Hydrometers?

[Buckeye mapler]

I am just starting out here so don't laugh. What is the difference in the short hydrometers and the longs other than size? kind of leads to the age old debate,,,,, does size matter????????? just wondering cause i am asking for some of my stuff for christmas and the wife is going to place the order soon. thanks for any help. one more thing, is the 0-7 thermometer necessary when you will be finishing on a finisher and testing with the hydrometer??

[Grade "A"]

The long hydrometer is easier to read the numbers, but you need a long hydrometer cup. The smaller hydrometer can use a short hydrometer cup wich takes less syrup to fill, for smaller evaporators.

[Russell Lampron]

The short hydrometer and cup are easier to use around the draw off spigot.

[partsrus1974]

any of you guys use a hydrotherm instead of a hydrometer.The hydrotherm reads at all temps.I benn useing one for 2 years works good

[peacemaker]

nice explanation grade A
parts i was looking at one of them over at bascoms thinking next year to many upgrades this year ...

[Buckeye mapler]

parts,
how exactly does that work? is this going to be the new thing? would you recommend it to a person like myself who will be doing this for the first time?

[partsrus1974]

i use one all the time,it works well in my option,I have checked it against a hydrometer and its wright on.U just have to keep it room temp I just hang it on the side of my syrup pan..U need the tall cup i think there 10 or 12"long
.Only thing is they cost 25$ instead of 12$

[Buckeye mapler]

So this thing will register temperature as well as density? It sounds like something i would be interested in. what on-line stores can i buy it from?

[partsrus1974]

bascom's has them

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

I got a hydrotherm

[peacemaker]

u like yours gov

[peacemaker]

i have one ordered as well

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

SOS- That was a hydrotherm?

[peacemaker]

yup from some guy in pa ..

[peacemaker]

he used it for beer will my long stem work in it he says its just the cup and it has the thermo which is digital ... he had no pics but it was cheap

[Buckeye mapler]

Well, i had already ordered the hydrometer set, but i think i may have my wife convinced i need this hydrotherm, "in case i drop my hydrometer and break it".

[partsrus1974]

u should have a spare anyways buckeye,they do break easy..been there done that LOL.

[Buckeye mapler]

i thought they looked fragile and that would be quite a mess to break your one and only hydrometer and have to shut down until another one arrived in the mail.

[peacemaker]

did it no fun

[Buckeye mapler]

i was on the bascom website, i did not see the hydrotherms, unless i just totally missed them. what are they listed under? and you said that it takes the long test cup?

[peacemaker]

page 22 in the catalog middle of the page its a whole unit looks like a test cup with a thermo

[partsrus1974]

like peachmaker said page 22..do u have a catalog buckeye?its the AYERS hydotherm part#HDTH

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Never have enough hydrometers/I got about 10of them just n case there is a shortage someday?

[Russell Lampron]

I have 5 myself. I had them all tested last year so I know that they are all accurate too.

[NH Maplemaker]

I got 2 new ones from the maple guys last spring !! Price was right and they worked perfect !! Still have three or four older ones,But like new things every now and then! Makes me think I'm putting something over on the warden!!! Hope she don't see this.

NH Maplemaker

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

RUSSELL
how do you test them?? againist a refractor?

RICH

[danno]

The long hydrometer is easier to read the numbers, but you need a long hydrometer cup. The smaller hydrometer can use a short hydrometer cup wich takes less syrup to fill, for smaller evaporators.



Or this neat trick that I learned from my local dealer after messing with hydro cups for several years. Just place the hydrometer in whatever vessel you are drawing syrup into. I generally draw off about a gallon of syrup from my evap. at a time and begin the draw a little heavy. I just float the hydro in my draw off bucket and stop the draw when I hit proper density. Figured this out when I was selling my dealer some bulk and he was just floating the hydro in my 5 gallon buckets of cool syrup. Rarely use hydro cups anymore - much less messy.

Yup, always keep a few hydro's in supply. Went 3 or 4 years before breaking my first but then broke the next 2 in 2 weeks.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Gotta have a bigger rig to do that. Like a 4X or larger or unless you run high ro concentrate on a small rig. 5 Gal. buckets are a ba hooma to get nutted to the top and still hot W/syrup.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

or a chance of breaking the hydrometer and screwing up 5 gals.

RICH

[Russell Lampron]

Rich,

Our state inspectors test them for us for no charge. I brought mine to a regional meeting of the NH Maple Producers Association last February. The inspector that was at the meeting was also at Bascom's open house testing hydrometers there. Does your state have inspectors or an association? If so check with them.

[Buckeye mapler]

parts,
I do not have a catalog, I was looking at the website. But I will have to request a catalog. It is good to find some of these things out (the need for multiple hydrometers) before my first season. I am not doing my own this year as I will make some trips over to Newman maple's outfit this season to see how to run the evaporator. And it will be a great chance to help out and get the feel and fire some questions out. I am looking forward to it. I have alot to do to get completely ready here on my own. but as i have told my father-in-law, who plans on helping me, we will never be on our own cause i can go to mapletrader.com and i got people from all over to talk to. he didn't know what i was saying until the other day when we getting ready to start framing the cupola. we were wondering how big it should be. came in the house and looked on here. there was even a thread titled "cupola size".

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

RUSS
we have an association and im checking with them about an inspector, i have not heard of this but will find out

RICH

[Buckeye mapler]

I called Bascoms to order the catalog, but they weren't in so I left a message. Will they send pictures of the used equipment that they don't have images of on there website?

[partsrus1974]

I dought they will send u pics,they are super busy..but you never know. If u call there mon-fri from 7:30-4:30 saturdays 8-12 ask for bruce he is the owner he is very nice.There prices are a little high but he has alot of stuff!!

[Buckeye mapler]

parts,
I saw a couple of pans I might be interested in and they did not have pics for them. i am planning on an oil fired arch, i could find an arch later even if i had to convert a wood to oil.

[partsrus1974]

Bruces has LOTS of Pans Mainlly syrup pans they also have a few nice homade rigs.They get new stuff in all the time.What size rig looking for?

[Buckeye mapler]

parts,
i will have the opportunity to tap 40 acres of woods. i have not seriously went through and looked at all the trees, but have hunted these woods and i know there are some good concentrations of maples. alot of black and red. i am going by the tubing manual minimum of 50 taps per acre, which would potentially give me 2000 taps. Now i do not plan on tapping that intially, but definitely eventually. So i need one to accomodate that to start. I understand there are steam aways and other things i could add to a smaller rig, but i would like to keep those options open incase i get the opportunity to go more than 2000. i am still learning so i am not so sure i understand the different types of pans. i understand the drop and raised flue. i assume flat pan means no flues and would better suit finishing. but when you say syrup pan, i am not so sure. i am not familiar with reverse flow and what benefit it has. i do not know what a piggyback set up is. i can tell you i will draw off the syrup and finish it. :confused: so any help in describing these or recommendations are much appreciated.