Had to pull the plug

[briduhunt]

Well my season is now in the books and I finshed with 5 1/2 gallons all on two turkey fryers. I had 22 taps and some real good yard trees. What make me sad is that the weather just turned warm and the sap is flowing great but the cost of LP gas is getting out of hand. That being said I pulled all my taps last night and finished off the last of my syrup. I did have a good time this year and produced a heck of a lot more this year than last (3/4 Gal). And now I am on the hunt for a wood fired 1/2 pint or 2x6 (used) which ever I can afford. I am already planning my next years season and how I can improve my filtering system. I want to have 50 taps next year and have already found enought trees in my neighborhood to do this(all yard mature trees). All I need is a shack and the evaporator to do this with. I have already started buying the wood for my new shack so I can have this build by this fall.
I do have a question for anyone out there, it is what does one use for a floor in the shed as the plans I have are for a plywood floor. If I pour a slab to place the shed on I need to go buy different Codes and it is not cost prohivitive to do this. I know that you can put a wood stove in a house as long as it has the proper hearth. I can put down a layer of bricks below the evap. but the extra weight is not what I want to do. So any ideas wiould help and keep the sap flowing.

[peacemaker]

if you plan on boiling in this new shack for a long time i would atleast set 4 ft saunna tubes and a rail would be ideal but as long as you beef up you floor under the arch and be sure theres levelers on the arch u should be ok with ply and a sheet of cement board ...
i may have a homemade flat pan 2x6 with a oil tank arch for sale ...

[Revi]

I would pour a pad under the evaporator with a little space around it at least. It is nice to have a concrete floor. You can dump water on it, and it goes away if you have a drain. It is well worth it. Then build a pole barn around that.

We are still boiling for a few more weeks, I hope.

Ominous when you guys in upstate NY are already pulling your taps. Somebody said that they heard the frogs singing already.

It's not over here until the fat froggy sings!

[davey]

My taps are still in and no matter how much the frogs sing they stay in until the syrup smells like the frog was swimming in it while he was singing. Today was really warm, actually even muggy, but the rest of the week still looks good here. I am about 15 miles north east of canandaigua

[UNDRBLLY]

I pulled the plug last weekend because my propane bill was high also. I have a 48 x 16 LaPierre hobby evaporator. I had 60 taps and made 18 gallons of syrup. My propane bill was over $400. The evaporator is new and claimed 20 gallons an hour. Hah! I got about 10-11 an hour. other than changing to oil and an arch any ideas why the boiling rate is so slow? or how to increase the rate with this rig. Any info would be appreciated.

[danno]

Davey, I'm with you - I'll keep boiling as long as I have sap, but the fat lady my be warming up her vocal cords ...

Looks like tomorrow night goes well below freezing, so I see a run Thur - but that is the only night below freezing with lots of highs in the 50's. Bet we don't go below tonight.

Today was the first day this season that the run ended due to warmth, rather then a freeze up. Pretty incredibile. It seemed every run last year ended due to warmth.

[backyardsugarer]

If it does not run tomorrow it is over for me and I will start the clean up this weekend. Still holding out hope......................

Chris

[danno]

Chris - tonight is very borderline and I don't think the trees will re-set. Tomorrow night however is supposed to get down to the low/mid 20's. Thursday they should run. I've got the vacuum on now and getting some sap.

[backyardsugarer]

500 gallons of yellow sap, time to pull the plug. We will end up with about 375 gallons this year (pretty happy with that). Now the clean up. Good luck to all of those still going.

Chris

[CityMaple]

would have had somthin to boil if the cows didnt take down my lines. but there is always tomorrow, but now i am seeing in the matter of days till the end. finally started to get some of the dark stuff that i really like for myself so im trying to hold out at leat till the weekend. didnt do too bad with my 4sf pan, 16 gal and WAY too much oil burned for that amount of syrup. but lookin forward to next year, looking for a bigger rig any one have any thing for sale, 2x6 up to 30x8 if the price is right. what have i gotten into, lol.