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Thread: Willow Creek Sugarhouse 2017

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    Rock Creek, NC
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    It's definitely a bad year for bags and buckets. I have noticed a big drop in sugar the last couple of days. I collected another 325 today and left about 25 gallons in the woods. I'm going to try to boil it Sunday if I can get the tank valve thawed. It looks it will start running again Monday and looks good after that.
    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!

  2. #22
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    Mar 2011
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    Greenwood, Me
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    it's going to be frigid the next couple of days....will that affect outside boiling, i.e., the cold temps impacting the pan?
    2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
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    2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO

  3. #23
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    Mar 2008
    Location
    Deerfield NH
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    It will boil it will just take a longer time to get the pan up to temp. Kind of like firing up the BBQ in a blizzard. Can you do it? Yup, will it be as fun? Probably not. The other concern is make sure your valves and tanks are flowing before you really get rolling.
    30x40 Sugarhouse
    975 taps here at home. Still have 3-400 to add in.
    3x10 Cabin by the Creek evap with "steamaway"
    CDL 600 RO
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  4. #24
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    Apr 2009
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    east kingston, nh
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    I saved mine instead of boiling. I have heat wire that I put around my float box so its all good. and I made sure my tank was drained well. I have about 275 gallons. once I squeeze it won't but enough to kill anything in the pans and maybe make a few gallons. should be for some good steam though cold but windy as hell still!!! but then again when its that cold even a little breeze sucks. I am getting bags and holders ready today then tapping them tomorrow after work. Everything is frozen anyway, I don;t expect much of a sap run tomorrow after this much cold its gonna take a day tues/wed/ thursday should be sunami!!! at least I hope anyway!!!

    On a good note I think I am finally getting my son more into maple. We went up to sunnyside for some containers and supplies(so I can get a jump on confections for maple weekend. and then too a ride up to windswept to the other moores and he was getting excited a little see the bigger evaporators. and was making fun of my little 2x6. He bottled up 10 gallons of syrup for me and is excited to do more. I have about 12 or 13 gallons in the other canner for him. he gets board boiling but he's 11 not sure if he is ready to put in or not. pretty hot!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    Rock Creek, NC
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    Teach him how to fire the evaporator. Boys his age love to play with fire and it will keep him interested. Watching the thermometer is boring but firing will keep him moving and interested. He's probably too young to trust to run the evaporator by himself though.
    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!

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
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    yes I wouldn't let him run it yet. but maybe he can fire it!!!

    not much at all today it did manage to get to 41 here but took way too long to get above freezing and then releasers were frozen up by 6pm. especially after the freeze we just had. its gonna take some time for the trees to get going. ice in the ground now too!!!

    looks like another possible real hard freeze up for next weekend too.

    just need about 30 more gallons of syrup to get me through maple weekend. I am sure I will make much more than that by then!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  7. #27
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    Dec 2002
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    Rock Creek, NC
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    I didn't get much today either. When it starts running again tomorrow it should run through Wednesday and possibly Thursday before it freezes up again.
    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!

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

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    Man vac has been on all day. and I got very little to show for it. we did get a freeze here last night but with no sun things just aren't breaking loose. nothing on the gravity lines I tapped about 35 to 40 bags yesterday but didn;t get over there to check on them yet. guessing there aint gonna be much there either most of them are pretty big.

    got some running around to do then see if I can't get started on some maple stuff for maple weekend!!! Take advantage of "no sap" and this weekend freeze up to get a jump on things. because once things get moving I am hoping for BIGGGGG sap!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
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    a little sleepy this morning. didn;t get much monday and tuesday maybe an estimated 75 gallon would be a lot. after things broke loose I was able able to get an additional 400 gallons pretty quick. hardest run I have seen in 2 or 3 years for me. to get that much that quick. sun and warm. sugar is way up to 1.5 to 1.75 on vac and 2.25 and 2.5 + on the bucks and gravity made for some easy RO-ing and boiling.

    I was into very good tasting VERY dark what I boiled on sunday which was to be expected since I saved the sap for a long time and it was the end of the warm period without a freeze. and once I was able to boil all that out the good aroma came back and it went back to dark after that.

    was excited to have my son fire the evap a few times he was a bit nervous by the 3 or 4th time we was better, also a bit slow but it was OK for his first time. I don;t like t have the door open for that long but I let him get used to it. I let him add the defoamer which he did well also. I was just excited to have him out helping me. hopefully he will have a little more confidence next time.

    OK as good as yesterday was and hopefully today will be OK then we freeze up for until at least Wednesday. but I am over 30-35 gallons syrup now and I have enough for confections and stuff so I will have plenty to do durring the freeze up. and I want to see if I can get my back pan cleaned up its getting a good coating of niter in it.
    Last edited by red maples; 03-09-2017 at 06:11 AM.
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
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    not too bad on the sap yesterday I think the wind killed things here man it was shaking he house. didn;t get much on buckets or gravity at all. still managed 325 gallons mostly from the vac lines. cooked that out I have to say that was some of the nicest sap I got this year. crystal clear and sugar was a hair over 1.5. even after RO it was still very clear. today was weird we got a little freeze and 1/2 my woods were frozen and I got like 75 or gallons from the warmer trees even though it hovered around the freezing mark. the frozen part was where the sap ladders are so the vac pressure was right about 27-28" I think thats why I actually got some sap. other than that I am just letting everything else freeze up. better frozen.

    7 day is pretty frozen. maybe big nor-easter coming on Tuesday. and maybe mid 30's wed, thursday but after the cold we are gonna have aint nothing gonna be moving probably until friday or saturday of next week then its the push to maple weekend.

    Alrighty stay warm and don;t forget to change the clocks!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

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