Maplesaint

[MapleSaint]

Looking for a small sugarbush around the Deerfield area. Let me know if you can help me out. Thanks

[MapleSaint]

I guess I will start by saying that doing the backyard thing is not that bad. But I got bit by the bug. Trying to finish the sugarhouse and get the new equipment setup and look for more taps and work storm duty because of the wind is quite interesting. And add family time with a 3 1/2 year old. Oh boy!!!! Sap is running so slow here it is making me second guess all my up grades. I tapped 2 weeks before now last year and had over 10 gal or so in the bank. This year I have 3. Booooo!! So I got everything in sugarhouse as good as it is going to get this year and fired the new rig up on Sunday. Caught one foam up in flue pan and missed on another one that came out the hood doors a touch. Wiped it down with hot water and she is good. What do people use to clean even better on the outside? Stainless cleaner? How do you catch a foam up with a hood? Keep opening door? I ran raw sap for a few hours so I could play with all the gadgets then I started the RO. 1% to 3%. Everything was going good until clean up. Did not finish drain outside sugarhouse so garden hoses out the side door it is. What do people do with cleaning pans. Every time? Every other time. Just soak and a scrub. Got it all done around seven but it was a lot of work. Hopefully sap picks up and I can get another crack at it this weekend. I’m sure it will get easier with some practice. Good luck every one.

[Pdiamond]

I use nothing but hot water to clean my syrup pan until the end of the season. then I will use a hot water and white vinegar mixture and a really good rinse afterward,

[Russell Lampron]

It's good to see that you're back on the trader. The sap will run when it's ready and you'll get plenty. You've got 3 gallons so far and I've got zero so far. Good luck with the rest of the season!

[Russell Lampron]

I only use hot water to clean the outside of the evaporator during the season. You should be able to make close to 100 gallons of syrup before you need to clean the inside of the front pan. That will depend on nitre build up and you may need to clean it more often.

[eustis22]

The outside? I use the water + vinegar to get rid of the niter buildup. You're saying hot water alone will do that?

[Russell Lampron]

The outside? I use the water + vinegar to get rid of the niter buildup. You're saying hot water alone will do that?

If you're asking me I wasn't very clear on that. For nitre build up I use white vinegar and water. A lot of the large producers use only permeate from their RO's to clean the nitre build up.

[eustis22]

ok, thanks for the clarification

[Russell Lampron]

Maplesaint, did you find an answer to your bottling question? If not post a new thread in the bottling forum and see if you can get an answer there.

[MapleSaint]

Russ I have not figured it out yet. I am wondering if is the foam that the filter press makes when it spits it into the bottling unit. I bottled 8.5 gal on Tuesday with no issues. I am going to have to do something else like put a burner under my draw off tank. When I get three or so gal I will have to heat it up to press it. And repeat every couple gal so that the syrup it hot enough to filter. Unless anyone has better ideas. I guess I will not make enough, fast enough to filter it right off the evaporator until I upgrade my RO when I find more taps.