Storage needs for 40 trees - buckets

[Ntatar]

This is my fifth year tapping and we're going to go from 25 to 30 taps to 35 maybe 45. Thoughts or recommendations on storage capacity? I'm working in a suburban neighborhood using buckets and collect using the back of my minivan. I roll everything out of the garage 2x a week to cook down. We also bought a small RO machine to help manage cook times but this is my first year with it. Most of my trees are mature sugar maples.

[Cjadamec]

Your increase in sap collection should increase at the same rate as you add taps. What were you storing sap in previously?

With RO most people collect the permeate water to use for cleaning because the ultra pure RO water is very good for cleaning, well that and not everyone has access to clean running water at their sugar shack. I would think a 55gallon drum would be plenty of storage of that for your operation.

Same goes for the concentrate, unless you are putting the concentrate right into the evaporator pan you will need a place to hold it. Figure at least a 50% reduction in volume from the raw collected sap.

[jdircksen]

I use rubbermaid trash cans with lids. They are food grade if they have a NSF (national food safety) stamp on the bottom.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-32-Gallon-Gray-Plastic-Trash-Can-with-Lid/50437332
Meets NSF 2, 21 approval and is USDA meat and poultry group listed, ensuring regulatory compliance for food storage and clean ability

4 cans should be enough to store raw sap. though this year it isn't flowing as well and I could get by with 2. Then for post-RO, you'll need one for permeate and possibly one for concentrate. For concentrate I sometimes just put it straight into a 5 gallon bucket because I add it to my evaporator as soon as it is ready.

[Michael Greer]

You will have a certain number of gallons in the evaporator, A certain amount in your transfer container(s), and up to three or four gallons per tree hanging in the buckets. It rarely happens, but every now and then you'll get three or four back-to-back runs and will fill every container you own. You can hardly plan for every possibility, but it's a short drive to pick up another tank or can.

[Ntatar]

Last year we worked out of 2.5 gallon plastic buckets with lids for storage and that was enough to keep up with the flow if we cooked down 2x a week. The question is really about the next investment... if we aren't going to fit in to those smaller bucket anymore and we're bringing an RO machine to the table (with a dozen more trees), it sounds like a pair of 55 gallon drums (or the large bins listed in the thread) might be the next purchase - one for holding concentrate and the other for permeate.

[to100]

You need a bigger ro or another membrane and larger pump. I started with 2 1/2 gallon buckets and several 5gal.
3 larger for sap, concentrate, and permeate. Every time you grow everything also. You can always find used after season as others grow or retire.