lost sap gradient

[CTsap]

I started to lose my gradient. I have a continuous flow 2x3 pan. I'm going to try and bigger draw off and try and flood out some of the darker stuff. Maybe i should have drawn off more frequently. Syrup still looks and tastes good, noticeably darker though.

[maple flats]

As the season progresses, getting darker is more common. It helps to draw very slowly to minimize mixing, but very hard. I did what I called continuous draw on my 2x3 and up thru last season (on a 2x6 then a 3x8) when I got an auto draw. When the draw temperature is right, just open the valve as little as you can. If the temp rises more, open slightly more and so on, then as it drops start to tweak it slight towards closed. It took some practice, but with a 2x3 I sometimes got a draw of 15-20 minutes at best. Then on a 2x6 I once got a draw over an hour long and on my 3x8 the longest was between 105 and 115 minutes. Realize, those were all the best, and not even close to typical. Typical on the 2x3 was about 5-7 minutes, on the 2x6 about 10-15 minutes and on the 3x8 about 10-20 minutes. The point is that if you can draw at the rate that matches what the evaporator is doing you don't get the surges that mix the gradients. On the 2x3 a good draw was about the size of a pencil lead or slightly more.

[Sugarmaker]

Check you syrup density with a good hydrometer. Draw off when its syrup, stop when its not. The gradient is somewhat out of your control it will happen when its ready. You cant change it much and the sap will be syrup when ready. The only time I would say there is a issue is when syrup wants to be made in a center partition of a rig due to a real hot fire. In that case getting that syrup to move towards the draw off port can be a challenge. Just keep firing!:) Your doing good!
Regards