Sap is flowing!
I picked up about 180 gals this afternoon and will be running again in the morning. This week is looking to be a real good one.
Sap is flowing!
I picked up about 180 gals this afternoon and will be running again in the morning. This week is looking to be a real good one.
1st Generation Hobby Maple Producer, you got to start somewhere.
222 Taps, all on Vacuum! No more buckets.
Lapierre 2'x5' raised flue w/Hood and Preheater
Surge SP11, Lapierre Hobby Releaser
Modified 5" Filter Press made by Daryl with a Gear Pump
Homemade 2 membrane RO
Kabota RTV Sap Hauler
Hardy's Maple Syrup on Facebook
We are going to start tapping this morning. I would like to get half of them tapped today, The snow is a couple fee deep and looks like we are going to have to wallow through it if we are going to try to get this first run. We don't have any snow shoes. Over the weekend I cut in the 30 collection locations along the road most had 4 feet of crusty packed snow. Sap should stay nice and cool setting in the snow. Sugarhouse is closer to being ready with all of the tractors out of the way. Checked the evaporator and the frost has moved it a little but should be OK to boil on. (About 1/4 inch lower on the left side.)
Also digging out of the sap tanks and wood carts. Just cant remember a start where we have had this much snow on the ground!
Good luck to everyone.
Boyd, sounds like you are off to a great start.
Regards,
Chris
Casbohm Maple and Honey
625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
12" SIRO Filter Press.
2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
Too many Cub Cadets
Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck
www.mapleandhoney.com
We're tapped and running. Only about 25 gal. of sap yesterday on the vacuum lines. I let that all dump on the ground. Vacuum level is great and I didn't have any major leaks. 3/16 is running a little also. I was cutting trees for firewood yesterday. We still have up to 20" of snow. I noticed that the bottom of the trunks were covered in ice near the ground. I imagine the trunks are still frozen down there and causing very little sap flow. I expect today to be better but probably won't have enough to boil until Tuesday.
136 on high vacuum for 2019
A&A 2X8, raised flue evaporator
hood, parallel flow pre heater and air over fire
12X28 sugar shack
The sap is flowing slowly here in West Central PA (DuBois area).
WP_20150309_13_40_51_Pro[1].jpg
Just finished tapping, all taps 580+ in place thanks to friend I used to work with. Gerry followed me drilling and set the taps. With the snow we tapped at about 100 taps per hour. I was glad to get them in as the weather looks favorable for the next few days. We may have sap to gather on Wednesday.
Gary,
You should be boiling tomorrow.
Regards,
Chris
Last edited by Sugarmaker; 03-10-2015 at 06:57 AM.
Casbohm Maple and Honey
625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
12" SIRO Filter Press.
2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
Too many Cub Cadets
Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck
www.mapleandhoney.com
Got another 100 goals this morning and ran it thru the RO.
Working on boiling it right now. About 280 galls of sap and I'll be done in about 3 hours.
I love my RO.
1st Generation Hobby Maple Producer, you got to start somewhere.
222 Taps, all on Vacuum! No more buckets.
Lapierre 2'x5' raised flue w/Hood and Preheater
Surge SP11, Lapierre Hobby Releaser
Modified 5" Filter Press made by Daryl with a Gear Pump
Homemade 2 membrane RO
Kabota RTV Sap Hauler
Hardy's Maple Syrup on Facebook
Finally started yesterday with 600 gal of sap. Latest start ever.
Andy's Own Maple
Andy Kinter (4th + generation maple producer)
Approx 790 taps on vacuum
3x10 nat. gas fired raised flue small bros.
600 gph Lapierre RO
Fine collection of used bulk tanks
Kubota MX5100 sap hauler
2 hives (that I don't spend enough time on)
A great family that works together to make syrup!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Andys...27718203945398
http://photobucket.com/mapleack
So i'm still a relative newbie... how long do you guys think the sap will run this year? seems like the season may almost be cut in half!
Andy,
Good to hear your right at it! Should have a run every day for a while.
Dennis,
Sounds like the R.O. is reducing boiling time a bunch!
Regards,
Chris
Casbohm Maple and Honey
625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
12" SIRO Filter Press.
2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
Too many Cub Cadets
Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck
www.mapleandhoney.com
Had 25 inches of vac on both bushes yesterday NO SAP ! still 25+ inches of snow in the woods
Jim
Maple consultant for 50 years