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Thread: Getting ready

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Wantage, NJ
    Posts
    158

    Default

    Was thinking of cleaning up the sugar shack and evap today or tomorrow in the warmer weather but my buddy , who brought his daugther back to college this weekend decided to continue heading south to Key West for the week. Oh well. This weekend I have line repairs to do. Flushed the lines last Sunday and found about a dozen spots the animals got to the lines.
    Dave C.
    2011 - 130 Taps
    2017 - 300 Taps (all gravity)
    2x8 Leader Revolution Evaporator
    12x18 Sugarhouse
    2021 - 350 taps
    Leader Micro2 RO
    Leader Clear Filter press
    2023 - 390 Taps

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Hunterdon Cty, NJ
    Posts
    78

    Cool Replaced spouts and tapped 72 today

    To try out the rebuilt vacuum system. Couple of small leaks discovered. Trees were giving up some sap this afternoon, but nothing major. Let's see what happens as we get into the weekend. Need to repair leaks and tap another 20 tomorrow, plus hook the new mini mainline to the system.

    Could be cooking this weekend. Let the season commence!!!

    John
    John

    All red maples:
    2013/4 - A few taps and propane burner
    2015 - 54 taps on bags and buckets, 2x3 Mason evaporator - 3.5 gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2016 - 72 taps on home-built vacuum/mainline system, home built RO (2 - 2.5 x 21 membranes) - 9+ gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2017 - 91 taps upgrade to RO (single 4 x 40 membrane) - 13 gallons syrup
    2018 - 91 taps - 12 gallons syrup
    2022 - Back after 3 years off, 106 taps on vacuum - 29+ gallons syrup

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    197

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by John-NJ View Post
    To try out the rebuilt vacuum system. Couple of small leaks discovered. Trees were giving up some sap this afternoon, but nothing major. Let's see what happens as we get into the weekend. Need to repair leaks and tap another 20 tomorrow, plus hook the new mini mainline to the system.

    Could be cooking this weekend. Let the season commence!!!

    John
    What's your vacuum system?
    _____________________________________________
    2020-Leader Micro2 RO added, 210 taps
    2019-165 taps ,24 gallons syrup made.
    2017-crazy weather. 18 gallons
    2010-1st year,30 taps on buckets ,concrete block and 4 stainless pans

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Hunterdon Cty, NJ
    Posts
    78

    Default Vacuum System

    I built my own vacuum system using a Gast vacuum pump and a water pump. Homebrew electric releaser, trap, etc. Works well, last year measured 26 inches of vacuum at the far end of the mainline, and really boosted the yield per tap. This year I took it all apart to make it a bit more compact, and built a small structure around it to keep everything dry. I can heat the hut to keep temp above freezing, so that various valves do not freeze up on cold nights.

    This year I have added another 20 taps on a short mainline, that I am going to connect up today.

    If you are interested, I can send pictures.

    Regards
    John
    John

    All red maples:
    2013/4 - A few taps and propane burner
    2015 - 54 taps on bags and buckets, 2x3 Mason evaporator - 3.5 gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2016 - 72 taps on home-built vacuum/mainline system, home built RO (2 - 2.5 x 21 membranes) - 9+ gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2017 - 91 taps upgrade to RO (single 4 x 40 membrane) - 13 gallons syrup
    2018 - 91 taps - 12 gallons syrup
    2022 - Back after 3 years off, 106 taps on vacuum - 29+ gallons syrup

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    197

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by John-NJ View Post
    I built my own vacuum system using a Gast vacuum pump and a water pump. Homebrew electric releaser, trap, etc. Works well, last year measured 26 inches of vacuum at the far end of the mainline, and really boosted the yield per tap. This year I took it all apart to make it a bit more compact, and built a small structure around it to keep everything dry. I can heat the hut to keep temp above freezing, so that various valves do not freeze up on cold nights.

    This year I have added another 20 taps on a short mainline, that I am going to connect up today.

    If you are interested, I can send pictures.

