Northern Ontario 2022

We are getting a fair amount of freezing rain and it will last longer than originally forecasted. Hopefully it will melt overnight as the temperature warms, before doing any damage.

Tomorrow will warm to +12, with rain and strong winds, before the temperature starts dropping early afternoon. Should be a good sap run. The next day will only warm to zero, so we will see how how the sap runs on Friday. I will boil next on Friday, assuming Thursday’s run gives me 40+ gallons.

It is funny, I collect sap in US gallons and my five gallon pails are graduated that way, but I bottle in litres. I know others report their sap in litres.

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

Thanks, if I get the blessing, I may check him out before making a decision. I had asked about how the sap got from the pre heat pan to the main pan and was a little surprised it was manual transfer. If I was to get it and get a simple flat pan, it almost makes me wonder if getting a 2x5 pan and just add heated sap from my induction elements would be a more productive way to go. It also would be $200 cheaper. To get the raised flue pan and divided pan would be an additional $1500.

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You should try to preheat your sap with a copper coil wrapped around the chimney. It used waste heat and dumps directly into the pan. I pump from my storage tank to a 5 gallon bucket hung up high with a bulkhead fitting connected to the copper coil.
That would keep your induction free for finishing.

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Originally Posted by aamyotte

You should try to preheat your sap with a copper coil wrapped around the chimney. It used waste heat and dumps directly into the pan. I pump from my storage tank to a 5 gallon bucket hung up high with a bulkhead fitting connected to the copper coil.
That would keep your induction free for finishing.

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I have read about that on this forum. So obviously that works for you. Does your feed connect to the bottom or top of the coil? Something to consider when I do things different next sap season. I could see that drizzling into a 2x5 pan.

My feed connects to the top of the coil. I have a shutoff at the feed to slow the rate going into the coil. I can adjust how fast it flows. Too slow and the sap evaporates inside the coil and comes out as steam at the end.
It's unfortunate that we can't post pics on the site. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Pretty good layer of ice on the ground, but other than the pulley on the flag pole, it does not look like much damage. As of yet the sap is not flowing. Hopefully soon.

I am finishing and bottling Tuesday’s 43.5 gallons boiled. Of note, checking the SapApp for the boiling temperature of sap at the moment, it is the lowest I have ever seen here. 216.67!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04fj...v9z1mHQtQPWHZg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aamyotte

My feed connects to the top of the coil. I have a shutoff at the feed to slow the rate going into the coil. I can adjust how fast it flows. Too slow and the sap evaporates inside the coil and comes out as steam at the end.
It's unfortunate that we can't post pics on the site. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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I also have the copper coil around my chimney pipe. One thing about doing that like aamyotte mentions is the sap evaporating in the coil which is actually scorching the sap. I had a problem with vapor lock like that when I fed sap from the top of the coil so I flipped it to feed in the bottom so the sap would contnue flowing through instead of vapor locking the inlet end and not stop the flow of sap and haven't had that problem since. Be aware you need a fast enough flow but also slow enough flow as to have the sap continuously moving but also being heated and not scorching. There's also times I put a piece of tin over the coil to get the sap to warm up as it's going through to quick or a cold wind. My sap temperature in my warming pan is in the vicinity of 95F to 105F if I keep and eye on it, far cry from. boiling but not slowing my main pan boil and not scorching in the coil.

I was able to make just over 5 L from the 43.5 US gallons of sap.

It still has a nice colour and tastes great!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/094j...VJklHV_eiMkBsA

My philosophy is always be grateful for what you have. I had expected today, to be an amazing sap flow day, coming out of the deep freeze and hitting +13° C (55.4°F). But it wasn’t a great sap flow day and I think the fact it was very overcast, is why.

I am grateful for the 45 gallons I did collect and that I will boil tomorrow. My sugar concentration in the sap is still high. I have collected about 33% of my expected sap.

Syrup looks great! You using the bucket filters?
I purchased some after seeing your post on them, syrup showed cloudy
after filtering. { 3 prefilters than orlon }

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

I was able to make just over 5 L from the 43.5 US gallons of sap.

