Day 15 the sap is 1.3 and cloudy to the point that we have to change the filters to rinse the TO but it's staying in the pan and going through the press. Tomorrow?
Day 15 the sap is 1.3 and cloudy to the point that we have to change the filters to rinse the TO but it's staying in the pan and going through the press. Tomorrow?
3,100 taps
60 cfm flood
HC2
5 by 14 oil
Brian
Ran the last raw sap in yesterday. Getting pretty rank so we pulled the plug. Brian, looks like the forecast has a couple more freezes for you later this week if you can hang on. Good luck!
Day 16. Turned the pump off (somewhere a fat lady is singing) we will try and chase with water tomorrow to top off a barrel and then put the RO to bed.
3,100 taps
60 cfm flood
HC2
5 by 14 oil
Brian
It's taken three days to wash the tanks and all those buckets. The pans are full of water and vinegar for a while to loosen the mineral deposit. I'm gonna pull everything out of the evaporator room and scrub floors next warm day we get. Time for firewood!
Consider an RO to 8 percent and use 1/4 the wood. Perhaps it would fit well with your recent growth?
3,100 taps
60 cfm flood
HC2
5 by 14 oil
Brian
I've considered it, but it comes down to who I want to work for... If I buy an RO, I spend all my profit for the next year to make that manufacturer rich, but not me. If I hire the kid down the street to help out, I make a local teenager rich. My wood costs me very little and I don't get paid for my time no matter which way I go, so maybe I should spend my money down the street and pass on the craft to the next generation.
Understood, that's why we stayed with buckets as long as we did, but (with apologies to Mr Young) there comes a time.......
3,100 taps
60 cfm flood
HC2
5 by 14 oil
Brian
We had our best season ever with .41 gallons per tap, all with gravity tubing and buckets. We made 267 gallons when our previous high was 192. The 3/16" tubing carried us as the 280 buckets were marginal on many days. Tapped about 2/20 with first boil a couple of days later and last boil was 4/8. Almost all syrup was amber, running the full range of almost golden to almost dark, until the last 2 days when it got dark. I think that the icebergs in the tanks kept the sap really fresh through the season even though they were a hassle to deal with. Sold 9000+ gallons of sap too.
Ian
New sugarhouse fall '06. 3x8 drop flue by Phaneuf. Kubota L2800. 260 buckets for 2012. 504 taps for 2013. 320 buckets, 207 on 5/16" and 200 on 3/16" gravity tubing for 2014. 2017: 280 buckets, 920 on 3/16" tubing, selling sap from 560 of that. Son Gavin is in 3rd successful year of selling maple equipment as MacK Maple Supply.
yes was not that good this year.Originally Posted by georgelineman
George
Well, here we are again. The 2018 season is about to begin and as always there is the weather watching and wondering when it all begins. It was 40 degrees last night,(Feb 14th) and we'll see a warmish day again today with rain predicted, so that may just wake the trees. I have been in the sugarhouse all week installing some new equipment and getting everything ready. Who's tapping and who's waiting?
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