Formula/Equation for Determining Water Boil Volume

[Frank Ivy]

I did a quick search and didn't turn anything up.

If sap is 2/3rds sugar and 1/3 water, about, then the following formula should give you the number of gallons of water you have to boil off to get 1 gallon of syrup, where X is your sugar percent in sap:

(100/1.5X)-1

Is that right?

So at 1, 2, 3, and 4 percent the volumes would be about 65, 32, 21, and 15 gallons, respectively. Interesting that the progression is 1/2, 1/3, 1/4. I suppose the progression for 5, 6, and 7 percent would be 1/5, 1/6, and 1/7, which would yield numbers of about 12, 10, and 8.6. Diminishing returns!!

The reason this is interesting to me is because I have scattered and some-what difficult to get to Sugars and plentiful and easy to get to Reds.

The Reds are about 2% and the sugars are about 3%, so far.

There is a 50% premium for going with the Reds - that is, I have to boil out 50% more water than I do with the Sugars. But given that I'm just going for a few gallons right now, and probably won't exceed 20 gallons in any year too soon, I'll have to figure out whether it's better to spend the time/effort collecting the Sugar sap or to spend the energy to boil out the Red sap.

[Father & Son]

See if this helps, the rule of 86

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=4685&highlight=rule+of+86

Jim

[Gary R]

I think your thinking about this too hard. Here's what's going to happen. Your going to tap the easy ones. Then your going to like the syrup so much, your going to tap the rest of them:) So don't worry about it. Just boil it.

[BryanEx]

Here's what's going to happen. Your going to tap the easy ones. Then your going to like the syrup so much, your going to tap the rest of them:)

LOL... I agree with Gary R on this one. I started by tapping only the easy sugar maples to get to... then all of them... then I added in the silver maples. Now I have 3 neighbours that all want their maples tapped in exchange for syrup. O'boy...

[wnybassman]

I tapped a few trees today that I have never tapped before, just to add a few taps to my past numbers. They are on buckets, and I will need to be part mountain goat and part circus performer to empty those. After this year I might put those trees on tubing :lol:

[maple flats]

Simple, just devide 86 by the sugar % in the sap. If for example you have 2% sap, 86/2=43. It takes 43 gal of sap to make 1 gal syrup. Or in other words you need to remove 42 gal of water to leave 1 gal syrup. However you would never make syrup this way. You could never measure accurately enough to know you had exactly 2% or whatever. To decide when you are done, use a hydrometer. A hyrometer must be used at either 60 or 209 degrees or be temperature adjusted as one would if they use an Accucup from The Maple Guys and the chart that comes with it. Syrup can also be determined by boiling point but you must know exactly the boiling point of water at that moment and your thermometer must be accurate. I go by temp and draw it off at 8 degrees above and then dilute it with distilled water using the hydrometer and my Accucup. Syrup is 7.3 degrees above the boiling point of water at that point in time at your location. Water boils at different temps depending on the barometric pressure. It boils at 212 when the pressure is 29.92, as the pressure rises or drops the temp changes to boil.
Except for rough calculations, just use the rule of 86, devide in your head and then make syrup by the hydrometer method.

[Frank Ivy]

Simple, just devide 86 by the sugar % in the sap. If for example you have 2% sap, 86/2=43. It takes 43 gal of sap to make 1 gal syrup.

Well rules are good, but that one appears to be very far off.

If you have 100 gallons of syrup with 2% sugar, you need to boil it down to 3 gallons to have maple syrup (2 gallons sugar, 1 gallon water, or 66% sugar).

So you have to boil 97 gallons off to get 3 gallons.

Which is 32.3 gallons boiled off for each gallon you get back. Or, put differently, 33.3 gallons of 2% sap are needed to make 1 gallon syrup.

Seems pretty straightforward - am I missing something? Is there something significant more than sugar and water in it?

I guess I understand why this doesn't matter to commercial guys. For me, this is a hobby, and if i tap every tree on my property, or even a small number, it becomes real work.

[red maples]

yeah I had dilute mine I went a little thick but it was my first draw off with this evap. I'll get it just trial and error.

I think the "86" Rule is a pretty good estimate. and not that far off at all.

by using the "86" rule just go backwards. if you know that your sap is 2% which you will need 43 gallons to yeild 1 gallon of sap then just divide into 100 and it will give you what you will make...100/43=2.32 gallons of syrup.

as far as time that varies in sap depth/ firing times/ type of evap anf style and what ever else.

[3rdgen.maple]

Frank I think you might still be a little confused still. If you look at Reds post his numbers are correct. If you want to make it alot easier just test each tree with a refractometer and tap the ones that give you the highest sugar content. I have some reds that give a higher percentage than some of my sugars. But since this is a hobby for you just tap whatever amount and boil it and enjoy the end product.

[KenWP]

Your math is off due to the fact that its 66% sugar. But you don't boil off the gallon thats left. Also its 66% sugar and 34% water. 100 gallons of 2% sap gives you 2.3 gallons syrup. Believe us it works. It's funny math because you have that gallon left over.
86 plus 1 is also the rule for how long it takes to double your money with intrest rates also. You always have the principal you started with in the equation.

[Gary R]

The North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual states, "86" is a mathematical constant representing the percentage of solids (mostly sucrose) on a weight-volume basis that is in a gallon of syrup.

[Frank Ivy]

The North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual states, "86" is a mathematical constant representing the percentage of solids (mostly sucrose) on a weight-volume basis that is in a gallon of syrup.

I gotta think about this some more.

[Ridgeland Farm]

the rule of 86 has proven to be pretty consistant. its what most producers go by. and it seems to work out pretty close to that with what we make as well.

[Beweller]

Frank,

Syrup is 66 percent sugar BY WEIGHT. The density of sap and syrup are different. 100 gallons of syrup IS NOT "66 gallons" of sugar. 100 POUNDS of syrup is 66 POUNDS of sugar and 34 POUNDS of water.

Sap (water) weighs about 8.33 pounds per gallon while syrup weighs about 11 pounds per gallon.

If you account for the differing densities, you get the "Rule of 86".

[Frank Ivy]

Frank,

Syrup is 66 percent sugar BY WEIGHT. The density of sap and syrup are different. 100 gallons of syrup IS NOT "66 gallons" of sugar. 100 POUNDS of syrup is 66 POUNDS of sugar and 34 POUNDS of water.

Sap (water) weighs about 8.33 pounds per gallon while syrup weighs about 11 pounds per gallon.

If you account for the differing densities, you get the "Rule of 86".

Awesome - thanks for disabusing me! :)