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That's interesting. At 900 to 1000 degrees I get the highest boil off rate. 600 is the bottom of the range at which any boil off happens. It doesn't take any more wood per stoke to go from 600 to...

I use a SmokyLake digital control unit that has a probe for the stack, which I measure about 4 feet off the bottom of the stack.

Really great feedback everyone, and thank you!

I have a Smoky Lake Silverplate with a 24” x 60” sap pan. There is no access to the raised flues from either end of the sap pan proper, but if I...

You clean every day underside? My evaporator holds the sap/syrup between days so I cannot move the pans. Do you empty your pans daily? I'm missing something. Your machine is obviously larger than...

I am still cleaning up, I am embarrassed. However, it has occured to me perhaps I could get away with just cleaning the sap side of my raised flue pan and not blast off the soot on the bottom. Is...

“ Hopefully you mean Filter-Aid/DE and not Filter-
Brite”

Yes, Filter-Aid purchased from my maple supplier. Thanks for the clarification.

This is GREAT feedback everyone! Thank you. My conclusion, reds are not any dirtier than sugars. In fact, I have been advised that they are cleaner because there is less nitre in the syrup. In my...

Gradually moving from a mixture of sugar maples to red maples, this year I am 100% red maples. Since my collection has been predominantly red, my syrup has been dark from day one and that is true...

This is my first year using 'real' vacuum - Bosworth Sap Guzzlers. The pumps themselves will generate 22" deadheaded but degrade quickly in operation. The problem seems to be ice. I have very flat...

Thank you all for your help. One last question: How much slope on the mainline and the lateral lines?

First of all, I am a hobby producer who has let his passion get away from him. I don’t sell my output and cost hasn’t been my criteria as I sink deeper into the depth of this crazy illness.

I...

Thanks guys. Appreciate it.

I am running 5/16 lateral tubing connected to 20 to 50 trees each run (gravity and lunchbox vacuum) and wondering when to replace the tubing. What is the normal life of the tubing when it is...

I have been using the Lunchbox vacuum/releaser air powered system to draw vacuum on my reds over the last couple of years. Wanting to expand into some other bushes I purchased gas powered air...

I started up my evaporator today and things were going according to Hoyle when I began to hear banging from the pans. The sap level was below the top of the flutes by several inches. I flooded the...

Definitely tap them. 75% of my taps are on reds and everybody loves my syrup. My yields are low because I run gravity tubing picking up 20 to 22 trees (one tap per tree) per gravity line running a 2%...

I am seriously thinking about putting my taps in this weekend to take advantage of the next 10 days which look promising. That will be more than a month earlier than usual and am wondering whether I...

Yes, but I wonder if it would continue to draw once it is flowing. Let's say I started one tree at the far end of the line fairly high, and then ran the rest fairly level. Once the line was full, I...

I have 19 gravity lines connecting approximately 20 trees per line running into 10 gallon totes. Each line is several hundred feet long, all 5/16. The bush is completely flat, red maples in water. I...

I just finished my first season with a fully loaded 2 1/2 x 8 Smoky Lake Silverplate. I purchased it with hoods, preheater, reverse flow syrup pan, and auto-drawoff (with stack temp monitoring). I...

This is my first year with a 2 1/2 x 8 ft Smoky Lakes Silverplate evaporator. My previous hobby evaporators were small enough that I never considered anything other than removing the pans to clean...

Thanks for all the feedback people! I managed to do the mortaring during our heat spell (5 degrees C) over two days. Then, as suggested above, I put an electric heater in there with a wooden cover...

Splits vs Fulls. I assume splits are the half thickness? I'm not familiar with that term. My last unit had half thickness. I just assumed that was the norm? This is a forced air unit and will run...

I am about to receive my new Smoky Lake 2.5 x 8 evaporator. I will need to install the fire bricks and am wondering if there are any temperature constraints. I have a few days above freezing when I...

Well Nate, I owe you considerable thanks. I hadn't heard of Smokey Lake until I read your posting. Yesterday I ordered a 2 1/6 by 8 Silverlake with reversing syrup pan, hood, and preheater. November...