April Journal

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I guess everyone is slacking, so I guess I will start the April Journal. I spent about 10 to 12 hours today pressure washing my barrels, buckets, flushing lines and storing everything away.

I also cleaned the evaporator with some powered pan cleaner and it looks as good or better than it did when it was new. I have everything finished up and stored away for next year and I am going to try to get about all my wood in for next year. I already have about 2 cords in already, so I am hoping to cut about 4 to 5 more cords next week. Most of it is small and won't need to be split. I don't know how much I will get inside and stack, but hopefully I can at least get it all cut and hauled.

[Jerome]

Well I am waiting for the trees to start running again we had two weeks around freezing with a lot of rain the trees have not started to bud yet and the sap has not been running so I am hoping that this cold snap will start it all up again if not I'll be cleaning also.
-8c right now and snow and wind
Jerome

[Al]

Cleaned up the evaporator yesterday and just waiting to see what happens after this cold snap in Vermont. The trees have been drizzling but not enough to amount to anything as far as my operation. It's amazing how dirty everything is even if it looks half way decent.
Can't wait for Leader and D&G open houses. Look at alll the good stuff. Coffee and donuts at one with lunch at the other. With alot of talking inbetween. :D :D

[mapleman3]

well It's been raining here for days so I havn't gone out and pulled ALL my taps, been doing it sporadically, and when it wasn't raining I've been elsewhere. I will finish up cleaning buckets and lines next weekend, how long have you guys with tubing gone before you got to cleaning your tubing for the season??

[Russell Lampron]

Jim,

I pump water up through my lines and clean them as pull the taps. I fill my gathering tank with water and add a big box of baking soda. Then I connect my gas powered sap transfer pump to the drain valve on the tank and the end to the main line. Then I go to taps at the top of the hill and as I pull the taps I let the water flow until it comes out clear, plug the tap onto the tee and move on to next one. When I am done the taps are pulled and the lines are cleaned.

Russ

Times of sap and no wood are better than times of wood and no sap

[wanabe]

Hi Guys,

Just adding to Brandons April journal. All taps are out and buckets cleaned up and stored, Pan is clean and ready for next year. That BIG BROWN TRUCK just droppped off an early Christmas present 800 feet of main line 1000 feet of 5/16 200 taps and an assortment of fittings. I stopped by a guys house that had an old sugar house out back and picked up 50 or so taps a few good buckets two old finishing pans and a 4 bbl grimm collection tank for twenty bucks, couldnt get my hand in my pocket quick enough. Jeff

[Al]

Now that's a deal. I have the same thing over here. A long time sugarmaker has had two knee replacements so he's all on pipeline now.
His sugarhouse is a tresure chest. He has a spout collection on the wall you wouldn't believe. Right back to the wooden ones. He hooked together 2 2x7 pans one raised flue one drop flue for his sap pans. Hooked to a 18x 60 small evaporator to a 1x6 finishing pan. He has a homemade barrell evener made to keep his incoming sap pressure down. It was bothering his floats. I go over to talk with him to get ideas. He's got more more stainless then I'll ever buy. He won't throw a thing away!! That sounds familiar. It really an honor to talk to somebody like that and he's more then willing to tell you what he thinks. :lol: Sold me buckets,covers and taps for $1.75 apiece. He has a maple store in his garage. He has like 6 refrigerators. Filled with all kinds of goody's.
Got to go. Take care.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

Sure would be fun to have someone like that close by here. I love to talk to other people and see there operations because you can always learn so much and get so many ideas, but unfortunately, no one around here. :(

That is a great deal on the buckets, huge discount over what a supplier would sell them to you for! :D :D

[Jerome]

Well I am finaly getting some good running perfect weather -5c at night 6-8c during the day.
Jerome Elmvale Ontario

[mapleman3]

had a gorgeous day outside today, cleaned the pans today, did some burning of debris from last fall's roof work.
started running clean water through the back bush tubing, nice that it was warm out.. nobody told me I would get wet doing it!! ;)
still have to clean all the buckets.. boy so much to do before and after the season...

