Getting ready

[maple flats]

Minehart, you're in better shape that I was the year I built my sugarhouse. Codes guy held me up from May until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 2003 (I later learned that all the hoops he made me jump thru were in fact not required, being a farm structure in NYS I did not need a permit at all). Then the only help I had was an excavator (with operator, that's before I bought my own) to dig trenches and a pit for the evaporator base, and then I had lots of family and a couple of friends on the 12/31/03 who helped put the trusses up, then the following Sat my oldest son came and helped put the steel roofing on. The rest was all me, working nights until 9-10 pm and weekends all day.
You're still in good shape comparatively!

[Sugarmaker]

Just checking in on you! You do have a big project and prefilters look to be down the list a ways. but a dozen prefilters should do yo just fine for 100 gallons of syrup. If you can set up two filter stations, so you can tear on down while the other is still working.
I started my sugarhouse oct 20 2000 and was putting the ridge cap on the roof Christmas eve. Set the evaporator in early Jan and tapped and made syrup in Feb 2001. Sugarhouse was far from done but we made 40 gallons of syrup on 300 taps from red maples.
Good luck in your maple adventures, If I can help from long distance let me know.
Regards,
Chris

[minehart gap]

Dave and Chris, thanks for the support. Being that it’s Sunday and all, I worked but not too much. I just put in the drain, filled all of my columns to below frost with concrete and placed the rebar. Then I had a little extra energy (very little) and poured two of my post supports. They have to be 8” higher than the floor because it is only 6’ to the first cross beam on the building that I took down and I plan to have a door in that side. So I needed a little more elevation in order to fit.

Sorry that the picture is sideways, not sure what is going on with that

[minehart gap]

Finally was able to get enough water to the building site to mix some concrete so this morning my cousin helped me mix and pour the pad for under the evaporator and two more post columns. It’s coming along. This Friday concrete should be done. Then bring the sawmill up to cut the siding. And the first day that the ground is frozen, bring the posts and beams up the hill. Then I should be set!

How smooth do you all like your concern floor? I used a mag finish so far but can change the rest without having it look too bad. I figured that I would want smooth but not slippery when it’s wet. Glass finish would most likely be like ice when something was spilled.

[minehart gap]

How much sap can I expect in a day on a great run? My reason for asking is that I recall reading a post that maple flats had written that when he first started, he added taps to the point that when the sap really flowed, he couldn’t keep up. I have a 600 gallon tank and a 250 gallon tank but my evaporator is looking to be around 35 gal per hour. So realistically if I boil for 10 to 12 hours I am looking at 350 to 420 gallon of evaporation. If there are 2 days in a row of 2 gallon per tap per day and I have 300 taps that’s 1200 gallon.I can’t keep up with that. Is this a real possibility? Perhaps I need to tap fewer until I get a RO.

[maple flats]

At that point I was boiling on a 2x3 and I had 70 taps. I got about 2 gal a day/tap 2 days in a row. My 2x3 was evaporating 6 gph when all was going perfectly, less when not. Having 140 gal of sap with a 6 GPH rate would take just under 24 hrs if I could keep the 6/hr going the whole time. My taps were 4 miles away, and my only collection was in 5 gal jugs, set on the ground and little 2,3 or 4 tap tubing systems gravity feeding into the jugs. The jug caps had a hole thru theem and I had a clamp on the 5/16 tubing just under the cap to hold it from pulling out. To empty or change a jug, I unscrewed the cap, if under half full, it was dumped into another jug on a carrier on the back of my 4x4 compact tractor (I made a funnel to lessen spills) if there was not room to dump it, the jug went on the tractor rack and an empty was placed in service on that cap. Collection took time that meant I wasn't boiling. My only storage was in those 5 gal jugs. I had gotten the jugs from a local Chinese restaurant, cooking oil jugs, I then cleaned the jugs which was not easy, but persistence prevailed. I had no tank until year 2, when I bought a lead free but galv. stock tank. In year 3 I got my first SS tank, a 415 gal milk tank for $100. I still use that tank.
2 gal/tap/day is rare especially on 5/16 gravity, but it happened 2 days in a row. I did not have enough extra jugs to hold more than 110 gal (22 jugs + one on each mini tubing system. I was swamped. I should of stopped adding taps at about 35-45 max.
Much more common is going to be 1-1.5 gal/tap on good days only, most days will be less.

[Sugarmaker]

Depends on where you are in Pennsylvania? Your mileage may vary! Play it by ear. We have 600 taps and boil at 130 GPH. our largest sap runs are around 1000 gal per day. Most days 750-800. not good days 300.
Regards,
Chris

[johnallin]

Finally was able to get enough water to the building site to mix some concrete so this morning my cousin helped me mix and pour the pad for under the evaporator and two more post columns. It’s coming along. This Friday concrete should be done. Then bring the sawmill up to cut the siding. And the first day that the ground is frozen, bring the posts and beams up the hill. Then I should be set!

How smooth do you all like your concern floor? I used a mag finish so far but can change the rest without having it look too bad. I figured that I would want smooth but not slippery when it’s wet. Glass finish would most likely be like ice when something was spilled.

Mine is almost glass like and not slippery at all. I think the smoother the better for hosing down and keeping dust to a minimum. It does gets sticky when we spill...

[DrTimPerkins]

Our previous sugarhouse floor was smooth. Was a bit slippery when wet, but the real problem was when you had snow build-up in the treads of your boots. At that point the floor was worse than a skating rink. Going in and out meant stopping to kick snow off your boots and then walking gingerly until you were sure there was no snow underfoot.

That floor also didn't have enough steel in the cement, or decent drains, so it was cracking up into chunks and heaving around. We dug the whole thing out 4-5 years ago and put in good drainage, lots of steel, and a brushed surface. It is very easy to keep clean with a hose, drains great, and is not at all slippery.

[maple flats]

I feel that any concrete floor where you might have snow or ice is an invitation for injury if the surface is smooth. Brushed is best.
I used to drive school bus, and the district had a new garage. Over the years several drivers slipped and fell when entering, most only hurt their dignity, a few had physical injuries.