It still has a nice colour and tastes great!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/094j...VJklHV_eiMkBsA

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Very nice, I checked my trees around noon and the sap was flowing pretty good it was pouring rain and about +7.
I left for Parry Sound so wont know what I ended up with for sap until I get home tomorrow. I expect our run will start full flow this weekend. Fingers crossed

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Originally Posted by Mrk59rsk

Syrup looks great! You using the bucket filters?
I purchased some after seeing your post on them, syrup showed cloudy
after filtering. { 3 prefilters than orlon }

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I am using a homemade vacuum filter, that 4walls shared with me how to make it. It works super fast and filters extremely well.

I use two thicker round filters and four, sometimes five round pre filters.

One thing I have been doing the last few times, is I have a five gallon bucket mostly filled with water and after I finish filtering, I take all of the filters and drop them in the bucket and it is amazing how well it cleans the filters, before I have a chance to really rinse them clean.

I'm working on a little youtube video to share with the maple bros on how I made my vacuum filter and how it works. Need one more clip of the final stage then have to get my teens to put it together and make it presentable. Will be up shortly. Don't know why I cant just insert a picture here on this forum.

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Originally Posted by 4Walls

I'm working on a little youtube video to share with the maple bros on how I made my vacuum filter and how it works. Need one more clip of the final stage then have to get my teens to put it together and make it presentable. Will be up shortly. Don't know why I cant just insert a picture here on this forum.

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That's great
Looking forward to your video so I can make a filter as well

Swingpure were you boiling today, all I could smell in Parry Sound was maple sap evaporating

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Originally Posted by Someclown

That's great
Looking forward to your video so I can make a filter as well

Swingpure were you boiling today, all I could smell in Parry Sound was maple sap evaporating

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I am boiling! Almost done the 62 gallons. Great boil.

I was able to collect 17 more gallons this morning before the boil to bring me to 62.

Today as mentioned, I boiled the 62 gallons. After supper I thought I would collect the little bit that ran and get it out of the barrels and pails before it froze. I was surprised to see that it ran not too bad today while I was boiling and I collected another 42 gallons, enough for another boil tomorrow. Since I do not have the RO working, I need to keep up. I expect Saturday the sap will really flow, maybe the best of the season.

The boil today went really well. I boiled it to 217°. Syrup temperature today was 217.93°. I collected a hair over 10 L of almost syrup.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/088o...tqhe4DfcvK2E2Q

I am really pleased with the wood frames I made to hold the pails. Yesterday was a very windy day and the pails did not budge.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0ac2...c8KVTQyQGSVeDw

I'm jealous.
Haven't boiled anything since the big freeze started last week. Do to unforeseen circumstances I haven't been able to check my buckets but nothing really thawed here since last week.

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Originally Posted by Someclown

I'm jealous.
Haven't boiled anything since the big freeze started last week. Do to unforeseen circumstances I haven't been able to check my buckets but nothing really thawed here since last week.

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I spoke with a neighbour who is a sugar maker, and I asked if the sap flow this year here was slow, and he replied very slow. I have a friend about a half hour drive south and he is doing great. A few degrees difference, or a little more sunshine, can make a difference. We are at a higher elevation than my friend that is south of us.

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

I am really pleased with the wood frames I made to hold the pails. Yesterday was a very windy day and the pails did not budge.

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I like your frame. I have some giant front lawn maples along the road and last year had a couple buckets blow away by the wind that whips up over the field and pond, even with some weight on the top. I've taken to ratchet strapping those exposed buckets.

Big Eddy cautioned me about boiling, finishing, filtering and bottling in the same day as that is when a lot of mistakes are done.

He never said anything about finishing, filtering, bottling, boiling, then collecting.

I finished, filtered and bottled the 62 gallons I boiled yesterday, and got 8.25 L from it, which is pretty good.

So far over the 6 batches I have boiled, the colour has stayed pretty consistent.

I am pulling a lot of ice from the pails I left outside last night, so hopefully that will speed up the boil (42 gallons) and allow me time to collect in the daylight. I think today may well be the best flow of the season.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f5o...p1lJjP4NmAEI-Q

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04eQ...yprs3YG2BFYDeQ

We will see if I pulled all water out of the pails, or if there was some sap in the ice, when I make the syrup.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c4A...dLzw#McDougall

After the boil, which went well, I collected 55 gallons of sap, the pails were still dripping and the lines still running. I will check the barrels again in the morning and may get an additional 10 to 20 gallons.

