In-ground sap storage

[Smeds]

After my 275 gallon tote froze stiff last year, I decided to go in-ground for sap storage. The 55-gallon barrels are food-grade (grape juice), but I decided to line them with food-grade 55-gallon drum liners. The liners are 4 mil. A roll of 50 was just over $80 through Amazon. $8 a year I can live with, especially knowing I'll never need to clean ... just pull the bags and toss each year. I've rigged up a bilge pump on the end of a plastic broom handle, attached to food-grade hose to pump them out on boil day. The "cone" covers were relatively cheap too ... about $7 a piece, and should eliminate water build up on the lids. Had someone with a mini-excavator come and dig me a trench, then I filled the bottom of it with 4" of pea gravel. I'm hoping this will keep my sap near freezing, without freezing until boil day. NW Wisconsin, ground is always filled with frost this time of year. Here's a picture from last fall:

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Thoughts? I'll pop a lid sometime this week, put in a liner and start dumping in sap. Still 2' + of snow in the woods, but I got 27 out of 50 trees tapped yesterday, until my heel strap on a snowshoe broke. I'll tap the rest when the snow goes down a little.

[dogpatch]

I am looking forward to seeing any responses on this. I have my own backhoe and could easily do something similar to what you did. I have no power so I am limited for options to keep my sap cool.

[wobbletop]

I'd be interested as well although it would be tough digging around here.

Usually before I have enough sap to start boiling, it freezes in the storage bins and takes *forever* to thaw. Last year I ended up dragging garbage bin size barrels full of frozen sap into the house to try to get them to start to thaw.

[Smeds]

Update ... sap flowing slowly, but finally filled one drum after 3 weeks of small collections. Boiled today, got just over a gallon of golden syrup. Was shocked at how light, but hydrometer said it was done. Ground storage is working great! Bonus, after my bilge pump bottomed out, I could just pull the bag and cut a corner off to get the last 1.5 gallons of sap.
Can’t complain about the new setup. 18410

[maple flats]

Nice indeed. Keep us posted as the temperatures climb.

[wmick]

Hey Smeds
I think your in-ground storage idea is awesome... Especially with the liners... I think I might consider doing this too.. Big question though... Are you worried about the barrels floating when empty? (popping out of the ground??)..
I fear that, with the high water table in my area, this would happen... I think I might need to devise some sort of "anchor" system. Tying the barrels to concrete or something?? Any thoughts?

[Smeds]

Hey Smeds
I think your in-ground storage idea is awesome... Especially with the liners... I think I might consider doing this too.. Big question though... Are you worried about the barrels floating when empty? (popping out of the ground??)..
I fear that, with the high water table in my area, this would happen... I think I might need to devise some sort of "anchor" system. Tying the barrels to concrete or something?? Any thoughts?
I didn't consider that last fall ... but I buried them on a crown (4-wheeler trail) through the woods. I'm hoping the 4" of pea gravel aids in drainage, plus our soil drains fairly well. This summer I may dig in a length of drain pipe if there appears to be too much water. That being said, they're really packed in ... I would be shocked if they popped out of the ground at all. If you're burying in low areas ... your mileage may vary.

[Smeds]

Nice indeed. Keep us posted as the temperatures climb.
I think I'm going to freeze little 2 gallon bucket sapsicles, and add 1-2 per barrel when the temps climb. Saturday we had temps dip down near zero. I was afraid of the freezing when I popped the cover Sunday morning to start prepping for the 1st boil, but it was barely skimmed over with ice. My old 275 gallon tote would have been locked tight! Sap was still fairly clear, after 3 weeks. That's a win so far.

[Matt H]

Hey Smeds
I think your in-ground storage idea is awesome... Especially with the liners... I think I might consider doing this too.. Big question though... Are you worried about the barrels floating when empty? (popping out of the ground??)..
I fear that, with the high water table in my area, this would happen... I think I might need to devise some sort of "anchor" system. Tying the barrels to concrete or something?? Any thoughts?

I can see how a high water table could wreak havoc. One way around this might be to use material (dirt or otherwise) above ground instead of digging....similar to a bermed house. However, bermed houses are exposed on at least one side. So, it would be better to completely bury your container inside a reasonable amount of mass (both to cool and insulate the container). A friend with a dump truck and a load of fill could be handy. :)

Has anyone tried this?

[Smeds]

It’s been mid 50’s low 60’s since last Wednesday. A little one gallon painters bucket has been making an ice cube each night. One per drum lasts a day or two. Sap was 37 degrees this AM when I started. This has been exceeding expectations. Last boil today, about 100 gallons. Pretty slow year, but can’t be more impressed with the barrels in the ground idea. 18588

[wobbletop]

What do you think the temp would be without the added ice?

[Smeds]

What do you think the temp would be without the added ice?

Unsure ... the ground is thawing fast, and about 8" of drum sits above ground. I would guess it would still stay in the low 40's maybe? I like to make darn sure, so no problem throwing a frozen gallon pail in there here and there.

[wobbletop]

And conversely, they didn't freeze solid during the cold spells?

[billschi]

I just finished building a 8'x10' root cellar. I started building a 12'x 20' sugar shackon top of it. I will filter and gravity drain from above ground so I can use an RV pump to get the clean sap up to my pans. Our ground is at 41 degrees, so this should be perfect. I plan on using 4- 55 gallon drums in the root cellar. I have the floor on this now. Time for walls soon.
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[Smeds]

Year two with the buried barrels ... they're above and beyond expectations. They did pop up a little from last year, unsure if frost or water moved them. We've has some really cold nights, and the sap barely skims over with ice even when near the top of the soil level surrounding the drums. Boiled 80 gallons last Sunday, a nice honey-colored syrup from it! I think those little one pound painter-bucket ice cubes really help keep the sap cold too ... in addition to the fact the barrels are buried below ground. Those ice blocks last a week, and hardly get any smaller.

Again, with food-grade liners ... this is a dream for sap storage. End of year just toss the liners. Will be boiling again this weekend, just wanted to drop an update.

[Smeds]

Year 4 update ... drums have pretty much stayed in place after the first year's minimal popping up. Nothing better than in-ground sap storage IMO. Boiled off 120 gallons yesterday, got 2.75 gallons of fancy light. I think keeping the sap cold does wonders for quality. Even after 2 weeks of collecting, yesterday's sap was as clear as can be.
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[wobbletop]

What pump are you using to get the sap out of the drums?

[Smeds]

I taped a 750 GPH bilge pump on a synthetic broom/tool handle, and bought 30' of food-grade hose. I know, the bilge pump isn't food grade. But I figured the contact point there vs. the hose is so minimal, and the cost so much less ... I went for it.