How big should I go?

[frosty mugs]

My family just started tapping last year and we have quickly become addicts. We tapped 15 trees this year and would like to do about 100-150 next year. I know I will need an evaporator but what size should I be looking at. I dont want to get something to big but I want something that will keep up ok. Any suggestions?

[PARKER MAPLE]

Im In The Same Boat As You Are Looking To Upgrade. And Im Looking At A 2x6. Actually Thinking Of Making It Myself.. But A 2x6 Should Be Able To Keep Up With 100 - 200 Taps..

[KenWP]

Well I planned on 30 taps max for this year and am up to 112 now and if I could find the buckets and spiles I could go to 250 really quick but then I would have to actually buy a evaporator instead of playing with my home built gizmo. You can grow as big as you feel like being.

[Brian Ryther]

Two years ago I had 150 taps, this year I have 1901. Plan on the future. Go big. This is an addiction you will not stop at 100 taps. Save your self time and $ and get the bigest darn evap you can find!

[frosty mugs]

thanks for the advice. I am currently looking at a 2x6.

[maplehound]

I can give you the same advice that I gave another new producer that is looking at evaporators. decide first how many taps you will have then how you will collect and how much time you have to collect. Then figure up to 2 gallons of sap per tap on a good day. Now decide how many hours you will have to boil each day, keeping in mind that the faster you get it boiled off the better the quality as long as you can get to syrup stage long enough to produce a few gallons of syrup each time. With the boiling time in mind go talk to a dealer and get the boil rates. On my 3X8 with good hard wood and consistant firing I can get 100 gallons and hour off so if I bring in 1000 gallons of syrup I need at least 10-12 hours to boil it off, if that happens several days in a row (as it did last year) I will spend all my time in the sugar house boilling.

[mapleman3]

Just did 1000 gals on my 3x8 today also at 100GPH! so make sure you think way ahead at how much you will want to be at.

[maple flats]

I think a 2x6 would fit your needs. Most will do 25-40 gal/hr woodfired. Also look at some bigger because you will often find that 2x6 up to 3x8 are the most expensive on the used market because so many are looking for those sizes. You can many times find a good one just over those sizes for less. There only seems to one drawback if you go too big and that is getting enough sap to start your first boil of the season. On the other hand a 2x6 at 25-40 gph coupled with an RO can do a lot of syrup. It all depends on where you see yourself a few years down the road. If you are like most of us who have some years at this, you keep wanting to grow. Myself for example. 2003, planned 25 taps, ended up with 70 on a half pint. 04-120 on a 2x6. 05- 180 on the 2x6. 06 325 on a 3x8. 07-425 on a 3x8, 500 in 08 and 600 this year still on the 3x8. Now looking for an RO to add even more taps.

[Russell Lampron]

A 2x6 would be a good size to start with. You can do up to 300 taps with one before you have to take the next step up. Like others on here I started small and grew from there. In 2000 I had 28 taps and boiled on a gas grille. The next year I bought my 2x6 evaporator planning on 200 taps. By the time any sap hit the evaporator I had 305 taps. Four years later the long nights of boiling and then going to work after had worn me down. I bought an RO machine and added 200 more taps. Now I have over 600 taps and enough trees on my own land to add more.

The 2.5 hour boiling times are killing me now and I need to be at 1000 taps or more for next year. I get just to the point where the syrup is starting to lighten up and have to shut down. I think that I could handle 1500 taps with my current set up but with a bigger RO and 2x6 Intens-O-Fire evaporator I could handle even more.

[PerryW]

When I started sugaring here in 1989, I had 275 taps on a 2x6 and I spent too much time boiling. Bought the 3x10 and I spend less time boiling 750 taps then I did with 275 taps on the 2x6.

[Maplewalnut]

4x12 with inferno arch and preheater
800 GPH RO
10 inch filter press
(2) 1000 gallon storage tanks

Heck, throw in a steam away

Add taps from here!

[frosty mugs]

Have any of you seen the 2x6 leader in the classified ads on this site? It looks about right to me but I dont know what english tin is. sounds like it would be a good start. What do you think?

[PerryW]

I did a lot of thinking about your expansion while boiling yesterday and wanted to add one comment:

If you plan on NOT selling any syrup and are just going to use it for gifts and for your own use, then a 2X4 or 2X6 would work.

BUT, if you plan on selling syrup, then a 2x6 is just too small (unless you go R.O. or steamaway).

Even if you have to spend the summer working a second job to afford a 3x8 or larger; you will save countless hours of boiling over the next twenty years.

My 3x10 would work just fine with as few as 200-250 taps. Even if I get a run of 40-50 gallons of sap, I can go down and boil it up.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have to disagree kindly with the last post. I have a 2x8 which is not much larger than a 2x6 and have made between 90 and 100 gallon the last 3 seasons of which I sell about 80% of the crop. Larry Harris who is a friend of mine and a member on here made 116 gallon last year with his 2x6 and 97.5 this year and Jim(mapleman3) made over 100 gallon last year with his 2x6. Good thing about a 2x6 or a 2x8 is that if you buy one, it will be a good learning experience and if you want to expand in 2 or 3 years, as long as you take good care of it, you can sell it for about as much or maybe more than you paid for it.

[PerryW]

Good thing about a 2x6 or a 2x8 is that if you buy one, it will be a good learning experience and if you want to expand in 2 or 3 years, as long as you take good care of it, you can sell it for about as much or maybe more than you paid for it.

That's what I did with my 2x6. Sold it for the same price as I paid for it after 1 year.

[Russell Lampron]

The 2x6 that is in the classifieds is very old and the asking price is many times more than what it sold for new.

I went with the 2x6 and RO option. I feel that I have made the right choice in doing so. I have processed more than 8000 gallons of sap this season so far and have only burned a little over 1 cord of wood.

[PerryW]

I am amazed how much syrup you can make with the 2x6 / R.O. combo!

If I was starting over , I would certainly consider the R.O. route instead of straight evaporation.