January Journal

I'm trying to be ready to tap 3 weeks from today, far too much to get everything I want, but the season always happens somehow.

Finally got in some Ice fishing in today with the kids. I wanted to take them earlier but since they are still on the small side It was a bit cold for them and I want it to be enjoyable for them!!!

Will be in the sugarhouse tomorrow!!!!

well found a place to boil needs to be finished like no windows or doors no stack hole good cleaning out and a ton of snow removal but comes with a second 2x6 and tanks and buckets

sounds do-able Peacemaker. glad you found a spot to make some steam this season.

me too ... was starting to twitch a little ... it should only take a few days to get it ready to boil i have a long list of friends that own me some time here or there lol
have 6 cord of wood to move lol

Stringing laterals with 3 feet of snow on the ground is a joy. I have one more lateral to put up tomorrow and my neibors woods is done. Then I need to put the evaporator back together. Mabey ill do that tomorrow. Took care of 4 squirrels with my pellet gun today. I still have my other neibors woods to put up tubing in and a farm down the street. But that farm will probably get buckets this year and I will put up tubing this summer.

Operation Mushroom Cloud big success. Bunch of work but got it running good. Got a few minor leaks to tinker up but nothing serious at all. Seemed to work real good. All I can say about watching it run is "wow". Ive never really been around anything that powerfull before. We ran it for about 20 minutes and by that time I went outside and the steam was pretty incredable and I looked at the flue pan float box and the float was running basically wide open. I had a 55 gallon drum on its side and the condensate lines from the hood were running into it and the 3/4 inch copper had water just pouring out of it. I looked in the flue pan and everything was raging. I had Jerry shut it down and went over to the drum and in 20 minutes max it was probly 2/3rds full of just condensate water from a dead start. It was something to see. Im going to bed very happy thinking no matter what sap I got, piece of cake. Gonna be a lot more fun now with no more concentrating sap around the clock anymore. Cant wait for sap. Theron

Good Hear the special OP was successful Theron.
The only thing is that I was figuring tapping in a week but with all that heat coming down from the north I think the trees are waking early!!

Nice and sunny here but still cold. Will start setting up tubing next weekend, with mike helping out. Heading out to get some new boots and maybe a steak. I did order some parts for my ginned up cream machine from McMaster Carr today. Just need to get a new gear and get that back together for the season.
Hope things are good out there!
I have at least 40-50 taps to add at new locations this year. Big large crown hard maples at two spots and younger hard maples at another spot.
All systems look to be go from North Western PA.
Regards,
Chris

I finished hooking laterals to a new branch line, reducing the number of taps as needed to be in the 4-8 tap range. In the section near the upper end of the branch I have a few new taps to add on 2 or 3 new laterals (up to maybe 12-14 more taps. Then I need to have my machinist make a new motor mount for the vacuum pump. While he is making that I will be making 2 sap ladders, I'm doing the 2 pipe type. I hope to get the pump in place next weekend and start the plumbing on it, as well as a simple roof over it. Time is getting short. I would not have gotten as much done as I did without the help of Yeast Pimp, thanks Tim!!
Dave