Good start!

[woodcutter]

Tapped 400 on Feb.2, got a good run that week, second run came on Fri and Sat. the 8th and 9th. Made 35 gal so far. We are really frozen up now and we needed the break. The sap is running at 34to 1, better than where it started last year. We never started this early before and never had this much syrup made before the 14th of Feb.

[maplehound]

Wood cutter,
I sure was tempted to tap this past week. But I held off. With this cold snap I am glad I did. I do however expect to tap with the next warm up.
What have you done with the sap on the pans? I know that most leave some kind of heat under the pans (like a light bulb) but with this cold I would be real woried about it even with a heavy sugar content.

[MaplePancakeMan]

Maplehound, i will now be draining my pans with this cold we had lastnight of between -5 to 1 degree i had 45% sugar in the front pan and it froze the top 1" of it, whatever was left in the flue froze. It took awhile to get things thawed. Good think i did drain the flue pan though.

[maplehound]

now what about those atorage tanks? Even with just a little sap in them those valves will freeze solid, for me anyhow, they are hard to get thowed out. I have lost several plastic vales to splitting or using a torch to try to free them up. BOY AM I GLAD I DON'T HAVE ANY SAP RIGHT NOW.
Hope you have a good season any how.

[MaplePancakeMan]

My sap is all processed and out of my tanks, i drained the pans into buckets and covered them and left them in a protected area. left the valves open so if ice expands it can expand out. 10 gallons of syrup so far from just 150 taps, looking to put the rest in end of the month.

[woodcutter]

I have a 100 watt bulb in the firebox and with the leftover heat from the firebrick I just got a little ice on the flue pan. We are getting rain now and the temp is near 32. If it gets to cold I set a small fire roast a hotdog and bake a potato and let everything warm up.

[maplekid]

woodcutter where are you located?

[woodcutter]

We are in Madison, Ohio off 528 just north of Thompson, and 4miles south of I90.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Heat tape works good around plastic valves to keep them from freezing up and feed tank undersides if you are holding sap in them that hasn't been boiled to keep a layer of ice from building up on the bottom and blocking of exit.