Zagman
11-13-2016, 09:03 AM
So, I am new to this forum AND new to sugarin'.......
Sure, I've helped a lot of friends and farmers over the years, but this is my first go at it 100% on my place and myself....
I will never be a big operator....small-time for sure.....couple weekends a year, maybe 40-50 taps maximum.......
I have a complex of buildings out in my woods by my pond, and added another building this spring. Initially, its use was going to be as a woodshed for our fire pit and for my outdoor cooking......our place out back is party central, so the second use was as a deck for all of our coolers, which hold food and/or beverages....
During design, I decided to make it into a sugar shack as well, adding the cupola roof as a last minute idea.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/Zagman/sugar1_zpshdssc6qu.jpg
Both gable ends are open and the whole building is slatted with two inch openings all the way around........to encourage air flow for drying wood (initially). Therefore, I did not go overboard on the size of the cupola opening......
Because this place out back is somewhat of a destination in its own right, I go out of my way to NOT cut down trees, adding to the overall appeal of the grounds.......but, you will notice that I have some Norway Spruces basically touching both gable ends of the building.....
My smoke stack will be going out the back, and I've accepted that I need to knock down these Norway's that are touching my building.....
After those three are gone, there are still several within 20-30 feet of the sugar shack, most of them in close proximity to my other cabin, pavilion, cook shack or outhouse......
I am terribly concerned about burning the whole works down!!! In hindsight, building this dead-center made a ton of sense for wood access and cooler storage, but NOT for boiling sap! But, since its use for sap boiling will literally be a couple of weekends a year, I don't want to take away from the quaintness of the place and remove more trees than necessary.....
But, alas, it is what it is now.......and I have to adjust accordingly.......
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/Zagman/sugar2_zpsjpxwu7md.jpg
Long story for a short question........my smoke stack will go out the back gable end and I will certainly not be pushing volume through the arch or smokestack compared to most on here......I know you can put a spark arrestor in the upright of the stack but was also wondering if there was something I could do on the end with a screen or something to catch the sparks but allow the smoke out?
I know I have to cut down some trees, but I want to limit the number. I need to focus on boiling and finishing and don't want to be frantic about burning the place down. There is a stand of Norways the state planted about 50 yards from my sugar shack and that place would go up in seconds if the wrong spark hit the wrong spot....we have huge fires back there in my firepit and I cook there with my spits a lot and have never had an issue......but sparks coming out of a stack 15 feet in the air creates a new potential problem that I am concerned about.......
Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated!
Zagman
Sure, I've helped a lot of friends and farmers over the years, but this is my first go at it 100% on my place and myself....
I will never be a big operator....small-time for sure.....couple weekends a year, maybe 40-50 taps maximum.......
I have a complex of buildings out in my woods by my pond, and added another building this spring. Initially, its use was going to be as a woodshed for our fire pit and for my outdoor cooking......our place out back is party central, so the second use was as a deck for all of our coolers, which hold food and/or beverages....
During design, I decided to make it into a sugar shack as well, adding the cupola roof as a last minute idea.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/Zagman/sugar1_zpshdssc6qu.jpg
Both gable ends are open and the whole building is slatted with two inch openings all the way around........to encourage air flow for drying wood (initially). Therefore, I did not go overboard on the size of the cupola opening......
Because this place out back is somewhat of a destination in its own right, I go out of my way to NOT cut down trees, adding to the overall appeal of the grounds.......but, you will notice that I have some Norway Spruces basically touching both gable ends of the building.....
My smoke stack will be going out the back, and I've accepted that I need to knock down these Norway's that are touching my building.....
After those three are gone, there are still several within 20-30 feet of the sugar shack, most of them in close proximity to my other cabin, pavilion, cook shack or outhouse......
I am terribly concerned about burning the whole works down!!! In hindsight, building this dead-center made a ton of sense for wood access and cooler storage, but NOT for boiling sap! But, since its use for sap boiling will literally be a couple of weekends a year, I don't want to take away from the quaintness of the place and remove more trees than necessary.....
But, alas, it is what it is now.......and I have to adjust accordingly.......
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v509/Zagman/sugar2_zpsjpxwu7md.jpg
Long story for a short question........my smoke stack will go out the back gable end and I will certainly not be pushing volume through the arch or smokestack compared to most on here......I know you can put a spark arrestor in the upright of the stack but was also wondering if there was something I could do on the end with a screen or something to catch the sparks but allow the smoke out?
I know I have to cut down some trees, but I want to limit the number. I need to focus on boiling and finishing and don't want to be frantic about burning the place down. There is a stand of Norways the state planted about 50 yards from my sugar shack and that place would go up in seconds if the wrong spark hit the wrong spot....we have huge fires back there in my firepit and I cook there with my spits a lot and have never had an issue......but sparks coming out of a stack 15 feet in the air creates a new potential problem that I am concerned about.......
Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated!
Zagman