Maplesaint

[Russell Lampron]

I'm glad your season is off to a good start. I have a heated RO room with a boiling soda fridge which serves the purpose quite well. I even have a bottle of Disorrono in the freezer and 2 oz sample cups for doing shots. Life is good!

[4 Paws Sugar Shack]

Ahh disaronno with a splash of lemon and fresh syrup is amazing. You have good taste Russ

[MapleSaint]

Here in Deerfield we are chugging along. All my syrup has been a little darker than it should be. Got the micro 2 to run just over 10% but only going through about 3/4 gpm but when you have a half pint that’s all you need. I boiled tonight and made another 7 +/- gal and I will bottle it tomorrow. The little hand pump filter press has all it can do to put 7 gal through it, hopefully it will stay strong and get me through the year. I’m almost at 30 gal so far so it will be a record year. In need of some upgrades but will fight through this year. Buds still look good here but forecast does not look promising past next Monday but weather men are none to be wrong. I can’t wait to try a disaronno and Lemmon.

[MapleSaint]

Everything about this year has been perfect except for this virus. New sugarhouse is awesome, more taps then ever, the weather and the 48 gal of syrup I have made with another 8 ready to be filtered and bottled. I am way over my goals that I had planned. Now without a maple weekend I have a ton to sell. Looking to upgrade every piece of equipment I own so I will be posting some classifieds later this month. Had a syrup shower the other day when my filter press diaphragm blew out. I think I am trying to press a little to much through the old hand pump 5 1/4”. Without any visitors this weekend me and the family got the half pint cooking and worked on building a 24 by 12 lean-too of the sugar shack. It looks great and will be a great addition for storage and space. What is people thoughts on brand and size filter press for 50 to 100 gal a syrup a year. And I have been looking for opinions on 2by6 or 2by8 oil fired evaporators. Please share thoughts and ideas. Was hopping to go up to the maple fest but that is canceled too. **** you covid-19.

[Russell Lampron]

Glad to see that you had a good season. When I saw you at Sunnyside a couple of weeks ago I should have invited you to stop at my place when you were on your way home. You could see what I've got and get some ideas.

I had a hand pump Wes Fab 7" short stack filter press that I had put an air pump on. It worked good at lower pressures but because it was designed for a hand pump it had problems when the pressure got too high. I sold that and upgraded to a Wes Fab 7" full stack filter press with an air pump on it. I love it! A Wes Fab short stack 7" filter press with an air pump would be perfect for you. Don't get one with a gear pump on it unless you get a super good deal on a used one.

[MapleSaint]

Thanks Russ. Maybe when this **** world gets straightened back out I will take a ride up. I was hopping to get a bunch of ideas for my sugar house this year because I need a total upgrade on just about everything. I have around 80 gal of concentrate to boil today and I had the Micro 2 pumping at almost 12% so I should get another 5 or 6 gal of syrup. I am up to 52.5 bottled and another 4 now ready to be filtered. Little hand pump is not working as easy as it does earlier in season. I can push about 2.5 gal through it before I have to break it down and put new paper in it. I have tried everything. Plates are not full with DE but the diaphragm is holding on for dear life. I have emailed all the major companies about 2by6 oil fired evaporators and only 2 have got back to me. I have been looking for some pictures and specs on them so I can make some decisions on one before the spring sales. Does anyone know how far the base stack from a oil fired has to be away from wood if I put a piece of metal on wood spaced off the wall and inch for air? Let me know. Thanks.

[Father & Son]

Maplesaint,
This was my first year with a Leader 2x8 oil arch. The back of my arch is probably 4” from the wall. You can touch the back of the arch when boiling. The stack temp is to be in the 650-750 degree range. I stood 2 pieces of Leader arch board between the stack and the wall and the wall was cool behind the arch board and just barely warm above it. You can see the white arch board behind the evaporator.
FAEFDEF1-DA80-4DC8-A335-FFC4BF75A2B5.jpg12BA00AC-8072-4BD8-9CC1-1E70EA7D67F4.jpg

[Russell Lampron]

Call the Deerfield fire department and ask them what the minimum space should be. They won't specifically know about an oil fired evaporator but they do have a minimum space requirement for putting a heat source near a combustible surface.

[MapleSaint]

Thanks father and son! It was great to see the pictures. If anyone else has any input on 2by6 or 8 oils evaporators please chime in and send some pictures. I have to order one within the next Month or so. Send some measurements from walls on all sides and pictures if you can. Looking a CDL deluxe because it is a 4 4k cheaper then leader with a revolution style pan because I want to draw off same side. CDL said the cross flow as long as you clean your pans regularly. Will probably have to buy an extra syrup pan for it. Let me know thanks.

[chuck]

I have a 2x6 oil fired with a Max Flow back pan and a Revolution style front pan. Typically run 10-14% through it. While a back up syrup pan is great, it may not be necessary expense right off. The last couple of seasons I have be draining my front pan after every boil and flooding it with permeate. Then, before the next boil I drain and wipe out; little to no scrubbing needed! Works great and I haven't had to switch out pans. I know it adds a bit of time; takes me about 20-30 min to do pan and the 2 float boxes but the results are great. Just a thought.