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  1. Replies
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    Good afternoon guys. I'm taking my wife up to...

    Good afternoon guys. I'm taking my wife up to Dubois for a "women's" engagement this weekend and was wondering if any of you know of any sugarmakers/sugarhouses in the Dubois area I might be able to...
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    Pour or try to siphon? I usually vacuum filter...

    Pour or try to siphon? I usually vacuum filter my syrup thru a homemade shop-vac filter with 3 pre-filters and an orlon filter with DE. The final batch of syrup yesterday would not filter, not even...
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    15,662

    Last boil tomorrow. Then I'm packing-up and...

    Last boil tomorrow. Then I'm packing-up and getting ready for trout season.
    Been a longer season, but less syrup production than last year. Seems like sap has been pretty watery this year, 1-1.5%.
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    Sorry Doc, no offense intended. Like you said,...

    Sorry Doc, no offense intended. Like you said, it's the ones on the fringe that get reported and quoted, so those of us that don't read the scientific journals often get led astray.
    Thanks for all...
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    If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on Phil...

    If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on Phil before the "scientists" who twist data, results and conclusions to either push an agenda or for other self-serving reasons. Unfortunately, corporate...
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    Yeah, I know double-tapping in the same season...

    Yeah, I know double-tapping in the same season isn't sustainable, as well; and I don't plan on making it a regular practice on these 18 trees. But from reading another thread, it appears there will...
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    Decent run past few days. Contrary to my good...

    Decent run past few days. Contrary to my good intentions, I re-tapped the lower trees last weekend and they really woke up and are flowing again despite the popping flower buds.
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    I have a mini stainless ball valve on a 5/16...

    I have a mini stainless ball valve on a 5/16 recirc line (new this year) which doesn't require much adjustment. I usually keep it barely cracked open to pull the best vacuum when sap is flowing. ...
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    1,274

    I always assumed that maple trees had high sugar...

    I always assumed that maple trees had high sugar % sap because they generally have more foliage (leaf surface area) than other trees; definitely more than walnuts which have pretty little/scant...
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    I've got 1 run of 525' of 5/16 with 25 taps and...

    I've got 1 run of 525' of 5/16 with 25 taps and it produces just fine. Vacuum gauge on 1st tree always pulls close to what the gauge at pump reads; usually between 25-27inHg when I got the recirc...
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    Used motor oil fired evaporator?

    Seems like I can't keep up with the wood pile most years and am researching other fuel options.
    Has anyone ever built an oil fired evaporator with a burner that can burn used motor oil? If so,...
  12. Replies
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    Collected 77 gallons of sap from my trees over...

    Collected 77 gallons of sap from my trees over the past 3 days.
    The vacuum is keeping them going. Nothing from the 2 trees on buckets.
    Boiling tomorrow.
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    2,050

    Definitely an eye-opening study. So when we RO...

    Definitely an eye-opening study. So when we RO our sap to higher sugar %, we're basically producing a culture plate that's already been inoculated; add some time, a little heat/warm-up, and voila -...
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    I guess the lower elevation trees must have...

    I guess the lower elevation trees must have warmed up more than the ones up on the mountainside because the 18 trees down in the floodplain have pretty much stopped running, but I had a pretty good...
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    That's pretty much what I thought. Just needed a...

    That's pretty much what I thought. Just needed a little confirmation before I start pulling taps.
    Thank you.
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    Red Maple healed tap holes or no sap flow?

    My reds have barely produced any sap over the past week, but I'm not sure if it's due to the holes healing from the February warm-up, or they've just shut off for the season. They are on a vacuum...
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    My red maples in the lower floodplain have shut...

    My red maples in the lower floodplain have shut off and there are red leaf buds popping in the upper canopy.
    The reds in the higher elevation were still producing sap 2 days ago and no noticeable...
  18. Thread: Ropey sap?

    by Openwater
    Replies
    8
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    1,777

    Since this is the first time I've ever come...

    Since this is the first time I've ever come across ropey sap, I was trying to think what I did different this season compared to others.
    The only significant change in the collection process was...
  19. Dan, What brand/model is your brewer friend's...

    Dan,
    What brand/model is your brewer friend's dig refractometer? I've been looking for a reliable one that I can use for both sap and syrup.
  20. Thread: Ropey sap?

    by Openwater
    Replies
    8
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    1,777

    This morning I took both of my collection tanks...

    This morning I took both of my collection tanks out of the woods to clean them out good and they both had slime in the bottoms. Got 'em clean/sanitized and put them back out under the shurflo's. ...
  21. Thread: Ropey sap?

    by Openwater
    Replies
    8
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    1,777

    That's what I was afraid of. I've never seen...

    That's what I was afraid of. I've never seen anything so slimy and gelatinous as this stuff before.
    Dumping 80 gallons worth of sap is frustrating; that's like 15% of my typical amount of sap...
  22. Thread: Ropey sap?

    by Openwater
    Replies
    8
    Views
    1,777

    Ropey sap?

    I think I've got my first batch of ropey sap. My process typically involves collecting sap and RO'ing during the week and boiling on the weekends. I usually RO my sap to 4-5%, then store it in a...
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    Of my 2 lines on mechanical vacuum, the one is...

    Of my 2 lines on mechanical vacuum, the one is barely producing anything (<5gal/day) and the other one is still flowing well (>15 gal/day).
    Both lines pulling over 25inHg of vacuum. Don't know why...
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    What do you mean by "commercial" or "synthetic"...

    What do you mean by "commercial" or "synthetic" defoamer? Are they just different kinds of oils? Or something different?
  25. My syrup has been coming out crystal clear this...

    My syrup has been coming out crystal clear this year from just an initial pre-filter right off the pan into the finishing pot, then I keep the finishing pot as hot as possible (over 210*) when adding...
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