[ebourassa]

I cleaned my lines today too Jim and man did I get soaked.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I spent most of the day cutting wood for next year. I cut and hauled five 5' x 8' trailer loads of wood. It was all well seasoned red oak and black locust. I stacked about 1 of the loads inside my storage and the other four loads have to be split first. I emptied the other four loads just outside the wood storage, so I will split them and stack as I get time. Besides the four loads outside, I already have about 2.5 cords of wood inside stacked and ready for next year.

I will probably cut 1 more day and that should do it. :D :D

[mapleman3]

Oh forgot..... I canned up my syrup that was in the canner, graded out as a tasty B and there was a little more than I thought.. just a bit more than 4 gals... so that puts me at a grand total of 58+ gals for the season... with 3/4 of it sold already!! this year I'm keeping 5 gals for our house... just in case. and a little A light for candy in the future. already was making room for when I pick up the new tank,both the 310 and the 350 will have a permanent home this summer on gravel in a sap house attatched to the sugarhouse... sure will beat moving tanks around for the start of the season each time.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I cut about 3 to 4 more trailer loads of wood and I split one load and hauled it and stacked it inside. I also split and stacked another 1+ trailer load that I had hauled earlier but hadn't split all of it. I am getting close to having enough wood for next year, just have to get it all split and stacked.

I am hoping to have around 7 cords split and stacked for next year as that is about the max I can get inside my storage area. I may cut and haul a little more than that and pile it outside in the case I would need it but I wouldn't expect to.

With all the improvements I am making for next year, I figure I can get around 15 gallons per cord, so 7 cords should get me at least 100 gallons and I don't know if I want to make that much or not. I am shooting for around 400 taps next year, so it would definitely be possible.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I guess everyone has forgotten about the journals which is kinda sad since most people are making plans and doing things for next year. I cut a couple more loads of wood today and stacked a couple of loads that I had split earlier in the week. I have over 4+ cords stacked, dry and ready and at least another 2 to 3 that is partially split and needs to be finished splitting and stacked.

I am having an Amish make me a custom stainless hood system for my evaporator and I am going to make a preheater. I am also getting an airtight front and blower for my evaporator for next year.

Good luck to all and lets hear what everyone else is doing. I know you get tired of my wood stories! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Al]

Went to Leaders today with my Dad. Boy did they have everything shined up pretty. Meet a dealer from Ohio who use's steam to boil with on a 4 x 10 rig. 800 gallons an hour. 8O Went to D&G also had lunch there. :D They also have some nice things with alot of secondhand RO's. Some of them pretty small. Don't ask me any questions on prices etc. forgot already. On the way home saw some nice shiney evaporators in a parking lot. Dallaire/IPL/CDL were having an outside show. Stopped in of course. Some good prices to be had there!!!!
Took Dad home and Mom had made Maple Sausage gravy. :D :D Must be that half a dozen rose's I give her this morning. :D
All in all a great day.
Cut the tops on my tanks and made covers. Got the tank stand out of the sugarhouse. Getting ready for my addition. Start building the walls in the garage next week.
Take care.
How's this for a journal entry Brandon? :lol:

[mapleman3]

Al.. now ya got me thinking...maybe I'll cut a perfectly sized hole to fit a 5 gal bucket... then cut the bucket in half... jam it in the hole top up.. seal it real good on the outside with aguarium grade 100% silicone.. that way the top half of the 5 gal makes a lip at the top of the tank and I can still put a cover on it :) :)... Thanks for the idea AL!!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jim,

Great idea on the five gallon bucket. I had a 100 gallon open top Rubbermaid storage container a few years ago and I took a sheet of plywood and screwed it down all around the outside and caulked it good. It worked pretty good and was cheap and in the center of the plywood, I mounted a five gallon bucket with the bottom cut out of it. It worked good because the bucket sticks down inside the container some to prevent splashing and the lid will seal the top off also. Should of thought of that earlier, but it had been several years and I forgot about it. Sure is nice for buckets because you can empty a five gallon bucket into it and about 1 second flat! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

Glad you had such and enjoyable day and saw all the goodies. I really enjoyed the journal entry and all the info about what is happening with your sugaring operation. I get excited for other people reading about their expansions and improvements for the next year!

Keep up the good work and next year you will have syrup running out your ears! :D :D :D