My mains are above the snow, but my 950' transfer line at one bush is buried in many spots. Challenges for sure, but if it was easy and profitable, everyone would do it.
My mains are above the snow, but my 950' transfer line at one bush is buried in many spots. Challenges for sure, but if it was easy and profitable, everyone would do it.
Last edited by maple flats; 03-15-2014 at 06:39 AM.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
Another tough day slogging through the snow finding leaks and digging out mainlines. 1,400 taps on vacuum and 1,000 gravity are giving me a bit of sap today. I should have a couple thousand gals of sap this weekend. Still debating on getting the RO going or just boil. Next week and then some look to be back in the freezer. 33.8 out , almost time to go turn the vac off. Had an outlet in the house melt this afternoon, luckily I stopped in for coffee and caught it. Also did a one legged in a tank of sap this afternoon. Fun job some days sugaring.
Collected only 1200 this weekend. I didn't even put it through the ro, just boiled it down. Sugar was low and syrup dark. Now to finish tapping this week. The snow is now nice and solid and getting through the woods is much easier than last week.
Back to tapping this weekend, and some last week. Still 800 to finish before this weekends sap tsunami. Trying to be positive. http://ulstermagazine.com/liquid-gold.html here's my farm in a local magazine.
That's a great story. Congratulations.
Jeremy
Buffalo Creek Sugar Camp
Somerset County, PA
22000 taps on vacuum and counting
4x14 Leader Max pans oil fired with steam-away, 2-1000gph RO's, 2-4000gph RO's
Been busy bottling, tapping, and making improvements to mainline runs. Trying to get everything out of the snow for this weekend. Another 400 taps and ro to put back together, then I'm all set. Still holding off on buckets till July!
Fantastic story, my kids & I enjoyed reading the story Goodluck
55 gal drum w/ custom made pan fueled by wood
homemade 24x36 electrical pull box w/ custom pan for standby evap
RB-5 RO-Bucket
Started 2011 with 17 taps
2018 72 taps Drop lines in 5 gal water Jugs
Finally finished tapping this week. Sap flow was slow yesterday, but enough to walk tubing and find leaks. Deer, coyotes, porcupines, and squirrels are all getting at the tubing. Hopefully the trees will thaw out and I start getting sap.
Lots of sap today and it's pouring in tonight. Everything is working well and I'm making some maple!
Glad to see someone is getting good sap! ours has been marginal the last few days because we barely got to freezing. It WILL however freeze hard tonight so by friday i should have a nice amount of sap for the weekend. Its going to be a slow season but hopefully steady. I've been on hiatus from the trader for awhile but was thinking of you a few weeks ago when we had all that snow and your hillsides for tapping! must have been pretty strenuous! Glad to see all is well!
Steve
80-100 taps
2x6 patrick phaneuf Evaporator