Sugarhouse floor

[super sappy]

I was thinking about setting my evaporator on a concrete tube footing. I have a wood floor in the sugarhouse. MY thought was to cut out a floor section larger than the bottom of the firebox. Dig down 4 feet . Insert tubes 4-0 down and bring up to ground level. Then form up a slab 8-10 "" thick on top of the tubes.Id also form up a concrete ash box for the evaporator to sit on. Fill it full of rebar and pour. I thought that Id do the same for the back legs. My sugar house is built on termite blocks now and has not moved in 2 years .I am just thinking that I should do something , since the new rig will weigh alot more than the 2x4. My basic theory is that the concrete would be independant of the " floating building" Then if the building should decide to settle it can move all it wants to. I know that a traditional footing and poured wall would be better but if I have to go that rout I may as well start over with a new sugar house. - super sappy

[mountainvan]

That's what I did with my evaporator, but I only went down 2ft. Huge rocks under there.

[Fred Henderson]

SS, that is an excellent idea, go with it.

[royalmaple]

Sounds fine and also sounds like a S.O.B digging that pit inside the sugarhouse. Are you going to do that by hand?

[super sappy]

I can get my hands on a nut buster post hole digger. I can drill with that to loosten up the soil.A buddy of mine weighs about 320lbs. Ill get him on the other half of that thing and we should have some holes. Then use a post hole digger for the rest.I was going to start today but other things came up like pulling out my back. I put a deposit on the new rig on tuesday. For some reason the money was not taken out of my account.I am worried that the deal may be "F" ed up. I havent heard anything from them and the dealers are all in canada until monday. I d think that if there was a problem they should have called oh well its alwayse something. I did get my name in the maple news.I ll try to save the cliping for the sugarhouse wall. -SUPER SAPPY

[hookhill]

Sounds like it will work. While you are doing all that digging you can dig a firing pit. The old timers use to dig firing pits so that they did not have to bend over when loading wood into the arch.

[royalmaple]

What did you buy?

[super sappy]

I put a deposit on a maple pro 2x6 raised flu.-at least I hope I did -Super sappy

[Daren]

Do you think that is all necessary? I have a new unit comming and was going to form up and pour a pad to put it on. I was hoping a 4 to 6 inch thick concrete pad would be plenty. Am I all wet on this one? I hate to think of digging that big a hole in the shack!

[royalmaple]

Daren-

I didn't. I compacted about 2' of 3/4 gravel under my entire build site, compacted the heck out of it, side to side, criss cross in small increments of 6 inches deep or so.

I went with a 6" slab with rebar in it and also use the fibers in the concrete as well and slab has not moved at all and hasn't cracked.

Also I am on all clay soil underneath and still stayed fine. Now what will happen in 30 years?

[Daren]

Royal, how many years do you have on it now?

[royalmaple]

Just did it last summer, so not quite 1 yet.

One thing I did was spent the few hundred extra and made the slab long enough to incorporate my wood shed. It sure is nice to have the wood on concrete.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

As far as wood storage, Matt hit on a good point. Dries a lot better with a dry floor vs just dirt. I have several inches of gravel in mine and prefer that over concrete just for drainage not that it is ever needed and provides a little better air circulation underneath.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

I have a dirt floor in the woodshed, but I stack all of my wood on pallets and that seems to do the trick for good air circulation.

[royalmaple]

Ryan, your not telling the whole story and I am sure beanie can back me up on this one.

Your wood is drying out because it is crying the water right out in anticipation of going into that leadereater you got. Your scaring the water right out of the wood.

So you have an unfair advantage.

:-)

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

LOL!! Maybe.