Sweet and Sour Dill 2011

[Dill]

Yes I walked it yesterday and put rubber patches over the holes, I might have missed one. Headed out at 2 to check again.

[Dill]

Well, I got 50 gallons or so out of the tank. 20 gallons of which actually made it into the truck, the rest sprayed wildly at the end of the hose and washed the truck, the buildings etc.
The property just doesn't have the pitch I need so I just made the jump to Vac.
Found an SP11 in barn where I do hay. The old guy wants to hang onto "just in case I get more cows", he's 83 and hasn't had cows since 1988, but you know just in case.
Anyway he's lending it to me for the season. Just ordered up a Hobby releaser.

[red maples]

you will see the difference as soon as you hook it up!!!! and you will fall in love with it. When you see that releaser dump again and again and you see sap flow into the manifold. I just set up a chair there for about an hour and just watch it flow in.

1 thing with that hobby. make sure you rinse the float shaft at the release button that goes through the top cover with water everyday, take the cover off and turn it upside down and poor water through it. Make sure the thing is perfectly level or it can stick and back up. other than that its great little releaser. as long as you do these things it won't back up. you will see what I mean as soon as you see it. the sap will get on that little shaft and stick.

have fun!!!

[Dill]

Well it turns out not to be an Sp-11, its an Sp-2, much the same but made in the 30s. So I'm not actually embracing modern tech this way. Just waiting for the releaser, thank you weather gods for giving us a hard freeze up to wait for the bugs to get worked out.

[Dill]

Today turned into one of those days. I know I bought 100 stubbies from Maple guys thursday but try as I might they are not in the car or the truck or the house. Probably left them on top of the car and lost them in Lydenbourgh. So I still have sap running onto the ground.
Josh came over and got most of the realeaser set up. I have to make another Lowe's run in the morning and get more fittings. That's where I lose money more and more fittings.

[tuckermtn]

... I have to make another Lowe's run in the morning and get more fittings. That's where I lose money more and more fittings.

I hear you on that- I have a bin that must have 40 PVC fittings and 50 pipe fittings- but I never seem to have the one I need to finish the set up...

[red maples]

Same here you can plan all you want!!! I have lots of fitinngs my self but always miss count the one I need!!!

[Dill]

Seriously I'm headed to Lowes again tomorrow. Buy stock in PVC and hose clamps folks cause I bet there is 100 bucks of stuff between the releaser and the pump. Everything is almost set, except the t for the regulator came stripped and it was the only part I didn't get 2 of, and I have to find a bigger chunk of hose to connect the pump up.
Got 75 D&G spouts swapped for stubbies really fun in waist deep snow with frozen lines but to see 5/16 lines in 5 inches of frozen sap and none in the tanks was worse. BTW who decided stubbies needed round heads? A square one would be so much better. I lost probably 10 that went flying out of the tool.

[Dill]

Im now offically as of 10 this morning sucking trees. Only got 5inches so far but that's better than nothing. One side of the mainline is running so I was able to find leaks. Mostly just old holes. A liberal application of elec tape cured them. The other line is froze up solid. Pulling zero but no hissing either.

[SSFLLC]

Hi Dill, Sounds like where going to finally get some sap. Turned the pump on at 2:00 myself. It seems to picking up. I've got 23 at the pump and heading down to see whats at the releaser. Than walk for leaks. Hope you have a good day. Keith