My evap is 2 x 3.5'. I've pushed it as far as I can with rates in the 18gph range when I am really cranking. Next year i'll probably go to 2 x 5 and use arch board and some new super low profile insulation.
sam
My evap is 2 x 3.5'. I've pushed it as far as I can with rates in the 18gph range when I am really cranking. Next year i'll probably go to 2 x 5 and use arch board and some new super low profile insulation.
sam
do you have air over and under? that seems a phenomenal rate to me....I thought I was doing good when I was getting 10-12 (now Im about 8 with the niter build up).
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
Just air under. I jumped up to a bigger blower this weekend and it helped out a ton. I absolutely tearing through wood though. I also think that burning pallets helps, as the wood is a decent mix of soft and had, very dry, and shaped well burning.
When I have a decent boil I cannot see into the pans because of the steam.
Sam
how much more CFM? I gotta think the act of cutting up pallets is very time consuming, just COLLECTING them.
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
this week will probably be it for me
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
I just ask the guys in the shop to put pallets aside for me instead of in the dumpster. I skip pallets that have big spaces between slats as the yield is very low. To cut them I take the splitter, fence, blAde guard etc.. off of a crappy table saw and just slide it through on either side of the stringers. Then I cut the the stringers with my HF chop saw. Much faster than the years I cut them with a circular saw.
I'm done after this week as well. Sugaring wears me out.
Sam
so I patched up the firebrick with more refractory, cured and fired it, rejiggered my AUF to use an old gutter elbow vs the 90 PVC which wasn't standing up to the heat from the door, and cleaned the pan. Finished just under 2 gallons last night, with 5 gallons of concentrate and maybe 50 gallons of sap that I will finish boiling today and that will be that for 2015.
Lessons learned:
Stop Underwooding!!
take off at 219 on the therm vs 217
not every maple needs to be tapped
I should have about 370 gallons collected, with 7-8 gallons of syrup.
Next season's goals.....3/16 gravity system on The Hill, a new pallet woodshed/windbreak chock fill of hardwood, and a methodology of sap hauling with a craftsman tractor
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
Well, that's pretty much a wrap around here. I'm not quote sure on numbers, but, it looks like I've bottled up about 6.5 gallons and another 1 - 1.5 gallons once I finish off this last batch tonight or tomorrow.
I am starting to collect wood now to build a shack in the offseason. I want to start doing this inside so I can go boil for a few hours every few nights instead of standing in front of an arch for 14 hours once a week. We get a number of 8' pallets with dimensional 2x4 runners, so those will be my framing and I may use pallets, or at least pallet board for my sheathing. In my town you can built an out building under 200 sqft without a permit so this should not be a big deal. I will pour a small slab for the arch to sit on.
I am also planning to build a new arch that will go from 2 x 3.5 to 2x5 or so with a flue pan and syrup pan. I think I have learned enough from arch 1.0 that I can build something that will give me similar performance to a commercial rig. Now I just need to see if i can weld well enough to build my own pan.
sam
all done in westfield shut pumps down yesterday and boiled off the last 300+ gals of buddie sap another great season
2x6 leader WSE with AUF, hood,preheater
waterguy RO
leader 16 gal custom water jacketed canner
10 in short stack wes fab filter press
540 taps on tubing with vac & always adding
2- benders running 25" hg from GAST vac pumps
few stainless bulk tanks
1978 chevy 1 ton 4x4 dually
IH T340 dozer with 6-way blade
Well, it's the 2016 wood-gathering season and the sugar shack calls to me as I load up my new woodshed. I had to re-mortar the firebricks (AGAIN) and I added another layer to the wall to make less space under the back of the pan. While doingthat I discovered my stove had settled enough to throw the leveling off so I need to re-level again. I don't have a lot of room to work under the stack and I'm wondering if it's just simpler to level the top of the stove so the pan sits level. Some welding needs to be done as some of the top seams are opening up and hopefully that's done next weekend. I also want to weld some flat strips on the edge of the door to seal the door seam. I may also add some archboard to the inside of the door but I'm worried my logs will destroy it when I close the door.
This year I'm laying two lengths of 3/16 tubing down the hill and feed them into a 55 gallon barrel I will outfit with a spigot. From there I will run a length of PVC pipe to my driveway where it will dump into a 35 gallon holding tank I'm carrying in my trailer and use my tractor to haul it up the driveway. I'm getting too **** old to hump 5 gallon buckets up that hill.
I figure to load the tractor tires with a saltwater mix for ballast and add some tire chains. Hopefully that will be enough and I won't need to buy a used ATV.
That's this years improvement, at any rate.
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO