Pretty sure a safe answer is "when it gets above freezing" but a more helpful answer is the 23 looks like a warming trend. But, that's to far out to be accurate.Quote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
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Pretty sure a safe answer is "when it gets above freezing" but a more helpful answer is the 23 looks like a warming trend. But, that's to far out to be accurate.Quote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
Glad we are all on the same page.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultimatetreehugger
I'm not shy about working at 0 degrees but that snowy wind at 10 degrees today was brutal. 🥴Quote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
Follow Judah cohens blog, he's probably the best climatologist that's ever been. Has 30+ years at comparing sea ice, Siberian snow cover, Julian Madeleine oscillation.......I've followed for about 4 years now and he's usually pretty accurate at predicting the polar vortex. He predicted the current cold snap we are in since the 3rd week of January. If the Greenland jet stream ridge wasn't so strong we would be in on the -20/-40 the west is getting but that blocking kept it from coming east. Pretty interesting thing to follow, new updates every Monday. These climatologist are generally where the weather man gets his information from for his analysis of a 10 day forecastQuote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
Looking like cold for atleast next 2 weeks, then moderating but not to seasonable temps just yet. Cold snap may last Into first part of march...
When it gets warmer. :emb:Quote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
As far as the long-term forecast goes....I predict there is a high probability that it will eventually get warmer as we progress into spring. I haven't been wrong yet.
Well started drilling yesterday, sunny side had some liquid in the hole hard to believe how powerful the sun is this time of year. This is the first time I can remember in some time we haven't had a run during the 2-3rd week of February. With the snow on way and cold temps it seems more like January!!
Blissville, come to think of it, it's the first time since I started sugaring that we haven't had a mid February thaw.
Seems to be a very traditional winter! Friday was supposed to be 34-35, now that's back down to 30. It will come eventually I suppose. Although I will say It's nice not having to rush because all of a sudden the 7 day forecast shows day 6 and 7 in the 40s all of a sudden- haha
Trouble jumped up for us late last week. We had a technician come out to tune our oil fire evaporator....when we filled...tried to fill the evaporator from the feed tank we found a seam burst in the preheater due to freezing. We have a CDL Deluxe. I know the last time we ran the evaporator we did not fill it from the feed tank, rather warmed the water to drain and rinse it. So I believe we did not open the drain valves on the preheater when we finished. Seems like condensation developed during the short boil and the water settled in the square box, at the low point.
We are in build mode to put the hood lift mechanism in (it about time as it is old cleaning the back pan through the observation ports). My shift at my full time job changed tomorrow to days so we worked get to work on it (hopefully finish it) until Tuesday. Then the weldor can come at his convenience (within a week) to do his magic. I have a welder which is capable, I am willing to admit I am lacking the experience to do the job myself for something this important.
Other than that I have been putting some drops together inside during the evening. Looks like we are going to hit 700 taps this year before we need to finish a few other projects to be ready for the season in a week and a half.
Good luck everyone.
Sounds like some are waiting and some (like myself) are hoping for one more solid week of working weather before things let go. It’ll be a busy weekend for myself with the workload I’ve yet to do. Although you never know what the long term will do, we’ve got a decent snow pack and have had some very cold temps. Hopefully it’ll take a little for these trees to soften up, always down to the wire!
We started taping this past weekend. Really tuff going with all the snow and crust here in south central VT. Should have about 1800 in by tomorrow. Looks like I will turn the vac pump on this week as well and be chasing leaks.
Purchased a new to use Busch 1142, pretty excited to fire it up and watch the sap roll in.
New power service was dropped last week the the new pump house. Both tanks are plumbed in side by side for a total of a like over 2800 gallons. Not sure that will be enough but it’s what we have.
Still have two more lots to get into. Maybe we can get there this weekend. Looks like the warmer weather might start showing here shortly. No syrup for us this year in February, which I can’t remember never making syrup in February. Always had a barrel or two made by now.
Fingers crossed for a good season, I feel we have a little to make up for lost time.
PM
We have the same conditions up here. Really tuff and really slowing us down.Quote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
We had our preheater welded to fix a leak from the ice. While checking to make sure the weld was complete we found a small 3/8" joint which was not welded at the factory. There was a small seep. Just after wiping the water away a very fine well defined line was the point of the leak. That was welded as well. Need to drop some spin seals in and get to tapping.
We have the crust here too. Better bring you snowshoes out the same hole they went in or your going down.
Mike
Crew finished tapping at UVM PMRC production/experimental bush on Friday. Experimental site was tapped on Saturday.
we got 95% of our taps in saturday... finished up sunday a.m. Be nice if today and tomorrow we get enough sap to flush the lines. we'll see.
What did everyone see for sap movement yesterday into this morning? The wind blew so hard here in Middlesex I thought the roof was gonna come off
Same up here in Weston
South west wind but not sure how it did over night yet.
I will report back later. Between the hours of 12-3 it was coming in very hard. 150+gmp
We used it to flush out the lines etc and drained. Hoping for full tanks this morning but the wind has me second guessing that it didn’t happen.
Just enough sap to tease in Underhill....murky and low sugar (1 Brix).
.33 gpt in the last 24 hours testing 1.5%
We got 100+/- gallons in each of our 4 tanks which we used to wash tanks then dumped. Plugged bungs, closed valves and are ready to rock. Don't expect much from Sat but overnight temp Sat night is supposed to be around 30, then mid to low 40s and sunny Sunday, so hoping for enough to do an RO wash and rinse and a pan sweetening boil.
