Special emergency sap tree?

[heus]

Anybody else tap a tree or two right next to their sugarhouse for the sole purpose of having emergency sap? I tapped 3 reds right next to my building and empty them into a 5 gal buckets just before I start boiling. Probably will dry up or go buddy soon though.

[ebourassa]

I hang four buckets in the yard, well the kids do but i use theres for just incase i dont have enough to flood the pan, it came in handy a few times.

[kiegscustoms]

I also have 3 buckets directly outside my sugarhouse. I don't know how you are set up but I have a boiler drain hooked up to a hose on my incoming sap line that I can open incase of emergency. I never run my tank out so I don't scorch pans or have a melt down, so there is always enough to fully flood your rig if need be.

[maple flats]

I don't have any such buckets but I made a sight gauge on my line from the feed tank to the evaporator. It is just a TEE with clear vinl tubing going up to the top of the gable end, out and down to the feed tank. I can see instantly how much I have and I marked a few lines and gallonages for reference towards the bottom as I run low. I only ever had one freeze up in my feed line and my weed burner torch thawed it in quick order.

[kiegscustoms]

I don't have any such buckets but I made a sight gauge on my line from the feed tank to the evaporator. It is just a TEE with clear vinl tubing going up to the top of the gable end, out and down to the feed tank. I can see instantly how much I have and I marked a few lines and gallonages for reference towards the bottom as I run low. I only ever had one freeze up in my feed line and my weed burner torch thawed it in quick order.

Forgot to mention that I also have a sight gauge. Extremely handy and inexpensive.

[heus]

I have a site tube also made of clear 1" tubing. My feed tank holds 169 gallons and I have marked it off in different increments. One thing I have found is that I only need to flood the whole evaporator with about 10 gallons when I shut down for the night.

[3rdgen.maple]

I tapped 800 emergency taps this year and some of them are right outside the door of the sugarhouse. :D

[danno]

I have some emergency bucket taps 20' from the sugarhouse door, but I better boil carefully today, cause those buggers are bone dry:)

[Russell Lampron]

I have a sight tube as well. Don't have emergency taps but do have a garden hose close by. My feed tank makes distinctive bang noises as I am running out of sap. When I hear the first one it is time to stop firing.

[maple marc]

Hey, guys with sight tubes, great idea. Ideally I would install one inside the shack, near the evaporator, where the supply line comes in. Currently I go outside, climb the ladder to the tank, and look at the metal ruler inside.

Could you post photos? I'm trying to imagine if I simply hook up a tee off the incoming line with a 1" vertical clear tube to the height of the tank. Clear poly tubing? Would have to be open top to prevent airlock.

[ebourassa]

i use a 1/2 clear poly line for sight gauge i run it up to the rafter and then outside, i also have the flood marks on it and i still run it close espeacially if i am about to draw off. i now have to take it apart i got a moth stuck at the 200 gal mark, i got figure how to get him out.LOL