Sugarhouse floor

[Littlesap]

Hey guys, I am building my first sugarhouse and have a question on flooring. I have a 2x6 evap but the building needs to be fairly small, like 10x10. Everything I've read says to pour a cement floor but, trying to be thrifty, I was wondeing if I could just use crushed stone or stone dust? Any thoughts?

[Haynes Forest Products]

my first syrup was made in the gravel driveway so yes you can. What are your intentions later on down the road? I just think with the cost of cement you should go for the good floor.

[brookledge]

I had gravel at first. I would recommend using crushed stone though since it will drain water better than gravel. Make sure your evaporator is on a good footing like sono tubes. You don't want the pans to become unlevel during the season. If your arch settles alittle from front to back you might end up scorching the pans.
Keith

[3rdgen.maple]

My grandfathers setup that I took over had a dirt floor more years than I am old. He had the evaporator setting on 4 inch thick by 2'square blocks. I only had to level every few years with some thin shims, sometimes i had to take a shim out. I now have a concrete pad under the arch and 2inch thick patio blocks on the floor and it works great for me. The thing is I have a pretty stable ground, which I think is the key. Do whatever it takes to get started. Anything that says dust in it I think I would stear clear of though. It got a little muddy at times in there but I think crushed stone would work fine with some kind of a stable base for the evaporator to sit on. If you are buying the the material for the floor however concrete is not all that much if you mix it yourself, meaning the portland cement the gravel and some water not the readymix cause that will take alot of bags if you go that route. you could knock out a 10 by 10 floor pretty quick. You can also save some money and make your own float to finish the floor out of some wood. Apeice of 1x6 and a handle works good, just keep it wet.

[PerryW]

For a 2x6, I would just pour a 30" x 30" pad of 4" min thickness to set the firebox part of the evap on. This is only 2 cu.ft. of concrete, which is only 3 bags of premix concrete (i think). Very easy to do and good practice to learn about concrete. The back legs can just sit on a couple of solid 4" thick concrete blocks.

I used this method (with a dirt floor) for my first year, but I almost scalded myself with a bucket of hot sap slipping in the mud, so I built a wood floor around the pad and I've used it for 20 years.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Please Please Pleas stop with the sono tube thing. If your going to use a crushed gravel floor I would assume that you will build it up above grade. All you need is 1 good cement pad under each leg. Take the time to imbed it into the gravel about 2" and get them all level as possible and set the evap on them. Do not try and hold the pad under the leg and stuff gravel under it it will not work. Take the time and get as close as possible and then shim with "shims" from Home Depot there metal and are used for leveling walls you will find them in the Simpson tie isle in hardware or the cement section. Then move on to the next project.

If your so inclined to use sono tubes to make a nightmare out of a simple project REMEMBER to throw your wallet down one of the holes so all your money is wasted at the same time.....................Chuck Why are you being so hard nosed about the sono tube thing???? Lets ask a few questions first. Are we working above or below the frost line? Is the rest of the bldg on a "on grade slab" is it on a footer? is the footer on Casions??? Is this the final resting place for the last evaporator you will ever own?

And last please explain to me what a sono tube does anyway???

[PerryW]

I never liked sona tubes either. All of the decks (on houses) I have built are just set on concrete blocks. Sona tubes seem like overkill. You have to dig holes 36" deep (min) to get below the frost, the that seems like work to me.

If I decide to put in a concrete footing for anything, I prefer to construct a pyramid or cone shaped footing (with a flat top) so the frost can NOT grab hold of it like it can w/ a sona tube.

My 3x10 has sat just fine on a 3 foot x 3 foot Pad (4" thick) and with one solid 4" thick concrete block under each of the two back legs. And I just set the in the dirt with no gravel or stone brought in.

It's easy enough to adjust the level (if necessary) by using shims under the steel legs or using the adjustable legs, especially with a smaller 2x6 evaporator.

ALso, if you use sona tubes, I would think you would need six. (One for each back leg and probably one under each corner of the pad)

[Littlesap]

Guys thanks for the ideas and I think I now have a plan. If I can figure out a way to post a picture from last year - my first year - you will all have a good laugh. Started with a home made flat pan on an old parlor stove then 'upgraded' to a cinder block arch with three lasagna pans plus my home mader. Caught the bug wicked bad and picked up a 2x6 raised flu maple pro and some gravity tubing from Bascom's this summer.

[Littlesap]

I think I just created a signature link but if not here is a link to the pics of my first year of syruping - again to provide a litte humor to all you vetran sugarmakers

http://s688.photobucket.com/albums/vv248/Littlesap/

[PerryW]

nothing wrong with that setup.

looks like those lasagna pans are throwing up some steam!

good luck on your new sugarhouse.

[Clan Delaney]

I think I just created a signature link but if not here is a link to the pics of my first year of syruping - again to provide a litte humor to all you vetran sugarmakers

http://s688.photobucket.com/albums/vv248/Littlesap/

That Corona umbrella makes me wanna throw a lime in the sap! Keep it classy!