Still Kicking

[Springfield Acer]

It has been a very busy preseason once grouse season ended. I spent most of my first two weeks tubing a woodlot that I used buckets on. The warm weather came before I was ready and I only tapped the new lot on Sat the 6th. I got 165 gal over the last three warm days which was enough to get the rig up to full density and make about three qts of very light tasting butter scotch flavor syrup. Then the cold came, I shut down, and inadvertently screwed up the valving on my auto draw and drained the entire contents of the front pan onto the floor overnight. What a mess! What a waste!
50% of my vacuum drops needed replaced so that the squirrels would have something new to do. I completed that and drilled in all the taps tonight.
About 60 buckets yet to put out and about and then hook up the vac & releaser by end of Thursday and I might be ready to go.
Whew!
I need some good quality shack time...........

[maple flats]

Ouch, that hurts. That is one reason why I have a manual valve behind the auto draw, better security. I also will be using it to regulate the flow somewhat.
While I haven't conquered the squirrel issue, I do find I get a little less damage if i install the tees on my drops 6-8" after the tree. I say after, meaning up stream because if I need to tighten a lateral from the end the tee won't be against the tree then either. On my few 2 tap trees 1 goes before the tree and one after.

[Springfield Acer]

Yeah, the manual valve. That was the screw up. I never closed it as a safety. Never again, I hope.