Hey I don't like that new tank up the street. I can't cruise by and see how hard its running.
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Hey I don't like that new tank up the street. I can't cruise by and see how hard its running.
It ran well overnight not that impressive today. So we finally started working on Northwood. Got it 1/3 tapped with the takedown lines all strung back up. Which was much easier without snow. Hopefully we have power to the pump tomorrow and we can start the leak hunting.
It froze here last night and it didn't run as good today as I had hoped it would. Did you buy a new releaser yet?
Not yet. Waiting to hear from the Maple Guys but it seems Lap is backordered. Bascoms has decent used one but I might just wait til next season, it wasn't exactly dumping a lot today and I was hovering at 25.5 most of the day.
But my neighbor has built a new extension to bump the woods tank roof up, so we can add a new releaser. That's tomorrow afternoon's project. Bottled up 20 gals from tonight and yesterday so we are still averaging 10 a day. The other bush should add at least 4 a day to that.
I am always skeptical of used releasers. you have to wonder was it an upgrade or were they so sick of it they just said the heck with this... Don;t forget about Bascom's open house in May I think 10% off of just about everything. Except used and assoc bottles and drums. thats when I buy my more expensive items. save $100 on $1000 thats pretty good. I also stock up on spouts, glass bottles, candy boxes etc. usually end dropping about $1-2K for the Bascom Family during the open house. Very smart for them to do it at that time too. every one has money for maple then too.
I think that's the best plan as well. I had forgot about the preseason sale.
The curse of the Northwood bush yet again. I have an old RV2 pump that I put on a compressor tank. Last year it blew the headgasket out about 6 hours after I tapped. This year after a new head gasket it seized up after 2 hours of run time. I've got an SP 11, that I'm going to see if it fits that tank and motor. Just stinks cause I had the neighbor kid tapping while I fixed leaks. After all these years of doing everything myself it is handy to have a helper.
Only picked up 100 gals overnight instead of 4-500 that we've been seeing here at home. And it was just a trickle all day. So looks like a no boil night. I really hope we get a freeze tonight. Looks nasty for tomorrow high winds, snow and rain. Buttoned up the sugarhouse and planning on sleeping late. Odd to shut the copula mid season.
Haha, Yeah but thats gonna be so much easier to clean than those stinkin cage tanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dill
I was worried about that wind last night it was impressive. Got to the tank and I was only pulling 5.5. Hiked around figuring I'd find a serious mainline issue. Turns out it was a tree that tipped over and pull the saddle right out of the mainline. I'm always impressed with the tensile strength of 5/16. It didn't rip or break any of the fittings. Seems like that was the only issue we are back up to 25. Sap really isn't running and we have grey skies and wind from the east so probably won't do much.
We are opening up again this afternoon, hopefully we get some traffic wish the assoc was advertising this weekend.
That stinks but at least it was only a saddle and it didn’t take the whole main line down.
Oh ya it was a lucky break and the only vac leak out of the storm. We really didn't have a busy open house but some money is better then none. Out of empty qt jugs and sugar containers, which is not a bad thing.
This was today's project. I had hung the releaser down in the tank last year for more slope but with the added taps it wasn't working. Now we've got the full tank capacity. Going down with some hose supports tomorrow to fix the sap line intakes.
Got the SP11 hooked up for portable usage and should be getting Northwood up and running tomorrow or tuesday.
Attachment 17973
Nice looking tank and releaser cover Alden. Are you getting any sap down there?
Kinda but not really. I’ll have a good boil tomorrow could have done a small one tonight but I figured I’d wait
I boiled for the first time since Thursday tonight. I only had 575 gallons but wanted to get it boiled before it spoiled.
Had a good run today surprisingly. Crossed 100 gals of syrup bottled up too which is awesome. And tapped Northwood. The SP11 took more oomph to start then the old RV2 so I had to move the pump closer to the old guy's house and run more vac line. This is why I'm probably don there after this year. Such a PIA to run half an hour back and forth for parts and tools. But the SP11 really sucks. Got that leaky setup up to 22 without really chasing leaks. Tomorrow morning I'm pumping and dumping what ran and then rigging a tarp over the tank. Looks like big snow.
Oh and my well pump crapped out tonight, so I think I've got 200 gals at least left down in my woods. Picking up a new used pump tomorrow think I"m going to step up to a 3/4 hp from 1/2.
Looks like we are froze up for a couple days. Maybe I should start doing my taxes.
No choice but to break out snowshoes for today's trip to the tank. Good news is the new well pump is a massive 1hp monster compared to the old 1/2hp. The bad news is there is nothing to pump both bushes are froze up. Tried the new pump but there wasn't enough liquid in the woods in tank to make it to the sugarhouse. What a difference in a couple weeks. Hoping we get some sun tomorrow so we can boil for the first big weekend.
yes it would be nice to get some sap. I think I got my woods back in working working order after the storm. my taxes are done!!!
The sap started to run a little bit here today. I only got about 75 gallons but it's a start. Hope you guys do well.
Ice finally cleared out of my lines at 230. Had some customers who were looking for a place to snowshoe, I said well head out back. The guy was enthralled when the releaser started dumping. Yup I could spend quite a while staring at that as well. Vac pump was making some odd noises as huge chunks of the woods opened up at once. Temp really dropped since then but I'm hoping I can boil for a change tomorrow. Decently busy today, not crazy but I was able to really spend time talking to people
The ice didn't clear until 2:30? Wow it started late there.
Wow thats late. Ours was running like mad at midday without vacuum. Did you get anything yesterday?
