West Virginia Mapler 2016

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Put in 470 taps Thursday 02/04 before dark and another 235 Friday evening. Sap started running a little on Friday and little more saturday and then increased some on Sunday 02/07. Fixed about all the leaks on saturday and collected 825 gallons today and RO'd down to 120 gallons and boiled it off. Not start was hoping for but able to get all the bugs worked out of everything today and drew off 3 or 4 gallons of light syrup.

No sap weather for next 10 days and praying hard we don't have a repeat of last February. Below zero this weekend but we are getting some snow and hopefully enough to insulate the ground and keep it from freezing as the last couple of weeks had gotten it mostly thawed out on the south side. We have 300+ to put in on the north side probably first of next week.

[Russell Lampron]

I was wondering when you were going to start your 2016 thread and if you had tapped yet. Good luck with the new season.

[Sugarmaker]

Brandon,
Good to hear you are right at it.
Some days the RO sounds like it would be a good thing to have? After two back to back 7 hour boils, Makes you wonder why I don't have one of those too? When I did start up after the second boil the concentrated sap in the pans was 14 %. Made about 7-8 gallons of syrup and it was very consistent during the draw off.
Regards,
Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Been in a sit and wait holding pattern here since February 8th. Finished up the 300 taps on the north side this week and are fully tapped with just over 1,000 taps. Supposed to get up in mid 30's today, 48 tomorrow and in 50's until Monday and then cool back down. Hoping to get a good run this weekend as we are well behind where we should be normally. If it opens up and runs good, it will be hard to keep up with working full time. Been cold last 10 days and -8 saturday morning but the ground isn't froze. We got enough snow on it to keep it from freezing other than a small frozen crust on top. About 6 to 8 inches of dense snow and sleet in woods now with rain coming this weekend. Hoping to get above 100 gallons in February and get about 4 weeks in March.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Boiled 550 late Friday night(02/19) and another 1,050 yesterday afternoon(02/20) and 660 more last night. Ground isn't frozen but trees still haven't woken up good yet it seems. Sap still running some last night and today as it hasn't frozen since Thursday night. Not really any sap weather in sight for next couple weeks according to the forecast. Sugar is low but syrup is great. Kinda of the same temperature pattern we have seen the last 3 season, goes from very cold to very warm in 24 to 48 hours. Can't seem to get the good 20s and 40s temps like we have in years past.

1,710 is most we have processed in a day and we boiled for probably 4 hours total on a 2x8, so that was nice.

[Russell Lampron]

Looks like you are off to a pretty good start. Gotta love that RO! It's a real energy and time saver. Boiling concentrated sap is fun too. The weather here has been finicky too. We didn't get a freeze last night and the vacuum has been pulling in sap since yesterday morning. The next 3 days look to be at or just above freezing with rain and 50* on Thursday. Then it's supposed to get cold again for the weekend. Like you no real sap weather in sight.

[wvsugarshak]

Also forgot to say thanks for the advice on the preheater I think it's working pretty well most times i have checked. it is dumping in sap at 195 degrees thanks

[Super Sapper]

If you run 3/16 run it the whole way. If it is new tubing you do not need the check valve spouts. The second year you can to with a 3/16 by 5/16 fitting added to your drop to use the check valve spouts. You will be glad you went with the 3/16.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Boiled 840 yesterday about 1.35 sugar. Ran down to 100 through RO and took about 1.5 hours to make 12.5 gallons of syrup with startup and shutdown. Left at least 200 to 300 in field and all 4 properties still running in spite of no freeze since Thursday night. That put us over 3gpt without a freeze and hoping to get to 4 or more before it quits. Weather looking better for another run first of next week.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Picked up 835 yesterday and boiled it off. Sugar down to about 1.2 to 1.3 but still making light to medium syrup. 460 taps on 2 adjacent properties on the south quit running but other 235 on the other south property and 300+ on north still running today which is day # 6 since freeze. Hoping to get maybe 500 gallons more sap before it quits running. So far over 4 gpt on this run since freeze. Supposed to get colder tonight and hoping for another run starting Sunday. We are about 25% of what we are hoping as a minimum crop in a bad season 4760 sap and 75+ gallons of syrup so far. Will keep praying weather will hold out for another 4 to 5 weeks, been strange weather the last 4 months.