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That area won't be doing much for you. When I had a 2x3 it pretty much served as an ash trap (I had a forced air under with that setup).

No worries! Glad you got it worked out.

I can't see where moisture will be an issue for you if you follow Dave's suggestions. If you are wondering about temperatures; add a stack thermometer. It will show you really quickly if you are...

I'm curious as well. I've used the cv spouts with 3/16" tubing for years now and use a 5/16 bit and it has worked well.

You will need a 5/16 bit.

Wild. Like Sugar Bear, almost all of my maple leaves on 30 acres went to brown and down this year. I read or heard somewhere that it may have been due to the incredible amount of rain we had this...

Welcome! What a great introduction. Your point about getting into the woods and being healthy is well stated...at a time of year around here when a lot of people are suffering from "cabin fever", we...

Good questions. The bucket is just a housing. No liquid in there as there are holes drilled for the pump mounts, etc. For what it's worth, I ended up mounting mine on a board because it was much...

Agree. I buy 50-packs. I replace every 300-gallons of sap, or every day, whichever comes first.

I had a 2x3 pan outdoors for years. As explained here, I used a pop-up tent...but I also had a cheap, folding leg stainless steel table that I used to hold beer, testing equipment, etc. while...

Great news! Somewhere along the way I was told to split wood so that is no larger than the diameter of my fist when clenched. Who knows what happens if you have a massive hand! But, I try and do...

Actually, you do both under and over. The air over, as long as it is ingested at the front of the firebox, ignites the gasses and produces more heat. I agree that you wouldn't do over if you didn't...

That's what I was thinking. You need an obstruction to create turbulence on the way out so that more heat transfer takes place. Without it, you were likely cooling the sap in the pan. Injecting air...

I had one of those 2x3 hobby arches that went straight-up and it worked well enough. If you have power, consider adding a blower - it will improve your evaporation rate rather significantly for that...

You sure are getting after it! So, if you fill an insulated water bottle or thermos with near boiling hot water, it is super easy to push those drops on without a tool. I mean, I wouldn't do hundreds...

I have 1" board with 1/2 brick. It works great.

I'd shoot for 1" thick minimum. And yes, it's spendy stuff. But worth it, in my opinion because it also saves your arch steel. My arch is stainless sheet and still as shiny as the day I installed it,...

I alway pour hot sap through first, so I think that mitigates any cold sugarhouse issues...but after boiling, the sugar house is pretty darn warm. I'm sure indoors also helps since everything is warm...

My Vision has the board under the bricks, and I highly recommend this approach. Keep as much heat as possible under your pans. It also keeps the sides of my arch relatively cool compared to when I...

Welcome back to health and a low key season!

I use a natural cone filter with 2 pre filters. Did 60+ gallons on it last year, and won some awards for our syrup. I agree that they are way...

Steve, it sounds like you are all over it! Tons of good advice here, but in my opinion, the best is to keep having fun! We've all made mistakes...and that is the best way to learn. I have tons of...

Lots of good advice here. I had multiple versions of the RO Bucket before upgrading to a 2 post 4x40 system. I would replace the pre filter every boil (as someone noted, a case of 50 is cheap, and...

You do not need much elevation at all for tubing. Even 3/16 tubing. Not sure what you have for a gradient, but if you are going to move totes, I'd put your totes at the lowest point you can access...

I agree...I make all my drops ahead of time, inside where it is warm. Also, for the little tubing involved, having clean drops and new taps makes a large difference in sap production vs. leaving in...

Dave makes a really important point that I omitted: make sure your lifting points on your joists/rafters, etc. are directly over the hooks on your hoods. Otherwise, you are both putting pressure on...