Right now I have collected 43% of expected sap. I hope to get to 60%.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

We will see if I pulled all water out of the pails, or if there was some sap in the ice, when I make the syrup.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c4A...dLzw#McDougall

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I finished today’s boil tonight and bottled it and I guess it was just all water taken out, as I got 5 3/4 L out of the 42 gallons.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/069a...nz8I-gUJUut-pg

Busy day.

Collected another 22 gallons before starting to boil this morning, so I am boiling 77 gallons today, which I will do in two batches in the one boil.

I have now collected about 45% of expected sap.

Looking at the long range forecast, there are not many collection days left. I would really like to get to 60% expected sap before it ends.

The wind today is in the right direction so the smoke and steam are quickly leaving the shelter.

Once before I had checked one pail and it was 3% sugar in the sap and I checked a second pail and it read 4% on my refractometer. I told my buddy and he said that was unlikely.

Today again , I checked one pail and it was 3% and a second pail read 4%. I went back to the first pail and it read 3% again and I went back to the second pail and it read 4%.

I know by how much syrup I make, I am doing better than 40:1, it 4% sugar possible straight out of a tree?

All I can tell you is that if you really are averaging 3.5% then never mind 45% of your goals by sap. For most sugar makers you would be at 90% of your goals by syrup!

I have to pick and choose which trees I tap, and even so, I average about 1.7-1.8%.

Gabe

Are you running an electronic refractometer, or an optical unit?

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Originally Posted by Willen

Are you running an electronic refractometer, or an optical unit?

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Optical.

When I posted my syrup yield from the gallons I boiled, another poster said that would be 3.07% sugar concentration. I went out and check my sap and the refractometer said it was 3%. That is why I trust it to some degree. It said 4% both times I checked the same pail and correctly repeated the 3% for the other.

I would not bet my friend’s truck that it is an accurate reading, I was just curious if it is possible or likely?

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

Optical.

I would not bet my friend’s truck that it is an accurate reading, I was just curious if it is possible or likely?

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http://mapletrader.com/community/sho...-sugar-content
Certainly is, this sap was straight out of the tree in 2020 in my post

Yes. It's possible but rare. I have a sap hydrometer calibrated to 3c. I have one tree that produces 3.5 up to 4 early in the run. It's the only one I know of. Have 400+ taps all on lines and only 20 or so pails near the shack. My bulk containers averaged 2.1 early and now about 1.9 steady. Hard rock sugar maples.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

I would not bet my friend’s truck that it is an accurate reading, I was just curious if it is possible or likely?

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Definitely possible. There are a number of people here who regularly report well over 2%. I have one tree that has put out 3.4% in the past.

Just consider yourself a very lucky man, because there are a lot of things you can control/optimize in your operation, but you can't control what the trees put out.

GO

Boiling 210L/55.5 Gal. Collected this morniing. Boiling outdoors +6*c light SSE wind to blow the smoke away
Boil rate ranging 45L/12gal.per hr plus. Firing every 8 minutes with wrist size and smaller maple firewood, sap preheated to between 90-105*F, stack temps. 400-600*F.

Today I finished, filtered and bottled the 77 gallons I boiled yesterday. That should produce less than 8 L of syrup. I made exactly 11.5 L. I am not sure how to calculate what the sugar content would be, to produce that, but it is better than 2%.

Had friends up and I had them do some little things yesterday and today, all part of the maple syrup making process. Yesterday they helped me collect and ladle the sap from one pan to the other. Today they helped with the bottling process and got to ladle the syrup into the jar of syrup they are taking home. They were thrilled.

I would sit the ladle on a pan lid and a little syrup would inevitably spill out of the ladle. It did not take them long with their fingers to get some syrup. They loved it.

The colour is still pretty consistent.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0fce...7e6DtCpC0m7Mgg

https://share.icloud.com/photos/00bX...6G0jVFeaEx2bMg

Batch 8 on the right is darker than 1, but not darker as in the picture as 1 was in the sunlight and 8 was in the shadows.

Doing some cleanup today and getting the evaporator ready for tomorrow’s boil. I will collect later today. The lines are running well. I am starting off with 21 gallons collected late yesterday.

