How long can the sweet stuff sit?

[RileySugarbush]

I'm new to running a real evaporator and have always cooked batches. With a 2x6, once the pans are sweet and you shut down, I assume you cover the syrup pans with something (plywood?) and wait for the next run. Since the stuff has been sterilized I guess it can sit for a while, but how long is reasonable between firings?

[ibby458]

If it looks to me that it's gonna be more than a couple days, I bring it to a short boil, then let the fire go out. Once it's safe to do so, I drain into 5 gallon buckets with tight lids, chasing it with water. Then flush & clean the pans, once everythings cool enough.

When I'm ready to start boiling again, I put the sweetest in the syrup pan, working my way back to the flue pan with the thinner stuff.

[tapper]

In the past I have let my 2x6 sit for as long as 2 weeks but in addition to being sterilized it sat frozen for that period. I left the syrup pan open back into the flue pan the condensed sap would sweeten the flue pan so that it never froze hard enough to hurt anyting.

[parsissn]

I do exactly what ibby does. I will let it sit (after being boiled) for a few days but when the temp headed for 70+ this week I drained the rig. On a 2x6 it's not too bad to drain it out.

[RileySugarbush]

What do you use for covers while it sits in the pans? Got to keep critters out and any dust/debris.

[parsissn]

I use what I have laying around :)
I use a piece of cement board on the flue pan and a piece of plywood on the syrup pan. If I was going to buy covers, I'd probably buy cement board for all of it. That way you don't have any risk of fire and don't have to wait a long time to cover them after a run. I know some others use foam board like they sell for insulation at Home Depot but again, you'd have to wait for it to cool down first to keep from melting.

[tappin&sappin]

Riley... I've been wondering the very same thing.

So far this year I've just been leaving it sit in my evaporator. With up to 5 days in between boils. That stint was when it was cold though.

I boiled last night, and I'm wondering when the next run will be? I think if it stays cool during the day (below 40 deg), I'm going to leave it in the pan.

I don't have drains in my flues, so if I drain the pan I will have to try and cyphon (sp) it out of the flues. Kind of a pain.

For those that drain the pans into 5 gallon buckets... where do you store everything (sap, almost syrup) until your ready to boil again?

[tappin&sappin]

oh yeah... i cover my rig w/ a sheet the following morning when it's all done steaming.

[parsissn]

If your flues don't have drains (mine don't) buy a new siphon hand squeeze pump. They sell them for kerosene transfer but they also work great for emptying flues.

I keep the high concentrate in sealed buckets in the sugar house. The lower concentrate I bring inside and boil it down a bit on the stove. Worst case, I just throw out the low concentrate (usually less than 5 gal on my 2x6). By taking it off the rig I at least keep the low concentrate from infecting the high concentrate.

Mark

[ibby458]

Last year we had a week of darn warm weather. I boiled all the lower cencentrates in a turkey fryer until all of it was at least 35%, then hot packed it in 5 gallon pails, and left them in the sugarhouse. It kept just fine for a week.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have let it sit in the flue and syrup pan for up to 2 weeks between boils with lots of 60+ days.

[RileySugarbush]

Really that long, Brandon? and it's OK when you go to fire it again? If so, that is very good news since it is not unusual to wait for quite a while between runs. What condition is the sap and near syrup in when you return to it after a week or two? You cover it, right?

John

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have a flue pan hood and the syrup pan hood is suspended, so I don't normally cover it. If it would be sitting where sunlight could hit it, I would be concerned, but other than that, you should be ok. I only did that one time for that long and the temps was 60's for 8 days. After boiling nearly two weeks later, the syrup was fine that was pushed out.