Nice addition to the Forums!

[Bucket Head]

This will be a great section for the new and little guys and gals out there just starting out. I sure wish this site and this forum was around way back when I was a backyarder!

Steve

[maple flats]

I agree Steve. While I was only a back yarder 1 year, *I still identify with the smaller producers. I like to read all of the ways back yarders get inventive in their effort to improve boil rate or syrup quality or both.

[TapTapTap]

We've all got a little "Backyarder" in us down deep.

[racinee]

I am a backyarder and will be checking this section for sure! This year was my first. Boiled with steamer pans but for some weird reason I feel a need to expand...just got a used 2x4 flat pan and currently building and arch...2x6 since I might "have to" get bigger pan in future :)

[esetter]

Will definitely be joining in. Nice addition!!

[aamyotte]

This will be one for me to follow. I will be starting this year for the first time. I have to build my arch, am going to use a steel drum and 2 steam pans. I only have 12 small trees to tap.

[Pdiamond]

when you say small make sure they are at least 12" in diameter for bucket taps and that would be one tap in that size tree. Once trees get to be 18" you can place two taps per tree. I never use more than two per tree even on my really big trees. If you are running tubing it is a little different scenario.

[aamyotte]

when you say small make sure they are at least 12" in diameter for bucket taps and that would be one tap in that size tree. Once trees get to be 18" you can place two taps per tree. I never use more than two per tree even on my really big trees. If you are running tubing it is a little different scenario.
That is my plan, only one tap per tree. This should be a good retirement hobby in 17 years as I will have many more trees to tap. I am also going to use the tree saver taps to reduce the stress on the trees with a smaller hole.

[Pdiamond]

That's what I said when I got started, just a hobby, make a little syrup for home. I now have a lot more equipment, I am adding 50 more taps this year, I picked up a really nice milk cooler tank this past summer for sap storage ( 400 gallons), plus my 275 gallon totes. Yeah just a hobby, and now that I am retired I keep saying it won't grow anymore. Then I always find an excuse to make something easier on myself and think, well now I can add more taps. It is a fun addiction. Please enjoy yourself in everything, and every time you prepare to do anything maple.

[Danielb]

Im nothing more than a barkyarder with too much ambition. My taps are across the road, but my processing takes place at home.
I only had a wood stove and 2 canning pots 2 seasons ago. Now i have 800 gallons of dairy tank storage in the woods, the same amount at the sugar house, 2 ibc totes for transportation, a brand new CDL 2x6 raised flue pan set, and will have about 500 taps on tubing....
Trust then when they say it is an addiction..

[3GoatHill]

I was a backyarder. Then we moved. Now I'm a no-yarder. I'm looking forward to following this forum as I start up again!

[vtbackyardmaple]

Hi everyone. New to the forum here.

Just got a starcat evaporator.
I'm trying to figure out how to add a blower to it and how it should be done.
Not a lot of room to work with as it is a small arch. 16x30 and the floor is much smaller.
Was thinking of using a blower of some sort to pvc pipe to steel pipe. The smallest diameter I could find was 1/2" for steel pipe.. is that too big?!
My thoughts were to just put Tees in the line and blow air through them in the arch. I'm thinking of angling them a little bit upwards.

Anyone have any experience doing something like this?
Dave

[Skeller001]

Looks like the right place for me. I only have about 15 trees to tap, wish I had more. I’m in south east PA so it’s a short season. Two years ago I started and got about two gallons. Last year was warm and I only got a few pints. Hoping for a better year. I built a new barrel evaporator and bought a real pan.

[Gord]

when you say small make sure they are at least 12" in diameter for bucket taps and that would be one tap in that size tree. Once trees get to be 18" you can place two taps per tree. I never use more than two per tree even on my really big trees. If you are running tubing it is a little different scenario.

Just out of curiosity, if you're drilling the same size tap holes, how does a tree less than 12" in diameter know the difference between a bucket on it or a tube on it?

[randolphvt]

Anyone tapping in VT for our 2 50 degree days?

Personally, I try not to tap those small trees yet. But if you feel like you have to use the tube and put a 5 gal bucket on the ground and a rock on the lid. Use the smallest hole possible on those young ones. Respect the future of those trees.

[Gord]

I think in general, most folks would be surprised how big a 12" tree is, and how old an 8" to 10" tree is. After reading the above I made a caliper to see how big my trees are, just out of curiosity. I was surprised at what I found. As an experiment, the next time you cut down a measured 8" to 10" tree, count the rings. I think you'll find, it's not as young as you think.
I'm fortunate to have a lot of maples, I call woods maples on my property. Because they are in the woods, they grow tall and don't have the greatest crowns like yard maples, do to trying to reach the sun. These trees are old, but don't have very large diameters. Maybe due to growing so tall.
Either way, I agree tapping small trees isn't a good practice and I'm lucky enough not to have to. I was just surprised at what I found using the caliper. My trees are bigger and older than I thought!

