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I skipped this year due to pending health issues. My regular doctor detected a heart murmur so I underwent an Echo to determine the cause of the murmur. Determined that my mitral valve is...

I do the same thing as "Big Eddy". The syrup pan is the only pan I clean if it has too much niter buildup. You will lose a little bit of near syrup, but not enough to worry about.
Gary

Silver maples tend to bud earlier than sugar maples.
Gary

Although it is sad to see you leave your position, I wish you the best in your retirement. I have always welcomed your input and advice to this forum. Best wishes to you for a long and enjoyable...

Wow, that is something that no sugarmaker wants to experience. So sorry to see all that you have lost. I agree with looking at the positive aspects and not dwell on the negative. Dr. Perkins is...

That really depends on how the pan looks when you empty it. We have a 2' by 6', with a 2' by 2' syrup pan. Whenever we have a day that we are not going to boil, I drain the syrup pan and clean it...

I would think that it is not necessary to put in a fresh solution as long as they are submerged completely. Sorry to hear you fell and need hip replacement surgery, but it is nice it is fixable. As...

Mike,
I have a Davis Vantage Vue weather station with two indoor consoles for it. During syrup season I put one of the consoles in the sugarhouse to allow me to monitor the current weather. The...

It is not necessary to change your thermometer daily. When you set it to zero in boiling water, note the barometric pressure is at that time. There is a scale that is available that tells you what...

Very nice. You will enjoy boiling inside of a well-built sugarhouse.
Gary

I don't think the Honda is self priming. Both pumps require that you fill the pump with liquid prior to using. If the pumps are located below the level of sap in a tank you won't need to prime...

Another option instead of switching out batteries daily would be to use a small generator and a battery charger. We have four locations with 12 volt pumps with a small battery charger and an older...

We built our sugarhouse with a cupola because we originally didn't have a steam hood. When we installed the steam hood, we vented it through the roof because of the amount of steam that is...

I generally refill my firebox when the fire is down to about 50% and then I fill the firebox to the top of the fire door. I don't try to squeeze in every piece of wood that will fit because I try to...

Dave it sounds like the latest surgery was a success. Hope your healing continues as well as it has gone so far. Take it easy and best wishes.
Gary

We covered our entire interior with FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic), including the ceiling to allow us to wash or wipe down the interior if necessary. This is what is commonly used inside...

I turn off the blower every time I fire instead of turning it down as I have seen some people do. This minimizes the amount of sparks that are emitted from the stack.
Gary

I believe he is referring to using a flue brush attached to a pipe or similar device to brush between each flue before firing. This can be done from the firing door if you don't have an access door...

I think you answered your own question. Assuming you outfit the hood with a preheater, it will result in a more efficient operation, better removal of steam from the sugarhouse and sap entering the...

Dave,
Sounds like you are improving, hope it continues for you. Definitely follow the Doctor's orders on lifting because that can put a lot of stress on your surgical incision. You don't want your...

You can buy one direct from: Ray Gingerich, 1537 Easton Rd., Orwell, OH 44076. Phone # is 440-422-3047. If no answer, just leave a message and phone number and Ray will get back in touch with you....

Whenever we have a break, such as a hard freeze or an extended warm period when sap isn't flowing I drain and clean our flue pan. By cleaning, I mean spraying out the flue pan with hot water. Quite...

Well Lethalbowman, you got half your wish, you just got the freeze cycle you wanted. Now you have to wait for the thaw portion. It has been a weird season for sure. We are in Gaylord and after...

Ivyacres we hope you are right!!! Here in Gaylord we just finished tapping last Friday and nothing was showing up in the tap holes after drilling. Looks like we will get some flow this week and for...

I tried the Lapierre brand this year and was VERY pleased with its performance. I had seen an earlier thread where Dr. Perkins had mentioned that they used them and it happened that I had bought...