Elevated Sugar Shack?

[StewieSugar]

On a different thread (http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=6583) I mention that my evaporator is on top of the hill where I can drive to. It's working okay for now, but it requires me to lug my sap in small jugs about 150 feet vertical and 1500 feet horizontal.

Looking long term (2-3 years from now?), I'm hoping to expand with a better evaporator at which point I need to either get a better way of getting the sap up hill - or I need to move the evaporator down to where the sap is.

One concern I have about moving the evaporator down hill is that the bottom is a flood plain that generally floods two to three times a year. Most years, the area gets about 2-4 feet of water, but it sometimes will get up to 6 feet. The floods are temporary - lasting just 2-3 days - but I don't want to build a sugar shack at ground level and have dirty water running through it.

Instead, I'm thinking about creating an elevated sugar shack where the floor would be about 6-8 feet above ground level.

Anyone build or see anything like an elevated sugar shack before? Is this a stupid idea, or is it worth trying? Any ideas on construction? Any ideas on how I could get a good fireproof floor?

[Clan Delaney]

Mine's elevated! (http://picasaweb.google.com/pat.delaney/SugarShack200902#5297669194025584050) Barely though, compared to what you're proposing. 'Round these parts we'd call an 8 foot elevated sugar shack a tree fort. :lol: How would you get up into a shack that high? Oy! We already work hard enough, don't go adding climbing to the list! It's a grand plan, for sure, but a pump to move your sap uphill will be a lot simpler.

Then again, with an 8 foot elevated shack, if girls come around you could always throw water balloons at them! (Sorry, I'm still on the tree fort thing. And the 10 years old thing...)

[StewieSugar]

Mine's elevated!

Love your photo log! Yup; that's close to what I was think'n, although I would likely add some knee braces to reduce the sway of being up so high.


How would you get up into a shack that high?

I haven't quite got that "minor detail" worked out yet. The side hill is steep and close enough that I could build a bridge from the hillside to the shack; it might be okay when there is no snow, but the hillside is too dangerous to be climbing when there's snow under foot.

I could also make a stair, but that leads to your comment of too much effort/work to get up/down.


... but a pump to move your sap uphill will be a lot simpler

Yeah; I get the hint, but I haven't found a good solution for moving the sap either. Pumps don't seem to be a good solution for my small operation, and lugging jugs of sap up the hill is hard on my old/bent body.

I have a friend that got me into this "hobby" who runs 500+ taps in Wisconsin. He offered to drop by my place to give me some advice about adding some tubing and moving sap; I'll see what he has to suggest before doing anything. However, the idea of combining a Sugarshack and a childhood dream of a tree house just sounds like too much fun to ignore. ;)

[3rdgen.maple]

Hauling wood into that tree fort would get real old at the first step with the first armload. Bringing the sap to the shack might be alot less of a pain in the back.

[PerryW]

everything would be harder with an elevated sugarhouse. Putting up my 20 feet tall stack was bad enough at ground level. Your storage tank would also be way up there. As mentioned, hauling wood up would also be a bear.