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Thread: First boil 2011

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Green County Kentucky
    Posts
    188

    Default First boil 2011

    So for all of you up north I now know what it's all about. Just shoot me now I'm ready to go, life can't get much better. Sure glad I'm "prayed up" at church. This evening we started with about 150 gal of sap, thought I would "sweeten" the pans a bit since I had made them and they hadn't been used yet. took about 2 hours to cook off 100 gal of sap. One thing I learned when you run out of sap bad things happen quickly. So tomorrow I have a little mess to deal with. Scorched a small spot 6" X 12" in the syrup pan befor I could get some water dumped in there. Even though I messed up that batch it was great. Everyone came out and had a great time.

    Check out the pictures in my photobucket.

    David

    http://s742.photobucket.com/albums/x...eb%206%202011/
    Sorghum Producer
    60 Bee Hives
    200 Acres of Ky hills
    225 Taps on Gravity
    2018 - Lapierre 2X8 Storm
    1963 Military M37 Sap Hauler
    and if things get tough...M35A2
    youtube videos

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Green County Kentucky
    Posts
    188

    Default

    Here are a few pictures from this evening.

    David

    Lessons learned:
    Can't shut down fire very quick.
    Have sap or water on hand
    Con the kids into packing in the wood
    Watch the stack temp to figure out how and when to add wood
    Send someone for food and drinks
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Sorghum Producer
    60 Bee Hives
    200 Acres of Ky hills
    225 Taps on Gravity
    2018 - Lapierre 2X8 Storm
    1963 Military M37 Sap Hauler
    and if things get tough...M35A2
    youtube videos

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Scottsville ky
    Posts
    138

    Default

    nice pictures, beautiful shack! hopefully last nights freeze will give you more maple squeez'ins to boil. hopefully i can stop by and say hi before long. nace

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Millmont,Pa
    Posts
    563

    Default

    I'm hoping that my shack will be filled with steam next Monday!!!!
    115 red maples on vacuum
    100 taps on 5/16 gravity
    35 taps on 3/16 gravity
    50 taps on shurflo vacuum
    about 60 buckets on giant roadside sugars
    neighbor bringing from 45 taps
    30'x 8' Aof/Auf Evaporator
    Homemade 125gph Ro
    Lots of Homemade Equipment!

    http://s848.photobucket.com/albums/a...%20Sugarshack/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    maine
    Posts
    376

    Default

    afretired i was wondering if you thought you were gaining much from the copper coil going around the stack thinking of doing that myself.Seems like a goog idea.
    2 1/2 x 10 with steam away leader drop flue inferno arch.
    550 in gravity

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Green County Kentucky
    Posts
    188

    Default

    No, it is a good waste of copper tubing. I thought it was a good idea, but it didn't pan out. When I watch what I am doing and keep the stack temp up, the flue pan calls for sap to keep the level up faster than the sap can heat up in the copper tubing. You can touch the copper right before it goes into the float valve and it is cold. Also the channel that the sap dumps into doesn't boil anything like the other two.

    David
    Sorghum Producer
    60 Bee Hives
    200 Acres of Ky hills
    225 Taps on Gravity
    2018 - Lapierre 2X8 Storm
    1963 Military M37 Sap Hauler
    and if things get tough...M35A2
    youtube videos

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

    Default

    David,
    Smiles, Steam, Small ones, and Sleep! Nice shots!
    Yea your seriously hooked. All your hard work is coming together and you have a great sugar house for entertaining.
    Hope your season lasts a few more weeks!
    Regards,
    SM
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
    3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
    12" SIRO Filter Press.
    2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
    One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
    Too many Cub Cadets
    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
    1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck

    www.mapleandhoney.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Zionsville, IN
    Posts
    54

    Default

    You might try wrapping some thin insulation around the copper coils and the stack. I did that and then wrapped it with aluminum flashing and strapped it with band clamps. It seems to help transfer heat to the copper rather than losing it to the air.

    I rigged up something special this year. I'll unveil my success/failure of a preheater after my first boil.

    have a great season.

    Quote Originally Posted by afretired View Post
    No, it is a good waste of copper tubing. I thought it was a good idea, but it didn't pan out. When I watch what I am doing and keep the stack temp up, the flue pan calls for sap to keep the level up faster than the sap can heat up in the copper tubing. You can touch the copper right before it goes into the float valve and it is cold. Also the channel that the sap dumps into doesn't boil anything like the other two.

    David

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Green County Kentucky
    Posts
    188

    Default

    SugarMaker
    Thanks
    Your right it's starting to come together. Today I finished tapping which puts me at about 200. I may get the itch and put out a few buckets but my help is a little short and I will have to run them myself. Today the sap was flowing again, I think tomorrow will be a big day. Still have a few things to get done in the sugar house. At least they set my pole and turned on the current yesterday so I don't have to operate off a generator.

    David
    Sorghum Producer
    60 Bee Hives
    200 Acres of Ky hills
    225 Taps on Gravity
    2018 - Lapierre 2X8 Storm
    1963 Military M37 Sap Hauler
    and if things get tough...M35A2
    youtube videos

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Coal Center PA
    Posts
    351

    Default

    You could try putting some sort of insulation around the copper tubing and the stack. It would probably work better. But you have a beautiful sugar shack. That could take away from it if it were done too quickly.
    3X10 Lappiere Cross Flow Raised Flue
    Lappiere 250 Turbo RO
    800 ish taps??? for 2015
    rossellsmaple.com

    MAY THE SAP BE WITH YOU

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