Evaporator Problem

[ascutneymaple]

I was boiling last night on my 2x6 and boiled about 200 gallons for about 8 hours. Never got to draw off once because nothing ever got to syrup. But the whole rig seems to be filled with very close to syrup liquid but nothing was dense enough when tested with a hydrometer. I'm guessing this is a problem since there were 200 gallons of sap boiled and no final product coming out of the rig. If i get it up to syrup will the whole rig turn to syrup at once? Cant figure out whats going on...

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sometimes it takes that much or a little more depending on the level in the evaporator to get it to syrup. What I always do and recommend if you are using the spring thermometers, starting drawing off the syrup a degree light in just a very slow trickle to get the syrup moving towards the drawoff. You may have near syrup in the syrup pan, but shouldn't be any worries in the flue pan. If you think the sugar content is higher in the center, start drawing if off very slowly even 2 degrees light to get it flowing towards the drawoff. When I refer to drawing it off in a trickle, I am talking about aprox a pint every 2 or 3 minutes.

[Russell Lampron]

Ascutneymaple is this your first boil of the season? If it is it sounds like you haven't gotten the pans sweetened quite yet. I plan on having 300 gallons of sap for my first boil and usually draw off a gallon of syrup. I think that 250 gallons is the magic number for where you will finally get syrup. That all depends on the sugar content of your sap, the level you are running your pans at, how you fire it and a few other variables.

[PerryW]

I boiled up 400 gallons on my 3x10 last wednesday and never took any syrup off.

[Grade "A"]

I agree, if this is your first boil of the season and you started with just raw sap then your fine. It took me over 200 gallons before I had a draw off. Now that everything is sweet in your pans the syrup will come fast. The first boil of the season is the worst!