash cement floor down with a garden hose. I also painted our vintage yard bench to match and give seating to our sugar house visitors.

[PA TAPPER]

Purchased a good used stainless 3 basin sink. Works great but I do have to blow out water lines when finished if below freezing. Sort of a pain but I can live with that.

[PA TAPPER]

My arch is wood fired so I wanted easy access to pallet wood without going in and out the main door 50 times. Back about 1960 a small addition was installed ( chicken feather pit ). My parents had 2000 laying hens and few hundred meat birds. This addition was to catch feathers from the rotary drum feather plucker. Anyway , This addition has an outside door to fill cubby with wood. I can then close outside door , and open inside door when needed to feed evaporator. I can hold 9 hours worth of wood in this cubby. I have a "UPS " style panel van backed up to the outside door area and it holds approx. 3 cords of cut pallet wood.
Some vintage farm items grace the walls and shelf. The neat thing about these item is that they are all family items, used on this farm since my grand parents purchased it in 1937. The farm did not have electric until 1947.

[PA TAPPER]

Modified my 2015 Oil Tank 3 Buffet Pan arch to hold my new Smoky Lake 2x6 Hybrid , Hood and Preheater. Stack Pipe's are hung from roof and Smoky Lake stack clamps connect to hood and arch.

[PA TAPPER]

Purchased a factory second ( lid screws on hard ) 110 gal forklift movable poly tank for a gravity feed head tank. Added 4" x 4" x 1/4" thick angle iron on top of rafters to take load to wall uprights and mounted tank in rafters. Also added one upright to support rafter. Mounted auto draw box to that upright as it was in a good position and near to draw off valve.

Cam loc's and 3/4 " pex pipe make nice quickly removable lines to pre-heater and head tank sight tube.

3 black switches on wall are for lights and one White Indicator Light switch turns on and off an outside ground fault outlet . A Rule submersible pump plugs into that outlet and fills head tank from outside 250 gal storage tank. I normally only fill head tank with 50 - 60 gallon but rafters were tested once when I forgot to turn off pump and overflowed 110 gal tank.

[PA TAPPER]

Purchased a used restaurant equipment table and will now use it as my bottle filling station. Freezer , Radio and Beverages help during those long boils. Wash down hose to keep tapered drain-able floor clean. Have some literature for visitors and a calendar to keep record of boil dates, gallons boiled and sugar percentages. Night before my last boil with 165 gallon in outside storage tank. I don't miss boiling outside. Warms up to 80 degrees during boil when it's 30 outside. I'm often in a tee shirt and still have to crack the windows.

[Z/MAN]

Now that is a nice setup!!!

[PA TAPPER]

Now that is a nice setup!!!

Thank You . Also serves as a place to go for the dog and I when my wife throws us out !

[bigschuss]

Classy looking sugarhouse. Love it.

[Run Forest Run!]

That sugarhouse is spectacular. What a wonderful repurposing of that building!

[maple flats]

Real nice set up. Good work.

[PA TAPPER]

Thank You to all who responded ! I spent many hours working on the sugar house last year and I think it shows. The bricked and partially insulated oil tank works for now but I do see an arch build in my future. Had some left over green paint so I painted my Sap Trailer to match the interior . The 135 Gallon Sap Trailer will be getting a wider full size automotive axle and tires next year. A wider stance with full size tires will make off-roading a little easier and less tipsy on those side hills.

[Sugarmaker]

Pa Tapper,
Very well detailed Sugarhouse! You have it all to be very comfortable making syrup! Would love to visit and set a spell while you boil. About the only thing I did not get from the pictures was the nice maple smell!
Regards,
Chris

[PA TAPPER]

Pa Tapper,
Very well detailed Sugarhouse! You have it all to be very comfortable making syrup! Would love to visit and set a spell while you boil. About the only thing I did not get from the pictures was the nice maple smell!
Regards,
Chris

Thanks Chris , You and other Trader Members are welcome to visit anytime. Just PM me . I too like to visit other sugar houses. Really would love to see them during a boil but like most producers , I have my own evaporator to tend to during the season. Had a few cub scouts visit and a comment was made about not smelling very much so I took off the removable syrup hood section. Within 2 minutes the wonderful sweetness filled the house !

[Bucket Head]

That's a beautiful operation- the building, the rig, the other equipment and décor- all of it! Very nice. In my opinion, you can't beat repurposing old farm buildings. A lot of history and character in them!

What are the lights your using? They look like vapor proof lights, but without the cage. I've never seen those before.

Steve

[PA TAPPER]

What are the lights your using? They look like vapor proof lights, but without the cage. I've never seen those before.

Steve

The lights are from from a section of our main barn that was rarely used. Figured they would get much more use in the sugar house. I do not know a name or manufacturer as they had no markings. The heavy duty clear glass globe screws into the base and protects bulb from breakage but are not vapor proof. Breakage and related sparks were a concern in the barn for fire reasons. I believe them to be 1960's or early 1970's vintage .