I finished tapping last week. Just in time for some action. Sap ran a bit yesterday afternoon, and I was surprised to see it run a bit better today. Amazing what that sun can do... I haven't collected any sap yet but did get the releaser put back together and the vacuum pump running. Spent a couple hours today repairing leaks and got the vac from 6" to 26". Still a few small leaks out there which I hope to get to Saturday.
Now that the lines are rinsed I'm ready to close the valve on the sap tank and officially start the season. Time to get everything else ready to be able to boil...
Hi guys
Quick question for you. I’m running a new to me Busch mink 1142 this year. Great pump builds nice vac.
My question is, when I shut it down it seems to slow down like normal with the VFD. But when it stops it sounds like it starts turning backwards. I’ve had this happen before on other pumps. Can’t remember what I did to cure the problem. I was thinking a check valve between pump and releaser?
Any insight?
Thank you
PM
I guess I don't feel top bad, starting at 1.3 -4 here- not impressed hoping it's not another one of those years, what's the deal with the low sugar lately?!?Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
Pulled some junk out of lines Tuesday and wensday let that go and started filling tanks. What a battle getting the vaccum up everywhere! Just about everywhere starting at 0, porcupines, squirrel and coyotes! The price for head of squirrel around here is up to 5$!
Finally managed to get up to 27-28 on all but one, still some Walking to do, more sap flow would help, and half the leaks are iced so that doesn't help.
But we managed to get around 3800 gallons of sap. Probably do a first boil Saturday. Ro is rinsed, washing that today and will ro either tonight or in the morning.
Can't wait.
Haven't hears from one of the regulars on here, no word from spud this season??
All vacuum pumps need a check valve between pump and releaser to keep them from running backwards at shutdown. Some pumps can be damaged by running backwards too many times.Quote:
Originally Posted by PARKER MAPLE
Vt farmboy- is that your new install over in Castleon by the orchard and the old depot there?Quote:
Originally Posted by VTfarmboy
Yes what he said. The check valve will also prevent any oil from making it into the releaser when the pump runs backwards...Quote:
Originally Posted by BAP
Spud moved to Hawaii...
.25 gpt in the last 24hr now testing 2%......Blissville not sure who has the new install in ellis orchard all my taps on here on the farm
No oil on these dry claw pumps. I have a MES protection valve. Thought that by shutting off the valve/ closing that would do the job. But it dosntQuote:
Originally Posted by GeneralStark
Sap ran really hard yesterday for a few hours. Hoping to be closer to 2% after the freeze. Ro'd 2600 gallons last night so all set to rock and roll this weekend.
Oh ok, I guess there are more in the area than I know! You'll have that, good season to ya. You must be up there by Brian on east Hubbardton rd at the farm there.
Sap is just starting to drizzle on top of the mountain.
I was planning to tap tomorrow or on Town Meeting Day which is the tradition. Well now I'm not sure with a temperature change of 40 degrees to 0 Monday night with 40- 50 mph winds and a -15 to -30 windchill on Tuesday Morning. That is not good.
picked almost 1gpt in the last 30 hours, was cranking and still running hard, testing right at 2%
blissville was that you on craigslist with 6 275g totes for sale? i need another one and dont want to drive to far
Unfortunately it wasn't me. I get you there, seems everything on Craigslist is 2+ hrs away! If I see or hear of anything I'll let ya know.Quote:
Originally Posted by VTfarmboy
Sugar did come up nicely 1.8-2.
Boiled Saturday and Sunday, sweetened pans and made 90 gallons of amber. Things are already idling down from the battle of getting up and running.
Hasn't run as hard as it did for the three hours it ran Friday afternoon with that sun, but certainly running well, probably 1 gpt since yesterday midday.
Nice freeze coming, hopefully that will take it to 2%+.
Super underwhelming here in Calais. Less than we hoped for but about what we expected. Cleared 0.3 gpt from yesterday through about noon today. Sugar at 1.5%. Enough to do a gentle boil for a couple hours and sweeten the pans some. Doesn't look like anything coming until early next week. Guess there's no excuse not to be ready.
We had our first boil this afternoon. We had pulled in a little over 1 gpt in last 24hrs. We don’t have every taped as of today but the 2400 gallons was a good start to get things going on. Ro and sweetened, and made around 15-16 gallons of Fancy.
I hope this freeze will bump up the sugar a bit. It tested at 1.5%, that was a bummer but it’s what we got.
Next week looks better. Nothing for a few days unless the weather is wrong again.
Hey there....I keep seeing the reference to “sweetening the pans” , which may have been what we did up here in West Charleston today. Pumped out our gathering tank, ran it through just the prefilter in our RO to check for leaks, then into the evaporator to see how that looked. We boiled for awhile to tune the floats, then shut her down (gas evaporator) and left the sap in there. Tomorrow we plan to bring it back up and run the sap through our homemade vacuum filter and see how that does. Is this what y’all are referring to?
Sweetening the pans is taking sap from raw sap or ROed sugar content to the higher sugar contents at the various gradients around the evaporator. Today we did our first boil but did not draw off any syrup, so just "sweetened the pans".
Had my first boil today as well. Collected about 1400 gal. in 48 hours since closing the valve on Saturday. Sugar at about 1.4 and made over 10 gal. of amber/golden... literally right at 75 on the hanna checker. I'm impressed withe the syrup quality given not the cleanest sap.
Everything worked and it went pretty smooth overall. Looking as though I'll have some time to finish a few projects in the woods and sugarhouse before the sap runs again....