Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[GeneralStark]

The slide to the finish has started here....sugar down to about 1.6 from 1.9 this weekend. Sap is still running pretty well and I have pulled in over 2 gpt since Sunday afternoon. Running RO to make space in tanks and will boil tomorrow. At .33 gpt for syrup and will hopefully go over my usual .4 this week...

[Tucker08]

Are you seeing buds on the sugar maples? I am hoping we will go to the 20th up here at the border. Sap should run well today and I am still at 2%.

Spud

Seeing swollen buds on the sugar maples and the red maples are very large. Last boil tonight. Should be some real, real dark stuff coming off!

As Dr Tim pointed to, those 70+ degree days with hot sun early really moved things along for us.

Couple that with the drought over the last two years / two mild winters and sugar content was really poor as well.



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[steve J]

I think I am done last two days I have had to boil a lot for little syrup clearly the sugar content must have dropped. Been sos so year!

[MJPJ Sugars]

Looking for a little advice, if anybody is kindly inclined.

I'm at 30 taps now -- running a mid 80's half-pint/2x4 arch -- an old converted barrel arch with a 4-chamber pan. Certainly a nice step-up from the turkey frier we used our first year (this is our 2nd year with the arch).

If I'm burning my arm hairs and eyebrows, I can evaporate 6 gallons an hour. But on average from striking the match until we draw-off the last 2 gallons (to finish in the house), we're maxed at 5 gallons an hour. So a few decent runs, 50-60 gallons of sap, and I'm 12 hours in the shack and and hour or two on the stove.

AND WE LOVE EVERY MINUTE!

But I think we'd like it more if I can get to 10 gallons an hour.

I see the new Leader Half-Pints with a Pan & Warmer for like $1200... cheap. Nice thing about the new stuff is that it comes pre-made to strap-on a blower. I spent $400 for a fantastic under-sink RO for our drinking water.... sure conjures thoughts for another in the garage for a few hundred gallons of sap per year.

How do I get to processing 10 gallons per hour on a Half-Pint/2x4 size allocation?

Thanks!!!!

JQ

[handtapper]

others might disagree with me but I dont think you will ever get over a honest 8gph on a half pint. That is pushing it full throttle with all of the variables titled in your favor (sap temp, humidity, good wood, blower etc etc). I think you need a small evaporator with a flue pan to reduce time.

[PARKER MAPLE]

others might disagree with me but I dont think you will ever get over a honest 8gph on a half pint. That is pushing it full throttle with all of the variables titled in your favor (sap temp, humidity, good wood, blower etc etc). I think you need a small evaporator with a flue pan to reduce time.

I Agee 100%
Then flowed by a RO then a bigger evap and more trees, 😀 You know how it goes 👍😄

[spud]

Sap ran a little all night and the temps went down to 33 for a short while. I have 2800 gallons in the tank. I'm hoping a large portion of the woods froze a little last night so I can get a good run today. I know thats wishful thinking.

Spud

[DrTimPerkins]

Only about 70-75 gal of syrup yesterday. Looking like about the same ran overnight....tanks a little under half full. Forecast for early next week doesn't look favorable.

[rhwells2003]

going on 2.3gpt in the last 48 hours. Looks like a possible freeze up tonight, Friday, and Saturday. Monday and Tuesday are a bit scary but if we can make it to Thursday theres the chance for a couple more freeze ups . . . . . . wishful thinking? I've passed my 20gpt yearly goal, now I'm getting greedy.

[berkshires]

Looking for a little advice, if anybody is kindly inclined.

I'm at 30 taps now -- running a mid 80's half-pint/2x4 arch -- an old converted barrel arch with a 4-chamber pan. Certainly a nice step-up from the turkey frier we used our first year (this is our 2nd year with the arch).

If I'm burning my arm hairs and eyebrows, I can evaporate 6 gallons an hour. But on average from striking the match until we draw-off the last 2 gallons (to finish in the house), we're maxed at 5 gallons an hour. So a few decent runs, 50-60 gallons of sap, and I'm 12 hours in the shack and and hour or two on the stove.

AND WE LOVE EVERY MINUTE!

But I think we'd like it more if I can get to 10 gallons an hour.

I see the new Leader Half-Pints with a Pan & Warmer for like $1200... cheap. Nice thing about the new stuff is that it comes pre-made to strap-on a blower. I spent $400 for a fantastic under-sink RO for our drinking water.... sure conjures thoughts for another in the garage for a few hundred gallons of sap per year.

How do I get to processing 10 gallons per hour on a Half-Pint/2x4 size allocation?

Thanks!!!!

JQ

Assuming you don't upgrade the arch, two thoughts:

1 - I think even a very basic RO would get you to 10 gph. This guy sells a compact unit for $350-$450 that he says will process 5-10 gph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9JTHuGjxDo
2 - Drop tubes. You said you had "a 4-chamber pan". I'm assuming you're running a flat pan with dividers? I dunno if you want to risk messing up your dividers by adding drop tubes, but this would be a cheap solution you could do on say two or three of the four sections, and might get you from 5 up to 8 gph.

If you did both, it might get you to 15! Cut your sap in half with the RO and then get 7.5 gph with drop tubes. For a big run you might have to run the RO overnight to keep up, but I imagine that wouldn't be too big a problem, so long as you have a way to keep the sap from freezing. Unlike the arch, I guess the RO doesn't require tending.

Good luck!

Gabe