[BRL]

Awesome looking setup! Any chance you could snap some pics of the inside of the spring house?

[PA TAPPER]

Any chance you could snap some pics of the inside of the spring house?

I sure will post some as soon as I can get some daylight pictures. ( This weekend ) .

[PA TAPPER]

Any chance you could snap some pics of the inside of the spring house?

Finally got a chance to take pictures. The Spring Cellar doors closed and open. Third Picture is from inside looking outward , up the 15 steps !

[PA TAPPER]

The Spring Cellar Room . Floor walls and ceiling are all cement. Roof is reinforced with steel I-beams. Ceiling is approx 3 foot underground. Yes, Also a great place to ferment wine !

[Run Forest Run!]

Would I ever love to have that on my property!

[PA TAPPER]

Pictures are of the Shorter 3 foot deep spring water section , Longer 6 in deep section behind jugs, and the spillway leading to drain pipe. Darn maple leaves always collect down there ...... Oh yea , I like maple trees now!

The shorter 3 foot deep spring water trough has hand pump suction water pipes leading into the cellar of the house. Previous owner ( Before 1937 ) has a Still in the house cellar and pumped his water from here to the still. He was known far and wide for his Peach Brandy. When my grand parents purchased the farm in 1937 people would ask where they live. They would try to explain but most would not know where until they said they purchased the Fraunfelder Farm. Many would say " I know where that farm is, We get our Hooch from there ".

[PA TAPPER]

The slatted window vent at far end of room from outside and looking upward from inside.

[PA TAPPER]

I did not have a sliding board as a kid , but I did wear out plenty of Sears Tuff-skins ( Trousers ) sliding down the rough cement caps.

[PA TAPPER]

And last the most amazing part. The initials and date by Daniel J. Fraunfelder himself. I cannot imagine digging a hole in the ground " by hand in 1910 " large enough to build this. I guess that's why you had large families ( Cheap Labor ).

[BRL]

PA TAPPER that is Awesome!! Thanks for taken the time to post all the pics! When the kids are out of school and I move north and start an off grid homestead a spring house/cellar will be built!! Thanks again

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I did not have a sliding board as a kid , but I did wear out plenty of Sears Tuff-skins ( Trousers ) sliding down the rough cement caps.
not to change subject but havent heard that word in years

was it the tuff skins that came n different colors with the reinforced knee area?

[CampHamp]

One of my favorite things about this forum is seeing other other people's setups. I love the style and feel of your repurposed wash house! I'm really worried about that head tank, though. Without a base, it can't be safe with much sap in it... I'd even suggest having an overflow hole drilled in with tubing going back out to your tank.

Thanks for sharing your great work with us!

[psparr]

You should see it in person!
Jealous!

[CampHamp]

Another quick thought on your head tank... I installed a shut-off valve for pumping to my head tank after I had an over-flow event. I use this one (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Floating-Ball-Valve-Automatic-Water-Level-Control-Valve-for-Water-Tank-/221879468567?hash=item33a90c0217:g:ykwAAOSwZ1lWe~A q), but there are different thread sizes to suit. This might work if you install it low in your tank.

[PA TAPPER]

not to change subject but havent heard that word in years

was it the tuff skins that came n different colors with the reinforced knee area?

Colors, Oh yes. I had green , red and grey ! Yes, Knee patches also.

[PA TAPPER]

I'm really worried about that head tank, though. Without a base, it can't be safe with much sap in it...

I too was concerned. Tank has 2 eight inch flat molded side indentations to accept forklift forks. Manufacturer says tank can be moved when full or empty and can be mounted permanently suspended, even if full, using these mounts. I have stops on rafters to keep supports from accidentally sliding apart and allowing tank to fall. Not a creak or groan before tank overflowed so I feel good with my normal 50 - 60 % fill during a boil.

[PA TAPPER]

Had to clean head tank tonight so I took a few pictures.......

[Tappy Sap Master]

Very Nice!

[Cedar Eater]

Very good reuse of that building.

[CampHamp]

Had to clean head tank tonight so I took a few pictures.......

That's how that tank was magically suspended from those rafters! Now I get it. I'm not worried any more. I haven't seen that kind of tank, thanks for clarifying!

[Sugarbush Ridge]

Bucket head,,,,, What are the lights your using? They look like vapor proof lights, but without the cage. I've never seen those before.

I remember "barn" lights like them. The ones I've seen were made to use a quart mason jars. Jar was to protect bulb and was to keep straw,, hay,, trash,, dust away from bulb to prevent fires. Now that I see them again, I wish had some.

[maplestudent]

I'm so glad I clicked on this thread. I love this type of history....thanks for sharing.

[Michigan Maples]

Wow.....what a beautiful farm! We have a very old farm in Michigan, but all but one of the out buildings are long gone. That wash house re-purposed into your sugar shack is amazing, you've done a fabulous job with that. I haven't been sugaring long, but that is the best looking operation I've seen. Dave