Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[spud]

Glad to hear your done. What a feeling that is. Good luck with the season.

Spud

[drewlamb]

Finished tapping today. Started December 29th. About 14,500 for this year

Wow. A real accomplishment with that many. Interested to know how you split up the labor. How many helpers? What roles does everyone have? Do you work in teams?

[spud]

Looks like Wednesday we could see a little sap. I had to replace some parts on my releaser so it would be nice to test it before the main sugaring comes in about a month or so.

Spud

[blissville maples]

Well drilled my last 300 of 3300 taps today, can't wait for this coming weeks warmup. Holes loosened up some today, maybe see a small amount of sap tomorrow. Ready now, first year I've ever been ready prior to first February run!!

[spud]

Now the weather man/women is saying there will be 4 days in the 40s in the next ten days. We also have rain coming so that will help melt a bunch of snow. Southern Vermont could get some real nice runs.

Spud

[GeneralStark]

I should be done tapping today or tomorrow. The trees just started to thaw on saturday but then it froze up again. Had a little bit of sap come in last night as well when it finally warmed up but looks too cold for the next couple days. Looks like it may warm up a bit later this week though...

[billyinvt]

Time to put it in gear. Weather forecast is starting to look like we'll be boiling by early next week.

[tcross]

Tapping Saturday with hopes of being able to flush the lines out Sunday/Monday and have a boil mid week this week! temps look good if they stay as predicted.

[spud]

Will be starting pumps in an hour. I hope we can get some sap today. Yesterday was a bust and not much sap came in. I replaced my float in my big manual releaser. Yesterday after the sap would dump my float would not drop back down into place. That was causing a loss of vacuum to my woods. I sprayed silicone spray on the rod and where the rod slides through the white bushing and that seemed to fix the problem. Now i'm afraid to leave the releaser in fear it will stick again. Has anyone had this problem? I cleaned the rod and all the releaser when I changed the float. Thanks

Spud

[Parker]

Not sure what make releaser you have but with the lapierre singel barrel releasers there is a swinging plate that the float rod hooks into that has a spring hooked to it that slides aginst another plate with the air ports in it.......if those plates ars not luricated or that spring is set too tight or the bolt that holds the plates together is too tight the float wont drop back all the way down.....
Also if you use a lubricant that is stiff when its cold it will gum up the works
Good luck with it