[Pdiamond]

I will answer what I know from what I have read on this site. I believe the difference is the amount. when you use a spile and bucket or a spi;e and tube to a five gallon bucket you are getting what sap is naturally flowing. With most tubing systems ( 3/16 will create natural vacuum ) and ( 5/16 most sugar makers have some type of vacuum pump creating more vacuum ). On smaller trees this could affect them by removing more sap than normal. In a natural tapping a tree will only give you the amount of sap it can afford to lose.

[Openwater]

Thanks for that clarification Pdiamond.
I'm a newbie and don't really understand all the implications of using different spile sizes and different tubing diameters. This is just going to be my 2nd year. Last year I only had 10-12 taps using plastic spiles with tubing (3/16 I think) going into buckets at the bottom of the tree. This year, I got 5/16 tubing to run into the buckets thinking I would get more sap, but from what you're saying, the smaller 3/16 tubing will create better natural vacuum than the 5/16, correct?. I only tap trees 10" or bigger with the plastic spiles, 1 tap/tree.

[Pdiamond]

Stick with the 5/16 tubing for your spiles going into buckets. The 3/16 tubing creates vacuum when its on a continuous line ( a tubing system ) going into a large container. These will usually have 20 to 30 taps per line and run downhill. The way you are doing it is fine. Just continue to enjoy yourself and have fun. As you learn from experience you'll grow, trust me it's an addiction. I started just like you are in 2004.

[Mvhomesteader]

I am a backyarder in the foothills of the western Maine mountains, looking forward to my sixth year of making syrup, the fifth here at this property. My wife and I bought this 220 year old house in 2015. The property is lucky to have an abundance of mostly sugar maples and a few reds. I use a concrete block arch with 3 steam trays in conjunction with a wood stove/steam tray as a warming pan. This setup will evaporate around 7 gallons per hour so I can easily get a gallon of syrup a day. If I start reasonably early enough I can push 60 gallons through the system and not make supper too late. We do around 13+ gallons a season.

I collect in milk jugs attached to 5/16 spiles with a piece of tube and jute as a hanger. I drag a homemade sled (old generator frame on downhill skis) around with 2-5 gallon buckets to collect. The pails go in a snow bank for storage or the shed of it is too cold outside. Since I have a metal roof the snow bank under the roof tends to be deep enough to bury the buckets which keeps some of the colder weather off the lids.

Someone mentioned making a caliper to measure maples. One simple way with a tape measure is anything above 31+ " in circumference is tappable (remember the old equation for circumference of a circle is 3.142 x diameter).

Looking forward to another season! I'll start to look at tapping weather around mid February, but that could drag into the first of March. I started a back yard syrup thread on the Tapping Maine site a few years ago and will continue it this year as well.

Best of luck to all the backyarders out there!

[Gord]

The caliper maker would be me. I was just curious about the size of my trees. Your method makes sense. That would make the diameter approximately 10", which is around the smallest trees I've been tapping.

[Openwater]

My caliper is a piece of orange nylon strap from a broken ratchet strap. It's got 2 lines on it, 1 at 31" and 1 at 57". I wrap it around the tree and if the circum falls between the lines, it gets 1 tap; if it falls beyond the 57" line, it gets 2 taps.

Also, does anyone know how to get the plastic smell out of a new plastic/poly sap tank? I tried washing it out, but it still smells like "new plastic". Do you think this smell will leach into my sap if stored in it for 5-7 days?

[Mvhomesteader]

I like the caliper idea. Covers all your bases in one tool.

Is your sap tank accessible to scrubbing on the inside? If so, not soap and water should work, plus some airing out. The 5 gallon buckets I use come from the local bakery department of the grocery store, and they smell either of plastic or frosting. A good wash and rinse help. Over a short time the smell should disappear. I don't believe any residual it will affect your sap. I assume the tank is food grade plastic.

[Gord]

At this time of the year I watch some youtube maple syrup videos during my lunch. It's interesting to see what other folks are doing. I watched one the other day I would like some feedback on. I've not seen this or heard of it being done. The guy was hammering a dowel in the tapped hole after he pulled his taps for the year. He actually said that was an important step he makes sure not to forget.
Does anyone here do the same? Why, and why not?

[Super Sapper]

You should never put anything into the hole after removing the tap. This will only hurt the tree in the long run. The tree will have walled off the area of the hole to protect itself. Adding wood into the hole creates an area for bacteria to start working on the dowel and then continue into the tree itself.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

The guy was hammering a dowel in the tapped hole after he pulled his taps for the year. He actually said that was an important step he makes sure not to forget.
Does anyone here do the same? Why, and why not?

Holy moly, I don't know if he could do anything worse for the tree. The tree needs to heal just like any living organism. Ask him if he takes a pen and drives it into his skin after he gets a paper cut to see if it helps........:rolleyes:

[aamyotte]

I like the caliper idea. Covers all your bases in one tool.

