Sugaring with a 5-gal Bucket

[TomE]

Just want to say thank you all for all the info you have posted. I have "lurked" through the site for a few days now learning how to make maple syrup, and gathering ideas for a homemade evaporator.

I have a MIG welder and will soon have a 55 gal barrel to get started with (albeit a bit late in the season to "get started"). Alternatively, I am thinking of something quick like using that SS double-sink a friend gave me, and some blocks!

I tapped three red maple trees (no sugar maple on my property) over the weekend, and wanted to get started with a test run. I had an old "Bruheat" homebrewers bucket in the basement collecting dust. The bucket is essentially a HDPE (high density polyethylene) 5-gal bucket with a 2500W heating element designed to boil wort for beer. I threw in about 3 gallons of fresh, near freezing sap, and in about 45 minutes was up and boiling.

The bucket boiled an anemic rate of about 0.85 gal/hr, but in a few hours I was ready to finish it up. Finished up in the kitchen, filtered (twice) through a coffee filter and ended up with 10 or 12 oz of delicious, clear maple syrup!

This was essentially a “test run” but I may end up using the bucket for finishing in the future since it is very controllable, and cheap (if my math is correct, I figure 2500W*3hrs =7.5kWh, at roughly 10 cents per kWh = 75 cents!).

[Mac_Muz]

You might not be all that late if you get workin on the project. I am in Tamworth NH. I set my 15 taps march 2nd and have no sap worth collecting yet. Not one bucket has over 1" inch of sap in it.

I have 2 field trees, and 13 road side trees, some what shaded, and nothing in the buckets.

There is a guy west and north of me in Thornton who has made syrup already! It seems like anyone with taps out has by now, and yet I have nothing to collect.

[TomE]

Things were flowing well down here on the Seacoast until yesterday afternoon when the temp dropped. Tapped one large red maple Friday afternoon (2 taps), a smaller one in Saturday, and another on Sunday. Had about 5 gal of sap to work with by Sunday afternoon! Had a spill that reduced my starting down to a little less than 3 gal though.

[Sugarmaker]

TomE,
Where there's a will there's a way! Nice looking syrup also.
I would have never thought of boiling in a plastic pail. Thanks for the good pictures.

Regards,
Chris

[RileySugarbush]

Yes, boiling in a plastic bucket frees the mind from conventional thinking, doesn't it? This could lead to all sorts of new threads on the trader!

[NH Maplemaker]

Yes, I'm building a plastic evaporator as we speak!! LOL

Jim L.

[Mac_Muz]

I just wish I could get some sap. I made a new barrel stove as cheap as i could and a pan as cheap as i could too, but I can't fire it up to see if it works or not..
I feel pretty stupid, but then I live in the North Pole i guess and can't ride my motor bikes either! duh....

If you would like several hundred metric tons of snow for FREE, I know right where you can get it!

[mapleman3]

Hmmm a plastic evap.. might make it real easy to move and clean around too!!!

I'll tell ya though thats the first time I have heard anybody boil sap in a 5 gal bucket... too cool, :)

[TomE]

Believe me, I was a bit surprised also the first time I heard of boiling in a plastic bucket (when homebrewing). I hope to keep the pictures (and "comic relief”) coming as I begin to construct my “real evaporator!”

Seacost NH update: No sap today, too cold.

[TapME]

I can't resist, what kind of plastic are you going to use? LOL

[TomE]

TapME,

How about cutting the top off of this 1500 gal model? I figure I would have plenty of surface area, and would only need a single 5MW nuclear reactor to power the heating element!

TomE

[jemsklein]

Yah but that would be way to big for your operation.

[Sugarmaker]

Was it Jake or Gary and I talking about this similar subject! :)


Chris

[TapME]

How about Seabrook for the power supply? GOT POWER!!!!!!!! LOL

[mapleman3]

More power. Arrhh arrrh arrrhhh

[TomE]

Update: I added another 1500W heating element (actually meant for hot water heater, $8.00) to my sugaring bucket, and raised by evap rate to a little over 1.5 gal/hr. I am up to 4250W, and the boil is "quite vigorous" -- a standing boil 2-3 inches high! This is probably the max for a 5 gal bucket since I can only fill to 3 to 3.5 gal without splashing over...If nothing else, it is a convenient; plug in ole' sparky, and off and running--boiling right now.

I have attached a couple more pictures of my "maple reactor!" For anyone wondering, that is steam you seen in the picture not melting plastic smoke ;-)

[Mike]

TOM, Great Idea!!!!!! I bet this would work on a SS pan for a preheater for the small rigs......Would work great on a turkey fryer as well.....

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sure would be cheaper than propane too!

[TapME]

Love the title "maple reactor". Keep the new ideas coming.

[TomE]

OK,

Get this idea. I am thinking doing a test (with water) of putting a lid on the ole' maplereactor, cutting a hole in it, and hooking up to my shop vac. I figure by dropping the pressure in the bucket, I should be able to flash evaporate and increase the boil rate. This concept is used in wastewater evaporation systems, just not sure how effective it will be here. I haven't taken the time to run through the math, and not sure I will since I don't know how much of a vacuum I would get.

Not sure how long the vac will last since the re-compressed steam on the outlet of the vacuum will be really hot (if it works, potentially a good source of superheated steam for a preheater).

Imagine this though, if I can really increase the boil rate, I could add a valve into the headspace of the bucket and pull in fresh sap for a continuous feed.

Speaking of wastewater systems, anyone ever look into this (like a new one...) for maple production? Evap chamber all stainless, high evap rates, etc.

Tom