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Thread: Maplesaint

  1. #71
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool Need Input

    So this is my situation. I am at the point that I make to much syrup to finish on my stove inside my house. What are people using to bottle. I am using a coffee urn now but I make 7 gal a time and my urn is only 2.5 gal. My hand pump filter press will do all 7 gal but I was wondering if those canner, filters tanks with a burner under them work without cooking the syrup more. I’m not big enough for a water jacket quite yet. So let me know what you guys are using and how your doing it. Thanks.
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

  2. #72
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    I use a 16"x16" Leader filter, canner with the burner under it. It has a thermometer on it so that I can heat syrup to the proper temperature for canning without boiling the syrup more. Water jacketed canners are nice but not necessary for the small producer.
    Russ

    "Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!

    1930 Ford Model AA Doodlebug tractor
    A couple of Honda 4 wheelers
    Four chainsaws and no chickens!

  3. #73
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default

    I agree with Russ. It is much more important to hone your techniques than try to improve quality with upscale equipment. A direct heat canner can bruise the syrup right over the heat source when trying to heat up too fast and bottling in glass. Plastic hides all glitches.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  4. #74
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Southern NH
    Posts
    440

    Default

    I do a final filter into a 10 gallon “brew kettle” with a spigot (some have built-in thermometers) and bottle from that. It sits on a dual-burner stand about 3 feet high, which means I sit on a 10 inch stool when I bottle. I like a 1/4 inch tip on the spigot (the default spigot for the “Bayou” brand was too large).

    I raise temp at low flame to avoid making niter.

    I thought about raising the burners higher so I could sit taller (it strains the back to hunch over when bottling with this setup), but lifting 10 gallons to the current height is already pretty difficult.
    Jamie Jones
    2017 - 120 taps, 68G syrup - automated pumping from collection to head tank
    2016 - 118 taps (about half on 3/16"), 60G syrup
    2015 - 115 taps, 58G syrup - new wireless blower switch and remote pump switch from tank to shack
    2014 - 120 taps, 53G syrup - hobby vac
    2013 - 120 taps, 40G syrup - Sunrise Metal 2x6, 12x14 sugarhouse
    2012 - 44 taps, 6G syrup -gravity tube, 4 steam pans on block arch, plastic greenhouse shack - (I'm hooked!)

  5. #75
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Wilton, NH
    Posts
    89

    Default

    Maplesaint - Similar size to you, and was using the same coffee urn method until last season. When I picked up my new 2x4XL from Bill Mason: his 11 gal. propane finisher caught my eye. Purchased the finisher also, and glad we did. Whole new ballgame bringing syrup to final density, with flat pan filtering, out on the deck. When time to bottle, I just carry the finisher pan in and set it on the kitchen gas stove. Quick tweak of burner every now and then from the kitchen stove, to keep at 180-185 for bottling. Been bottling crystal clear syrup all season.
    Bill
    2017 - 3 taps hanging buckets.
    2018 - 32 taps on 5 gal. buckets.
    2019 - New Mason 2x4 XL. 80 taps
    2020 - Barn / Sugarhouse finished. 125 taps. NextGen 1x40 RO
    2021 - 157 taps, 100 on 3/16 tubing w/two Shurflo set-ups, the rest on buckets
    2022 - 225 taps. 175 on 3/16 tubing, rest on buckets.
    2023 - 300 taps. 261 on tubing, 39 on 5 gal. buckets. Four Shurflo 12V set-ups.
    2024 - 340 taps. New SL 2x4 hybrid pan. Added second 1x40 membrane to RO

  6. #76
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool Thanks

    I will have to look into one of the finishers with stand for holding different size bottles. I just need to figure how to set up filter press right out of evaporator. Hopefully with the bigger Shack I will have plenty of room. I bottled the syrup I made this weekend and it was wicked light. Still have another 6 gal to bottle tomorrow. I will probably need to upgrade my hand pump press soon.
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

  7. #77
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool Sad sad day

    Pulled on my buckets today and got another 45 gal of sap. I will run the RO all night and get around 40 gal or concentrate which will give me a couple more gal of deliciousness. Then comes the crappy part of cleaning everything. Gotta get it done so I can finish milling the rest of the lumber for new sugarhouse. I am up to 17gal this year. My goal is to be around 50. Need some more taps and a bigger evaporator. Can’t wait.
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

  8. #78
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool A New Beginning!!

    Where to start, I finally after 4 year have built my new shack!! It started as a 16x16 but it was built 20x24 with a 8x12 RO room. Not bad for cutting and milling all my own lumber. It is not completely done but it will work for this season. I am going to use my halfpint for 1 more year then it will be a complete upgrade year. My halfpint, homemade RO and my hand pump filter press will be up for sale at the end of the year. I ran 140 3/16 taps today and it was running pretty good. I didn’t get them tapped till about 3:30pm. I will be working on cleaning and finishing up setting up evaporator and burner for the season. I will hang about 30 buckets maybe later this week for looks. Also have a nice wood stove installed in shack. Funny how production slows down when there is a warm stove and ice cold beverages. Hope everyone tanks are full this season and I will keep you posted on how my season is going. I look forward to hearing from everyone.
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

  9. #79
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool Better get busy

    Went down to the new little sugar Bush That I tapped this year and had over 250 gal in my tank since Sunday morning. Bought a micro RO 2 so hopefully it does it’s job. The little half pint will have its work cut out for it this weekend. New shack is great and has a lot of room to hangout in. homemade RO for sale. Runs on 240v will do around 125 gal a day and bring sap from 2% to 6%. All new membranes and filters. Message me if you are interested.
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

  10. #80
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool Yep

    Bought a new leader micro 2 and got it pumping at 9%. Bottled another 8 gal tonight so it brings me to around 17 gal for the season. Boiled all day today with friends and family and it couldn’t get any better. New20x24 shack is great. I will be boiling tomorrow to so stop by if you get a chance. When you are teaching a new guy how to load filter press, pay attention , load one paper 4 plates in the wrong way. Pumped hard!!! But teaching new people the process is well worth it!! That god for what Russ calls boiling sodas. Lol
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

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