Is your sap tank accessible to scrubbing on the inside? If so, not soap and water should work, plus some airing out. The 5 gallon buckets I use come from the local bakery department of the grocery store, and they smell either of plastic or frosting. A good wash and rinse help. Over a short time the smell should disappear. I don't believe any residual it will affect your sap. I assume the tank is food grade plastic.

I have a question about the soap to use for washing the buckets. I have used ice cream containers and donut frosting containers with lids for collecting sap. I want to make sure that what I use to clean doesn't cause another issue with soap taste in the sap.

[DrTimPerkins]

Soap typically is made to help cut grease. There is no grease involved in maple, so soap is normally to be avoided. Plenty of hot water will generally suffice. However since if you're washing containers that previously had frosting in them, you may need some soap the first time to help remove the butter/oils. After that, make sure you copiously and thoroughly rinse (3-4x) with just hot water. After that, only hot water....or if necessary, a little bit of diluted unscented bleach (make sure it is just straight bleach....not the stuff with scents, brighteners, etc.) followed by rinsing.

[Mvhomesteader]

Soap typically is made to help cut grease. There is no grease involved in maple, so soap is normally to be avoided. Plenty of hot water will generally suffice. However since if you're washing containers that previously had frosting in them, you may need some soap the first time to help remove the butter/oils. After that, make sure you copiously and thoroughly rinse (3-4x) with just hot water. After that, only hot water....or if necessary, a little bit of diluted unscented bleach (make sure it is just straight bleach....not the stuff with scents, brighteners, etc.) followed by rinsing.

I wash my buckets thoroughly at the end of the season before they go into storage so that the following spring. During the sap season I rinse empty buckets with cold water before reusing for sap. At the end of the season the buckets tend to have dirt/mud on the outside as they've been outdoors for more than a month. The non scented dish detergent also loosens dirt, soot smudges, etc. accumulated on the exterior of the bucket and cover. I would avoid bleach myself unless you have a mold issue. I've been using the same buckets for years. Dry well before storage or keep uncovered so mold doesn't start. I keep a hose in the basement so it won't freeze that I can hook up when it is washing day as its still cold in April.

[maple flats]

About your question on plastic odor in the tank. Years ago I bought a new 550 gal plastic tank. I just rinsed it and then used it to collect sap. Once I'd gotten enough to start bottling the syrup (which tasted fine when still warm) I filled a bunch of qts and half gallons. A couple of days later my daughter called and said the half gallon I gave her had a "funny" taste. I checked another, it taste like plastic. I ended up having to empty about 15 gal worth of that syrup and had to sell it as commercial. I then ran hot water into the tank for almost 30 minutes, spraying every surface while the tank was draining at the same time. I then plugged the drain, filled it about 10" deep, added a pound of baking soda and splashed it all over for almost 30 minutes, then rinsed for almost an hour. After that I put it back into service and had no more issues, that smell and taste were gone.
That was an expensive mistake I'll never make again. I had originally thought a quick rinse would do it, wrong! I think that was in 2008, a year when bulk syrup was in low supply and prices prices were much better than recent. I got $3.00/lb for all bulk syrup, 3 @ 5 gal commercial and 5 @ 5gal Dark Amber paid the same. That was the only year in memory when the seller actually got away with bargaining for a better price and the only year I ever sold commercial at over $1.50/lb. It was also back when bulk in 5 gal Corny Kegs was accepted for bulk. Now 30 gal SS or larger is the general rule and certainly no bargaining for small producers. Fortunately I haven't made any commercial in over 6 years or so.

[Openwater]

I might try the baking soda rinse. I washed it out a few times with just hot water, but it's still got that "new car" plastic smell.

[Openwater]

Last weekend I rinsed out my new 35gal poly/plastic, food-grade sap storage tank with hot water and 1 lb of baking soda. After the baking soda, filled and drained it 2 more times with hot water and it still has a strong plastic smell. I was thinking about maybe trying some diluted cider vinegar with the next rinse attempt; or maybe try the diluted bleach method as long as the bleach/chlorine smell doesn't linger.

[mayohill]

I've used a 25 gal. poly tank now for 5-6 years to collect sap with my 4 wheeler. I cleaned it at the end of the season with white vinegar and water to ensure that I didn't get any mold or other bacteria. I would think that either unscented bleach as Dr Perkins suggested or vinegar would help get rid of the "New tank" smell.

[Openwater]

Well, after another 4-5 hot water rinses in the new tank, I decided to do what I always do when at an impasse - light something on fire! So I got some of my smoker chips out of the smoker, put them on a small steel plate, hit them with the propane torch for a few seconds, and put them in the plastic tank and sealed it up for an hour........and it worked. No more plastic smell; just a very slight hint of perfectly smoked brisket.