keeping grade at end of boil

[OneLegJohn]

I am concerned about boiling concentrated sap in a 2x6 drop flue. At the end of the boil, how do I keep drawing off when there is no more sap pushing through the flue pans?

[halfast tapper]

I am concerned about boiling concentrated sap in a 2x6 drop flue. At the end of the boil, how do I keep drawing off when there is no more sap pushing through the flue pans?

You don't. When you have 20 gallons left time to let fire go out. once you stop adding to your fire the heat will drop and you won't be drawing off anymore, except for the occasional draw that will come at the end. You leave the rest in the pans for the next time.
Now if you want to start fresh each time with fresh pans then when you run out of sap start filling your feed tank with water. The water will push the sap through and after a while you won't draw anymore off it will be just water.
We do this at the end of the season to get everything we can.

[3rdgen.maple]

half fast would be correct just have to mention that if you shut down before you are out of sap and leave the concentrate in the pans you will be drawing off syrup on a consitant basis instead of having to sweeten your pans everytime you boil. Just keep an eye out for niter buildup and cleanup your syrup pan on a regular basis to prevent burning and scorching your pans. Just plug the flue pan outlet, drain the syrup pan, clean then put concentrate back in. No more batch boiling like the flat pans.

[red maples]

what do you use for a plug?? or why not just drain out the the flue pan and if you have space freeze it until next time. I know 3rdgen can't do that because he'll have 8 or 9 deer in his freezer by that time.

[3rdgen.maple]

You can drain the flue pan if desired to do so. The syrup pan needs to be cleaned more often than the flue pan so I just plug it. When I do a complete cleanup I do as you described and run the concentrate through a filter and put it back in. Bascom's carries the plug's but I searched and searched last year for one that fits Patricks evap and could not find one. I took a peice of hardwood and made a plug with handle on it. 8or9 deer I will quit at 5:D

[red maples]

OH good idea!

[KenWP]

Thats one problem I had was the sryup looked pretty good towards the end but once I get up around 219 it starts to darker a lot. Owell made suger pies with it last night and people seem to like them.