I'm not sure why the wet/dry system froze up so hard. After all the whole point is to prevent massive ice jams like this. Most of the bush is north facing and we just weren't getting enough direct sun to melt. Not sure what came in. I haven't been back to check yet.
The ups and downs of sugaring yesterday. Hit the woods at 2. And the woods tank was full! I've never actually seen it full. Had to hike back and forth 3 times because its bigger then the sugarhouse tank and I had to make a hole with the RO. The helper fired up at 5. I got back out of the woods about 530. And suddenly the weirdest thing I've ever seen an evaporator do. Basically my flu pan suddenly got way over full and when I opened the view door it "Burped" about 30 gals of foam and sap onto me and the floor. We got that all sorted. And the first syrup pull went a bit odd but again we thought we had it handled. Then the temp spiked on the 2nd draw and we started pulling black sludge and lost the pan. I started shoveling snow and we got the fire out. We pulled the whole rig apart swapped the pan and cleaned top to bottom last night. And I still have zero idea what the heck happened. Basically there was no sap flow to the middle channels. Fire had been going about 2 hours at that point, so I can't believe the U connecting the syrup pan was froze up. So we made 8 gals of black sludge and dumped probably another 10 on the floor. At one point the kid tested the liquid on the floor and it was 9%.
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Oh that pan looks toast.
Pan is toast. Its warped to hell. Good news is I bought it with a spare. Not sure what costs more the pan or the 20 gals of ruined/dumped syrup.
It would be worth considering if there is any place in your evaporator where sap could be spoiling between boils. I have had a couple similar experiences with sap and syrup going ropey mid season with extreme foam and scorched pans.
In my case it was the rear float box.... but anywhere that sap may not get to boiling in your rig could be a potential area of concern. A preheater or float boxes or pipes connecting any of these can be a culprit.
I don't know how your rig is configured but your experience sounds very similar to mine....
I think thats exactly what happened. I don't remember if there was liquid up in the steamaway over that period but it would completely make sense with the extreme foam.
Yup 'ben there,done that. Had a leaf get stuck between the flue and the syrup pan a couple of times in the past few years...get's a little exciting really fast.A sugar house a few towns north of me has a quick turn valve and a coil of large hose right in the line from the head tank to the steam-away...brilliant idea for a fast flood when needed.
That same type of thing happened to me a few years back. I bought my filter press and wanted to try it out. I was boiling end of season sap that should have been dumped and just as the syrup came up to temp it burnt to a crisp. Warped the pan and left a nice blue patina under the charcoal.
Fortunately you have a spare pan because who knows how long it will take to get another one.
Yes the spare pan really paid off today. Got the 200 gals of concentrate we had to leave last night boiled down. Didn't make syrup but got really close. First time I've ever boiled this rig without a front hood. Combine that with the full on blizzard today. And that lead to a really steamy situation in the sugarhouse. I kept taking off my glasses but nope the it was just a cloud in there. I had been up there about 2 hours when I took the outside pic and we got way more snow. When I checked before dinner it was about 30inches. I've had my issue with David Yochaim. But I have to say today I'm impressed. 2 pans coming next week. 250 each plus shipping.
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A lot of people were boiling in the blizzard yesterday. I went and visited a friend in Gilmanton yesterday morning while my RO was on a wash cycle. Boy I'm glad that I don't own a half pint! It took them 10 hours to boil off 50 gallons. Mike Moore was boiling at Sunnyside as well as some people on the ridge. I got all of mine done Monday night before the storm.
I don't know how much snow we got here but it was up to my knees when I went out to plow last evening. I had to put the plow back onto my tractor yesterday and I was hoping that I wouldn't have to after last weeks Nor'easter.
Vac pump was making some odd noises when I was boiling thursday night so I shut it off. Figured no sap run yesterday so kids, wife and I went skiing all day. Headed down to check the woods tank and it was full! I'll take that. Had some ice in the pump line but I think its flowing now. Just have to hike down some more gas.
Well we boiled all day and bottled a ton of syrup, but only got one customer. So it was kind of a wasted day. Seemed pretty warm midday but now its cold. RO drains are froze up which is a pain in the rear. Luckily I've got a hose connection for the permate so I'm slowly letting 600 gals of permate out with it.
Good news is now we have 120 gals done not including the 9 burned to crap gallons.
It was too cold and windy for us to boil today because we are outside. Luckily for us we got to catch up Friday afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for you as people are looking for something to do after St. Patrick's Day.
Bill
Yeah we had the same thing. Surprisingly a good sap haul lined right up for sat but nobody showed. :cry: We're up to 230 gal:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dill
We had one customer yesterday but we doubled that today! Really cold day to sit up there at least we had 2 customers. I wonder if it was just the cold. I mean today was not a great weather day. Yesterday was beautiful. We even did sugar on snow today. Yesterday I think the helpers sucked down a qt worth of syrup on snow.
I stayed in the house today and made 3 batches of maple cream. I had 1 customer this afternoon.
Sap started trickling yesterday. But it turns out I have major vac leaks at both bushes, 5 inches of HG at each. I found one pushed apart tee here at home but that only got me up to 9. So looks like once the weather warms up some serious time on snowshoes.
Well its froze up solid out there. Stumbled on 10 drops pushed off tees I bet there are more. But hard to find when without sap flow.
What a couple annoying days trying to find and fix froze leaks. Put 30 drops that had pushed apart back to together. Only heard 2 of them. Wish I had taught the dog how to find vac leaks. Looks like everything has thawed out.
Boiled for the first time since saturday tonight. Not a huge boil but enough to make steam and 5 gals of syrup. Had one of the local girl scout troops come over. Man that was awesome, good questions, parents bought a ton of stuff and they gave me a box of cookies! That's a win/win right there.