Do i smell something burning

[Maxfields Maple]

Ive got plany of sap this year wich makes me happy.Trying hard to get some boiled down,A buddy stops over who was asking some questions about sugering,i new i had about a inch or over in my front pan .Well I poked my head out side for not even a minute to talk to him and started smelling something burning and it wasnt dinner.Well to make it short,i now am the proud owner of a 8 to 10 inch around big black scorch.I had to flud it some to cool it down a bit .I dont think they have buyers for this mollasis,.I shut the rig down{that was real fun}plenty of snow.I cleaned out the mollasis,about a one and half gallons of it.IGot up and running again,now she really boils,..... in one spot.
.Try again tomarow. old leader lightning 2by4
a lot of wood
A suger house thats going to become a chickin
coop if the boiling doesnt get better
this year is starting out ruff allready

[peacemaker]

dont feel bad brand new pans home made .been making syrup steady slow trickle for 2 straight hours ... first time ever been able to do this with my setup three friends stop by small sugar shack one of which is joe how was the one that got me started making syrup im bragging about how i have been pouring off a gal a hour for 2 hours straight when wham bam holding run outs which stops the little 2x2 preheater barrel stove which stops the run into the back compartment which drops in what seemed like seconds ... the front pan full off syrup to 1/2 which flashs to 225 and turns to a glob and starts to scorch i go to grab my flood bucket which is in the truck ... grab a canning pot out to the bulk tank no sap scoop maybe three inchs from the tank dump to late burnt ...lol none theless in front of everyone i was just bragging too ...lol she cleaned up wicked nice just black down the center weld ...

whats sucks is i stood there and watched it it happen ... i wasnt like up in the bathroom or eating ..lol nope watched it happen and my three main rules i broke always always have and full 5 gal pail of cold sap .. 2 always check the levls in the preheater ... and never get distracted by vistors there there to watch and never let them get in the way ......silly thing is there was a 1000 gals sitting in the truck

[Maxfields Maple]

Just got done bottling,its about 9 pm.boiled saterday 6 am to 11 pm[long day]. today 7 am till 6 pm,boiled and still split about a cord of pine today.I hit 15 gallons hoping for 20.ive got about 325 gallons to boil.I need to upgrade.this little 2x4 just dont cut it.Got some trees drying up already,but with this weeks weather it might be over with.I got some late nights boiling this week so i dont loose any sap to spoiling.well im calling it, a night

[halfast tapper]

Did you clean the burnt spot off? If not your syrup will taste burnt. Get some pan acid and let set over night and take a plastic brillow pad and scrub. Hope your season goes much better.

[mapleman3]

Dave, great to see your still going... it's amazing we are still running good, I thin k this is my last week.... oil will run out in the tank soon, I drove by the "hill" you were telling me about down near you, we may have to discuss it, maybe between you and I we can tube it up and get some sap!!!!

[maplecrest]

one rule to making syrup that was told to me as a young boy and after burning my share of batches not doing this! is to keep two pails of hot sap from flue pan at your feet or in quick easy reach. i use my scoop and when there is a question of a problem i add a scoop of sap.never put the sap on the hot syrup but behind it. i send it in under the syrup so it will not burn from the top, but lift it. on my first draw of the day i put a scoop three tills over to knock that down because the first is always a big draw and prevents it from getting too hot during draw off. some times i dont use any and sometimes a whole pail depending on the sap and the boiling day.the day the sap is not at my feet is the day i have a problem.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I always keep about 1.5 gallons of raw sap handy in a pail. I hate to throw raw sap in a syrup pan and don't normally and at the end of the day, I just dump the pail in the float box. Big slosh of sap out of a bucket onto whatever the problem is corrects it immediately as the sap is cold and diluted.

[DS Maple]

I'll bet most syrup people have had a similar experience somewhere along the road. Our evaporator has been boiling well this year (as in a complete boil along the entire flue pan) but the floats have been acting real funny. Two weekends ago I stepped out of the sugarhouse for around two minutes and left two of my helpers to watch over everything. When I left the temperature seemed to be holding steady at 215 but when I returned I was greeted by a smell of something burning. My help had watched the temp go up to 219 and opened the draw-off valve, not bothering to make sure the float in the syrup pan was working. As it turns out it wasn't, so they essentially drained what little liquid was still in the pan. The temp went to 230 at which point I threw a 5 gallon bucket of hot water from the SteamAway across the front pan. Amazingly everything worked out OK. The pan didn't burn and neither did the syrup. It tasted great and was still Grade A dark. The situation could have been a lot worse though.

[mapleman3]

I wonder why I'm the only one I let boil on my evap

[brookledge]

The markland auto draw off with high temp alarm and low level alarm has save me many of times. Especially low level alarm, it is suprising how distracted you can get when visiters stop bye and have never been in a sugarhouse before so you want to spend more time with them explaining things. I know that if I used oil I'd have it set up to shut offf the burner if it went into alarm.
Keith

[Russ]

We've scorched syrup several times and developed some rules similar to those already mentioned.

