First Time Tappers and Over Our Heads

[BriJack]

My wife and I have lived in Squaw Lake for 9 years and have 20-25 maples in our yard. We finally decided to collect some sap out of them (they were tapped many years ago by other locals). We tapped quite early (3/11/08.. didn't want to miss any sap), didn't really start running until 4/1/08 and really started after the snow storm (26 inches) on 4/06/08. So we have 25 taps out and have collected about 85 gallons of sap. We and a friend decided to burn for the first time and we used two turkey cookers and it took 19 hours to burn just 25 gallons (but got a gallon of syrup) Now we have a full 55 gallon drum full of sap and another long burn. Would really like to find a better way to burn in the short time we have. We didn't think we were gonna get this much sap. Any suggestions would be helpful...THANKS

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If you could pick up a flat stainless pan in a 2x3 to 2x6, you could at least 5 to 10 gph depending on the size of the pan on an inefficient cinderblock arch.

[WI Sugarpop]

We had a simular situation over the years. Last year we decided to get a metal fabricator to make us a nice 2x4x10" SS pan. It cost $200 but it is 14 ga. Then we made an arch by laying brick on the ground with 1 1/2" thick iron grates and steal I-beams for the sides and bricked up one end with smoke stack and put a 1/4" piece of plate steel over the other end for a door.It works good and we get 10GPH.

[twigbender]

BriJack: Give me a call at 835-4468. I'm just 23 miles from you in Blackduck. If I don't answer, it's because I'm out back feeding that wood lover of a stove. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you.Maybe I can help you out.

It's really been running the past couple of days. I'm boiling off 8 to 10 gallons per hour and still putting in 12-15 hour days with the evaporator.

[Jim Powell]

GOOOOOOOOO Twiggy GOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I've been pretty much shut down for a week. I'm hoping after this storm and it warms up on Sunday - Friday, I can catch quite a bit before it gets buddy. Then once that happens, I get to test my idea of "fixing" buddy sap.

[lpakiz]

Jim,
I'm here in Cent. Wisconsin and I will be looking for the results of your "buddy sap" idea...
Larry