rookie question

[mike first timer]

was just wondering this being my first year with a real evaporator and actually haveing a sugar shack.I have a question how much level should i keep in pan the first time til i get used to it? also is there any other tricks i should know?any help would be appreciated

[peacemaker]

mike whats your rig your running

[mike first timer]

it is dallaire 18 by 48 flat pan with 2 dividers also it is wood fired

[peacemaker]

i would say this start out deep and work it as low as u dare

[Gary R]

Try starting out at about 2" deep. Once you get the hang of it you probably won't want to go less than an inch. As far as trick? Everyone has plenty of them. You may want a thermometer. As you get to syrup temp things get hairy. You want to know the temp so you can draw off. You may want to get Backyard Sugaring or North American Maple Producers Manual.

[KenWP]

I started out deep last year and went shallow as I figured out how low I could go with out a disaster. I was amazed how much easyier a simple 1inch made in keeping sap boling hard.

[3rdgen.maple]

Tricks? I not sure if this would qualify as a trick but have an emergency bucket full of sap readily available to dump in the pan if things get out of control. Split your wood small, Get a hydrometer and thermometer, pair of nice heavy gloves so you don't burn yourself. A bottle of defoamer, Load wood on a consitant manner to keep it boiling good, some guys even use an egg timer and load every 5 or 6 minutes and make sure you have enough things you need like drinks etc. so you don't have to walk away until you are comfortable running your rig. I also would start out with 2+ inches in the pans until you get the hang of things. And the best trick of all have lots of fun doing it.

[mike first timer]

thanks for all the info and i am sure i will have fun doing it.It will be a big step up from the batch system on a barrel stove in the driveway to a roof over my head and real evaporator.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

That's the way most of us learned and started out like you are getting started. Enjoy it and have fun and what you will learn this year will be invaluable in the future if you decide to expand and grow.