This was my best sap collection day by far of the season. I collected 105 gallons. Combined with my 21 from late yesterday, I have 126 gallons to boil. I will boil 80 gallons tomorrow. This is when I miss not having the RO working.

I am now at 57% expected sap collected.

I got to use my pump and my ATV trailer today to help me with the sap in the barrels.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c4X...lpmQtMq2VrTXEw

Just logging on for the first time this year. I tapped March 13th this year, earliest in 10 years. I put in 65 taps and so far have made around 3 gallons of syrup. It ran great this morning and then slowly tapered off through the afternoon. I'm guessing there will be 75 gallons waiting in the buckets for me tomorrow. All indications are pointing to a great season.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

Today I finished, filtered and bottled the 77 gallons I boiled yesterday. That should produce less than 8 L of syrup. I made exactly 11.5 L. I am not sure how to calculate what the sugar content would be, to produce that, but it is better than 2%

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If I did the math correct in U.S.gal. Your sugar concentrate would have been very close to 3.4.
Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in case I'm doing all my calculations wrong
Rule of 86 divided by sugar concentrate of sap to make 1 gal.

77gal. Sap ÷ 3.04 gal. Syrup = 25.3gal sap/1 gal syrup
Rule of 86 ÷ 3.4 sugar sap concentrate = 25.30gal sap per 1 gal. syrup

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Someclown

If I did the math correct in U.S.gal. Your sugar concentrate would have been very close to 3.4.
Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in case I'm doing all my calculations wrong
Rule of 86 divided by sugar concentrate of sap to make 1 gal.

77gal. Sap ÷ 3.04 gal. Syrup = 25.3gal sap/1 gal syrup
Rule of 86 ÷ 3.4 sugar sap concentrate = 25.30gal sap per 1 gal. syrup

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Thank you, and that makes sense to me, some sap (likely most) was 3%, and some other sap measured 4%. I am grateful for my good fortune.

I also am strangely grateful, it has been a slow flowing year. Without my RO working, I never would have kept up if it was a normal year.

I am now in the middle of boils 80 gallons, maybe more.

The sap will stop flowing for a few days, then start again for a few more. That might repeat itself one more time. Next lesson to learn is to stop before it gets buddy.

Your math would be wrong if you are not bottling at exactly 66.9% sugar in the syrup. Even a few percentage off the "syrup" stage would have a huge effect on the calculated numbers. What method are you using to determine finished syrup? Temperature? Hydrometer? refractometer? All of them need to be corrected for either temperature of atmospheric pressure at the time of bottling. By far the most accurate is the dual hydrometer from CDL (maybe others) that has the thermometer inside the hydrometer. Once it floats at the temperature line then its syrup. Next is a proper syrup thermometer that gets calibrated in boiling water before bottling. I have the one with the 7" face so I can read percentages of degrees f. Still check with the hydrometer to make sure.
I would be surprised if your average sap sugar content from all your trees was 3.5%. That would mean that some trees are pushing 5% while others are at a normal low range of 1.5.

One thing I am surprise at is how little wood I have used. Estimated at the end of this boil, I will have used 3 face cords of wood, 9 batches, approximately 580 gallons of sap boiled. That is much better than expected.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 4Walls

Your math would be wrong if you are not bottling at exactly 66.9% sugar in the syrup. Even a few percentage off the "syrup" stage would have a huge effect on the calculated numbers. What method are you using to determine finished syrup? Temperature? Hydrometer? refractometer? All of them need to be corrected for either temperature of atmospheric pressure at the time of bottling. By far the most accurate is the dual hydrometer from CDL (maybe others) that has the thermometer inside the hydrometer. Once it floats at the temperature line then its syrup. Next is a proper syrup thermometer that gets calibrated in boiling water before bottling. I have the one with the 7" face so I can read percentages of degrees f. Still check with the hydrometer to make sure.
I would be surprised if your average sap sugar content from all your trees was 3.5%. That would mean that some trees are pushing 5% while others are at a normal low range of 1.5.

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Thanks 4walls, I figured it couldn't be that easy to figure out. Hahaa

I am using thermometer, refractometer and hydrotherm. I do my best to be at 66.9 brix.

Edit: would that formulae be for 66 brix syrup and making 66.9 brix syrup would result in less quantity?