Northern Ontario 2022

I was reading some old posts from 2010 on securing the pails so they did not blow away. Some did what someclown does and ties the handle to the tree. One person made a frame for the pails to sit in, that was a snug fit, but not too tight.

I have all of this wood that I posted about last fall, that I was originally going to burn in the ice hut and maybe the evaporator, but ws advised because of the stain on them, that it would be bad for the environment. But three simple rows of this free wood, could make a great frame for the buckets and they would never move and because the wood is stained a nice colour, they would not look overly fugly. Something to play with tomorrow.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0b7_...qGIA#McDougall

Just remember that the frame you make can take alot of storage space. Rope coils up small.
I use ice cream containers (the big ones when you buy ice cream at the ice cream counters) for my pails. I drilled a hole in the lid so the hose goes in tight. Rain water doesn't make it in. The downside is there is no handle. I have old dirty 5 gallon buckets that I tie the handle to the tree and drop the sap bucket in it. Haven't had one leak except where the knot on the rope let go and both buckets ended up on the ground. And murphy's dictated that it had to be on the day with the heaviest run of the year.

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Originally Posted by aamyotte

Just remember that the frame you make can take alot of storage space. Rope coils up small.
I use ice cream containers (the big ones when you buy ice cream at the ice cream counters) for my pails. I drilled a hole in the lid so the hose goes in tight. Rain water doesn't make it in. The downside is there is no handle. I have old dirty 5 gallon buckets that I tie the handle to the tree and drop the sap bucket in it. Haven't had one leak except where the knot on the rope let go and both buckets ended up on the ground. And murphy's dictated that it had to be on the day with the heaviest run of the year.

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Thanks. I might do a combo of frames, ropes and ropes and bungees depending on the individual locations. Over the next 10 days much of the snow will melt, exposing them.

Speaking of the snow melting, if the forecast holds the temperatures look fantastic for sap flow. There are two days where the temperatures during the night, do not go below freezing. There still would be snow on the roots. Would sap still flow on those days?

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e9z...MDFYDUq5-yx1yw

With the above 0 temps. and forecasted rain next week that will help thaw things out and get sap flowing. I have a lot of trees in the clay belt so it takes a bit to get them flowing but the ones on rock and sand do start earlier. It takes about a week of above temps. around here to get things moving but last few years have been weird weather as it went from winer to summer quickly
Another good tip before you get boiling is to grab yourself a set of welders gloves to stoke the fire, make adjustments if needed and pick up warm items like pans to move around. On a few occasions when I first started I scrambled a couple times looking for something to pick hot items up and load the firebox with then I was adding wood to the woodstove in the house one day and I always put welders gloves on for that and BABAM, I purchased a second set. They're about $25.

Don’t laugh at it, but I made a frame out of the free available wood I had, and it holds the pail really well. I made five of them and may make five more, it does not take long.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0fd7...8sg77qDYHT8Zsg

As mentioned I will use a combo of frames, rope and maybe rope and bungee cords, to secure the pails.

Most of the pails are so buried, I can’t really experiment with securing them, but by the 19th, a good portion of the snow will be gone.

I have silicone baking mitts (2 pairs) to pick up the hot pans, but the welding gloves are a good idea, I will try and pick some up in town tomorrow.

My trees are either on Canadian Shield area or on sand. It’s interesting to see that some trees were really starting to flow and others, not a drop. The ones that were not a drop, were in very deep snow.

Although I was using two bungee cords to hold down the top pot of the vacuum filter, I thought it would be better to have the over centre clamps that 4walls had to secure the pot securely and level. I bought the clamps and the bolts and nuts and I purchased drill bits that I was told would drill through stainless steel. Because of my last stainless steel drilling failure I started drilling with great trepidation. I thought if it starts getting a bite on the steel and drilling well, I would do it. However the new bit was barely drilling into the steel and I stopped. This will now be a summer job, and I will live this season with the bungee cords securing the pot.

No laughing here, they look good, will definitely hold the bucket and blend Into nature much better than a white plastic pail as well

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

Don’t laugh at it, but I made a frame out of the free available wood I had, and it holds the pail really well. I made five of them and may make five more, it does not take long.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0fd7...8sg77qDYHT8Zsg
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Those are adorable!

Sounds like you've had a bit of sap from a few trees. How much so far? You considering doing a boil yet? See what I meant about things starting slow at the beginning of the season?

Gabe

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Originally Posted by berkshires

Those are adorable!

Sounds like you've had a bit of sap from a few trees. How much so far? You considering doing a boil yet? See what I meant about things starting slow at the beginning of the season?

Gabe

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The only day more than a degree above freezing was last Sunday when I was installing the taps on the line, which took me most of the day, making my way through the deep snow, so some lines did not have much time to run and some trees have not started to run yet. I collected 5 gallons of sap that day. The other two days were just slow dripping and I have not measure that yet. Later this week, the trees should be gushing.

I made three more of the pail frames last night for a total of 8 and will likely make 8+ more today. In the end I might have 24 of them, one for each pail.

As aamoyotte said, storage of them will be the issue, compared to just using rope. Finding a place where I can still dig them out next spring out of the snow where they are stored. If I do make a permanent sugar shack this summer, perhaps they can be stored in there.

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Originally Posted by Someclown

No laughing here, they look good, will definitely hold the bucket and blend Into nature much better than a white plastic pail as well

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Thanks, I think they will look better than the white pails alone as well, especially when 17 of the pails are on someone else’s property that they would have to look at, and their property is normally pristine. I know for sure they will hold the pails in place and might be handier to level if need be.

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Originally Posted by Someclown

With the above 0 temps. and forecasted rain next week that will help thaw things out and get sap flowing. I have a lot of trees in the clay belt so it takes a bit to get them flowing but the ones on rock and sand do start earlier. It takes about a week of above temps. around here to get things moving but last few years have been weird weather as it went from winer to summer quickly
Another good tip before you get boiling is to grab yourself a set of welders gloves to stoke the fire, make adjustments if needed and pick up warm items like pans to move around. On a few occasions when I first started I scrambled a couple times looking for something to pick hot items up and load the firebox with then I was adding wood to the woodstove in the house one day and I always put welders gloves on for that and BABAM, I purchased a second set. They're about $25.

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I picked up the welding gloves as you suggested at Canadian Tire. I also made 9 more frames for the buckets, 7 to go.

Today was -3 and snow. The weekend will be cold and snowy, but next week certainly warms up with a few days where the temperature stays above freezing overnight. It will be interesting with all of the snow on the roots if the sap, will still flow those days.