Mid Michigan Sap??

[Rick_Seebeck]

Is sap running in Middle Michigan yet? Have most sugar bushes tapped already?

[firetech]

I'll start tomorrow I'm still setting up the new evaperator. Feed tank is going up right now arch is bricked and all componets are cleaned. My brother is stopping over after work so we set the pans,might get the stack put in place too. Really optimist test boil tonight? Wife says its time to get-r-done,and will help me set tapps all week after work because saps gone to finely flow next week and good. Dinner's over get to the suger house.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

firetech
what did you get for a pan??
RICK i tapped last sunday got about 80 gals. sweentened the pan tuesday. today about noon i turned the vac on but it is very slow. mixed sun/clouds temp +34.

RICH

[Rick_Seebeck]

I set one tap today and there is no sap running at all. The tree was not frozen but there was no sap. Too cold in Gladwin.

This is the first tap I have ever set, I will watch to see when it starts and start setting the others. I am only tapping 20 or so trees so I can get it done quick.

Started my homemade evaporator today. I picked up a wood stove made of heavy rolled steel. It is like a barrel stove but smaller and much heavier. It is already lined with brick and has a grate installed. I will cut out the top and weld on some angle iron to make a seat for the pan. The pan will be made of galvanized sheet metal with a draw off valve, I am still working on finding the right pan! Got to get it done by Tuesday so I am ready to boil. I will post some pics as I finish it up. It will be a simple rig with a 20 X 24 pan. I am hoping to make 2 or 3 gallons of syrup.

My 6 year old son and my 3 year old daughter are very excited about our new hobby. Lets hope it goes well!

[jemsklein]

I set one tap today and there is no sap running at all. The tree was not frozen but there was no sap. Too cold in Gladwin.

This is the first tap I have ever set, I will watch to see when it starts and start setting the others. I am only tapping 20 or so trees so I can get it done quick.

Started my homemade evaporator today. I picked up a wood stove made of heavy rolled steel. It is like a barrel stove but smaller and much heavier. It is already lined with brick and has a grate installed. I will cut out the top and weld on some angle iron to make a seat for the pan. The pan will be made of galvanized sheet metal with a draw off valve, I am still working on finding the right pan! Got to get it done by Tuesday so I am ready to boil. I will post some pics as I finish it up. It will be a simple rig with a 20 X 24 pan. I am hoping to make 2 or 3 gallons of syrup.

My 6 year old son and my 3 year old daughter are very excited about our new hobby. Lets hope it goes well!

I would not boil on a galvanized pan if you look around you can get a cheap used one for $1 - $300 I got my 2x4 pan for $49 because it had a small leak but we did some soldering an was a good a new.

[Rick_Seebeck]

What are the problems encountered with using a galvanized pan? Forgive my ignorance but I am new at this.

[jemsklein]

What are the problems encountered with using a galvanized pan? Forgive my ignorance but I am new at this.

It contains lead and zinc witch burn off at 150c when it burns of it can cause lead poisoning or can cause serious, long-term neurological damage or possibly cancer. Especially for children, exposure to barely detectable levels of lead has been strongly linked to brain damage. Witch can come from your galvanized pan.
There is more but i cant think of it right know.

[Rick_Seebeck]

Kinda what I thought! I will spend the cash on a ss pan. A nice day with the kids making syrup followed by a dose of brain damage is not my idea of a Norman Rockwell spring!

[firetech]

Rich its not new but to me. I bought a 30x10 leader. 5ft tin flue pan (1981) and a 5ft ss syrup pan (1994). I put some mild air injection into the firebox 10 in duct booster fan on a speed controler of course. I don't need to push the old girl to hard. Figure running good that I should get 60-62 gph. With 225-250 of road trees that's all I can handle and not disapoint the the Gov on my regular 40.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

FIRETECH those roadside trees are sweet. i got 55 taps on the road and they run great. how about yours? are you on tubing or buckets??

RICH

[firetech]

Rich I run both some tree groups work good for tubing and some are spread out a bit and we use 5gal plastic buckets. I've not measured sugar content. I'm just happy to have the trees. Next year I might tube the neighbors wood lot it's only 500ft downhill from the new sugar house site.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

started the pump about 8:30 this morning and shut it off at 7 pm got about 150 gal. boiled down 100 finish the rest tomorrow after snow plowing is done

RICH