Improving

[Erionah Williams]

So I've been running a sugaring business for about 3 years now, i do everything the "old fashioned way" and would like to continue doing it that way. But I also plan on expanding...any ideas on things I should get so that I'm not in the sugar house boiling for 15+ hours like I was last year?

[BAP]

Before we can make any suggestions, we need some information. How many taps now? What do you plan to expand to? What do you have for equipment now? Evaporator size and fuel? Tubing or buckets and so on.

[Erionah Williams]

I have a 5x14 wood fired lightning rig, I use 3/16 tubing and I have roughly 1500 taps right now. I plan on adding on another 2,000 taps for this upcoming year, I don't use a filter press, I use felt cones.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

You're a trooper for trying to do 3500 taps on natural vacuum without RO. There's only so much your evaporator can do and you already have a pretty good sized rig. A steam-a-way would help with boil time and evaporator efficiency. There are a few others on here that do a lot of taps without RO. Hopefully they will chime in and provide some advice. I can't imagine trying to keep up with that much sap on a good day.

[motowbrowne]

Well, if you were boiling for 15 hour days last year on 1500 taps, that's one hour for every 100 taps. So... If you go to 3500 taps then you'll only have to cook for 35 hours per day. Yes, I think we have a problem.

If you want to keep it "old fashioned" which I understand (that's the way I roll also), then your options are limited. Without an RO, I think your choices are a bigger rig out a steam-away, or both. A 6x18 with a steam away would shorten your days considerably. Unfortunately, unless you can buy a used one, it will also lower your bank account balance dramatically also.

You could set about adding air-over-fire, assuming you don't already have it.

Otherwise, sell sap?

Of course, the elephant in the room here is an RO. With an RO, you will have plenty of rig already, you'll have shorter days of boiling, and you can even put out more taps if you want.

[Ed R]

If you have enough room in the sugar house add a second rig. I would go with some type of ro though.