    Regards
    John
    Yes , some pics would be great. I tap about 175 trees but have a large flat area that sap collection takes too long so a vac line would give me another 25-40 trees. I see a lot of low budget $100 shurflo pumps . Your homemade RO would be my next thing . Thanks for info
    _____________________________________________
    2020-Leader Micro2 RO added, 210 taps
    2019-165 taps ,24 gallons syrup made.
    2017-crazy weather. 18 gallons
    2010-1st year,30 taps on buckets ,concrete block and 4 stainless pans

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Hunterdon Cty, NJ
    Posts
    78

    Default Vacuum System

    IMG_0913.jpgIMG_0915.jpgIMG_0919.jpgIMG_0920.jpg


    Here are some pictures of the vacuum system/sap hut.

    If you want to discuss, we can do that off list or in another thread, since this thread is about tapping

    Cheers
    John

    All red maples:
    2013/4 - A few taps and propane burner
    2015 - 54 taps on bags and buckets, 2x3 Mason evaporator - 3.5 gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2016 - 72 taps on home-built vacuum/mainline system, home built RO (2 - 2.5 x 21 membranes) - 9+ gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2017 - 91 taps upgrade to RO (single 4 x 40 membrane) - 13 gallons syrup
    2018 - 91 taps - 12 gallons syrup
    2022 - Back after 3 years off, 106 taps on vacuum - 29+ gallons syrup

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Hunterdon Cty, NJ
    Posts
    78

    Default Finished tapping today

    Finished tapping today, things were running under vacuum, but not strongly. I used the 8-10 gallons collected this afternoon to do a final washout of everything. Gonna collect for processing starting tomorrow.

    Regards
    John

    All red maples:
    2013/4 - A few taps and propane burner
    2015 - 54 taps on bags and buckets, 2x3 Mason evaporator - 3.5 gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2016 - 72 taps on home-built vacuum/mainline system, home built RO (2 - 2.5 x 21 membranes) - 9+ gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2017 - 91 taps upgrade to RO (single 4 x 40 membrane) - 13 gallons syrup
    2018 - 91 taps - 12 gallons syrup
    2022 - Back after 3 years off, 106 taps on vacuum - 29+ gallons syrup

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    197

    Default

    Good luck and thanks for info. I'm looking at tapping maybe next weekend. Mini cold snap hopefully will help us.
    _____________________________________________
    2020-Leader Micro2 RO added, 210 taps
    2019-165 taps ,24 gallons syrup made.
    2017-crazy weather. 18 gallons
    2010-1st year,30 taps on buckets ,concrete block and 4 stainless pans

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    north west new jarsey
    Posts
    613

    Default

    Think I will wait till we have this week of cold also busy this weekend has something to do with not tapping yet. Keep us posted how things are running or not.
    2021 95 taps all on 3/16' natural gravity 2018 home built 4x40 RO 2017 1000 sap 15gal syrup 4 runs of 3/16 natural vac 1 of 5/16 2016 775gal of sap made 12gal syrup 2015 18.5 gal about 55 taps. Have the best wife! cub cadet volunteer 4x4 sap hauler

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Hunterdon Cty, NJ
    Posts
    78

    Default It's running here

    Quote Originally Posted by 5050racing View Post
    Think I will wait till we have this week of cold also busy this weekend has something to do with not tapping yet. Keep us posted how things are running or not.
    Collected about 50 gallons of sap between noon and 7pm (on vacuum). This was on the original 72 taps, the new ones not hooked to vacuum till tomorrow or so. The new ones on tubing didn't seem to do anything, but I didn't put a bucket under the output of that line, so I don't know for certain (I wasn't home). Don't think without the coaxing the trees would have given up anything.

    Lets see what happens tomorrow, but looks like I will be cooking.

    Get ready, get set.........

    Regards
    John

    All red maples:
    2013/4 - A few taps and propane burner
    2015 - 54 taps on bags and buckets, 2x3 Mason evaporator - 3.5 gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2016 - 72 taps on home-built vacuum/mainline system, home built RO (2 - 2.5 x 21 membranes) - 9+ gallons syrup finished and bottled
    2017 - 91 taps upgrade to RO (single 4 x 40 membrane) - 13 gallons syrup
    2018 - 91 taps - 12 gallons syrup
    2022 - Back after 3 years off, 106 taps on vacuum - 29+ gallons syrup

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