Done for the year
Just ran the last 250 gallons thru the RO and the pan. Flooded with water instead of sap and brought the last boil into the house to finish. Should do about 52 gallons when all is said and done. Not bad considering this was my second year and only did 16 gallons last year. Tapped January 14th/15th and glad I did. First boil was January 20th.
Funny year. Sorry to see it end but glad its over.
1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
Woodsrover,
How did you like your Next Gen RO unit? Which size did you buy? I have 85 taps on vac and 50 buckets and am planning on buying a hobby unit this summer.
Thanks,
Bagpiper
2015 - 40 buckets w/ drop lines
275 oil tank evaporator
2x4 flat pan
made 5 gallons!
2016 - 90 buckets
same evaporator and pan
hoping to make 12 gallons
2017 - 85 taps on vacuum w/lunchbox
50 buckets
Smoky Lake 2X4 drop flue pan
A little curious
Originally Posted by Woodsrover
I am a little curious about your taps. In particular how long did the taps you put in on Jan 15 run for? Did they run all the way through to this last boil?
Sugar Bear
I like it just fine. I wish it were a little faster and am thinking about trading this in on a unit with a little bit more capacity. That said, it was great and saved me a ton of time and wood. Can't imagine running without one.
1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
Taps are still running. Sap is getting a little funny and I have enough so they're running on the ground until I get a chance to pull taps and clean things up. The buckets dried up a couple weeks ago and I expected that, but the taps on 3/16" are still running about as well as the day I drilled them.
1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
I think your 3/16 taps are still running due to vacuum. I know most larger producers start tapping in January due to the sheer number of taps they have for the same reason. Despite everything, there was a great length to this season!
I'll be doing a last collection today and finish up today or tomorrow. I could probably make some next week but things look marginal this week and I don't know what I'll get for sap. I've produced what I normally produce and had a normal 6 week season. The only thing I missed was an extra couple of weeks in late January/early February where I could have had additional sap.
About 300 taps
2'x6' air tight arch
Semi complete 12'x24' sugarhouse in Somers, CT
My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CapturedNature
My eBook: Making Maple Syrup in your Backyard
What kind of taps?
What kind of taps are you using on the 3/16" ?
White CDL 3/16 spouts. They used to be green but they're all white now.
1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
I pulled my taps and broke down my homemade portable evaporator yesterday. I only had 1 of 25 taps giving me anything worth considering to boil but not enough to warrant me firing up the evaporator for the last 2 weeks. Though I started around my typical date of Valentines date with 2 very succesfull weekend boils then nothing after then very little to nothing for the last 3 weeks. I boiled about 250 - 300 galloons sap making a little more than 5 gallons of syrup which I typically give away to the Family & Friends.
Also I need to do some much needed repairs on the evaporator (Fire board started to wear out in areas).....so SAPS be safe and see you in 2018 when TAPPING season arrives.
Last edited by Agent914; 03-27-2017 at 11:24 AM.
19-21 Back to tapping
17-18: not able to tap
14-16 present: Portable Oil Tank evaporator 40+ taps
09-14: Stove to Barrel - 20 taps
I did my last boil yesterday and ended the season with 4 gallons of dark amber. Not planning on doing any more, but you never know.
2016 - 36 Taps - File Cabinet Arch + Food Pans
2017 - 2.5'x10' drop flues - 3/16 Natural Vacuum - 122 Taps
2018 - 16x20 Sugar Shack - 3/16 Natural Vacuum - 235 Taps
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