1. I tell visitors that they are welcome to a self tour and on-the-job sap collection training. We've scorched syrup when distracted by guests. Fortunately we are so far back in the big woods that we seldom get guests; the local hunting shack guys know we expect them to help if they show up.
2. Emergency sap buckets. Have them, use them.
3. Check the input flow, then check it again. We had a feed line slush up solid on a cold cooking day, just outside the shack wall. Melted the solder out of that flue pan.
4. There is someone always watching the finishing flat pan if we're using it. A few years ago I had a golden waterfall of syrup foam coming over the side because I had just tossed in a piece of pallet and turned my back.

[Maxfields Maple]

My pan is a old grims lightning 2/4.Its got the three dividers in the back,with the syrup pan in the front.Its got the old style plug with the handle to pull out when you need to add more to the front.Luckily for this its easy to add more,other wise i would have a five gallon bucket full.Ive got to admit its hard to see it and find it in a hurry when the steam is really cranking.I basicly make it buy the batch.Emptyied my buckets for the last time this year ,today.Ive got about three hundred gallons to boil this weekend to finish up the season.Its going to be cold tonight so it should stay good.Going to be some long days...........Dave

[Maxfields Maple]

As far as the burnt spot, that pan acid makes me nervous.Im a firm beleaver of boiling water and elbow grease or steam clean from pressure washer.I got it pretty clean after i got the fire out and drained the molassis.She boiles harder in that spot,but thats to be exspected.maybe if i burn the whole pan,my gph will go thrue the roof..hmmmmm,if it was only that easy.

[Maxfields Maple]

I ran out of wood and ive got about 20 pines that are dropped,that i never did nothing with.Well i cut and split a few cord and stacked up in my suger house to dry quickly from the heat .Well while talking to a custimer out side .He ses to me hey are there suposed to be flames out side of that stove.luckily i no this guy other wise this would of been embarising.A few logs from the pile fell down and were leaning up against the arch and up in flames they went..I just filled my front pan so i new i had a while to talk.In the matter of 5 minutes this happend.Luckily a bucket of sap got them right out before it caught the rest of the stack or the wood floors that they were laying on.could of ended my season a few days early

[Maxfields Maple]

Jim i would like to check that hill i was telling you.Ive got some others in mind too,but theres a lot more than i can use.Ones a 40 acre lot,the other about 10. We will have to talk.I beleave ive got a see you soon about a membership ive been procrastonating.Its been a good season.I think your going to need a 3 by 12 with all them new trees,that way you can sell me youre setup.he.. he... he..

[mapleman3]

Ya think?? I will have more than enough taps for what I have. who knows what the future will bring for me.. but I know I will have to expand my boiling capabilities. not sure about a bigger evap or RO or what... I would like to use less fuel so RO???
I would think having a bush nearby for you would be good, you could jump start your season, a bit warmer down here than your sugarhouse area... not too bad to truck up a few hundred gallons up there a day and also gather up there... yep yer gonna need a bigger evap !!

[Maxfields Maple]

jim I will upgrade some way or how this season.Im really going to put it to the test this weekend to finish up.If i dont burn it up,itll be for sale soon.Any buddy looking for a small 2/4?Im hoping to do some sugerhouse cruising in vt next weekend,so who no,s what i might find.I bet your looking forwards to all the clean up,im dreading the thought already.

[mapleman3]

Well Dave I'm already possibly lining up a 3x8 for me so...... we may be talking , I would have the rig plus the hood, and preheater, just not the burner.. but it has a blower and the doors for wood, already bricked up too... just have to pull out the ceramic blanket!! mighty fine rig.. hint hint hint

all depends on what I get for mine vs what I will have to pay for the bigger rig..

[HHM-07]

Max Maple

I have the same 2x4 as you i have a ball valve between the two front sections so i run the flue pan and one section of the front pan the same 2" and keep my depth @ 2" with my float that seems to work well. it's eaiser to make good grade when you can iolate the two front sections not so large draws but can draw every 15-- 20mins today i made 2 gals in 5 hrs, sap tested 3.1 it is sweet this year but a lot of niter

good luck

[Maxfields Maple]

just fiished bottling 3 1/2 more gallons,got a few more to finish in my propane bottler.Itle take a while but i hate to throw it out.I hope it doesnt spoil because the warm weather has found us.I ran out of wood completly,then i bought a few bundles of slabs,burnt them up,so i split a few cords of pine and went thrue that,im tired and akey, im almost happy the seasons over.The funny thing was the last week and when i was pulling my buckets ive got some trees that wernt doing much are now poring out nice clear sap.Taste reale sugery too.Its been a good season,and for a little 2/4 with a homebuilt arch im pretty happy.well looking forward to next year