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Thread: Deja vu

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Crawford County Indiana
    Posts
    93

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    Up to 143 tapped, all on 3/16. Decided to stop tapping (I have a few more preplanned runs on hold), and go back and check for leaks on the already run lines. Found a few. Installed a few vacuum gauges. Figured I’d try to maximize yield on the runs closest to my homebase. Everything was running good. Hoping to get enough overnight to fire up the RO and knock the cobwebs out of it tomorrow before what’ll hopefully be a killer next weekend.
    2014 - 30 taps
    2015 - 50 taps
    2016 - 140 taps
    2017 - 115 taps - 85 taps on 3/16, 30 buckets
    2018 - 150 taps, all 3/16

    Smokey Lake 2x3
    Homemade 2x XLE-4040 RO Unit
    Kubota L3940 - big sap hauler
    Polaris Sportsman 570 SP - little sap hauler
    I'm 1:20 remote from sugarbush, so I let run awhile between boils, and time is at a premium, so I try to oversize things

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Crawford County Indiana
    Posts
    93

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    Got around 125 gal sap from Sat. when it started running until Sun about noon when I collected. Gotta love 3/16. I had 29" of vacuum on one run. Ran it through the RO and it worked like a charm. Took it down to about 10 gal at 12%. I only finally got it going for a small run at the end of
    last season; so 1st real serious run with it.Fired up pan and ended up with about 5 gal of 25% when I decided to call it a day because it was getting late. Brought that home and plan to concentrate it on my propane finishing pan at home. All in all, a great warm-up weekend. Got all the equipment out, got everything clean and hooked up. Figured out a next round of improvements. Hoping for a killer run next weekend.
    2014 - 30 taps
    2015 - 50 taps
    2016 - 140 taps
    2017 - 115 taps - 85 taps on 3/16, 30 buckets
    2018 - 150 taps, all 3/16

    Smokey Lake 2x3
    Homemade 2x XLE-4040 RO Unit
    Kubota L3940 - big sap hauler
    Polaris Sportsman 570 SP - little sap hauler
    I'm 1:20 remote from sugarbush, so I let run awhile between boils, and time is at a premium, so I try to oversize things

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    North Shore Lake Lemon, Monroe County
    Posts
    135

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    I went down Sunday at noon thinking I would fire up the ro while I rebricked the evaporator and all would be good. Had all bubbles in my lines, so that led to a 6 hour splice session...over 20 squirrel bites and fallen tree limbs. 5 or 6 falls worthy of Americas Funniest Home Videos if anyone had been filming, and I'm pretty sure there are some more leaks out there.. Oh, and I forgot the ro filters...duh. Woke up to rain and too much wind to fire up the evaporator, and was pretty dejected. Dug up my buckets, washed them and loaded 65 gallons and the ro into my vehicle and came home. All in all, not too bad. Ran the ro while I had dinner and watched the IU game, then started on the turkey fryer...1:30 am and I'm down to just under 3 gallons at 30%. Beats fighting the rain and wind...I'll finish tomorrow.
    2014 - 8 taps, turkey fryer, 130 gallons sap, just under 2.5 gallons syrup.
    2015 - 50 taps and counting.
    2016 - 60 taps on 3/16 and a Bill Mason evaporator on order.
    2017 - 115 taps on 3/16, homemade r/o.
    2018 - 150 taps on 3/16, r/o a big help, but lots of leaks killing yield.
    2019 - sticking with 150 taps or maybe less, focusing on good vacuum and less waste to increase yield. Doubling up my r/o, and made a vacuum filter that looks promising.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Mitchell, Indiana
    Posts
    41

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    I decided to tap a few trees at my daughters home. I had purchased a 1000’ roll of cdl 3/16 this year. When I went to tie in the drops, my home made tubing tool would not grip the tube to push it on. Packed up and headed home to grind on the grippers. Went back the next day to finish up. The tool worked fine. Then I went to hook up the pump which I use a sharkbite style fitting for the tubing. They would not hold the tube. Had to shove a tapered punch into the end of tube and apply a little heat to swell the tube. Got lucky there. Apparently cdl made the OD of the tube smaller causing all my issues. Nothing is ever easy.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Crawford County Indiana
    Posts
    93

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    I use Leader Max Flow 3/16 tubing, same as last year; but they changed the diameter on me this year so I had to adjust my tool several times depending if I was working on a new line or old one.
    2014 - 30 taps
    2015 - 50 taps
    2016 - 140 taps
    2017 - 115 taps - 85 taps on 3/16, 30 buckets
    2018 - 150 taps, all 3/16

    Smokey Lake 2x3
    Homemade 2x XLE-4040 RO Unit
    Kubota L3940 - big sap hauler
    Polaris Sportsman 570 SP - little sap hauler
    I'm 1:20 remote from sugarbush, so I let run awhile between boils, and time is at a premium, so I try to oversize things

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon, IN
    Posts
    21

    Default

    Mitchell Tapper, if you have any 5/16 and can't get 3/16 tubing to grip, take a 1" piece of 5/16 and cut in half length ways. Put each half in the grip of your tool and clamp down appropriately. Works like a dream.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Mitchell, Indiana
    Posts
    41

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by PoseyCoMark View Post
    Mitchell Tapper, if you have any 5/16 and can't get 3/16 tubing to grip, take a 1" piece of 5/16 and cut in half length ways. Put each half in the grip of your tool and clamp down appropriately. Works like a dream.
    Thanks Mark. Good to know. And I had some 5/16 with me.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    North Shore Lake Lemon, Monroe County
    Posts
    135

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    What a disappointment. I boiled everything down to just under a gallon, and to me it has an off aftertaste. Kids like it, but they would eat dirt with sugar on it I think. I think the leaks kept me from flushing out all the mold (much of it due to said leaks). So, that leads to my question:

    If I continue to boil down to candy or sugar can I hope the mild aftertaste will lessen...or will it intensify? I've never made candy or sugar before.

    Thanks!
    2014 - 8 taps, turkey fryer, 130 gallons sap, just under 2.5 gallons syrup.
    2015 - 50 taps and counting.
    2016 - 60 taps on 3/16 and a Bill Mason evaporator on order.
    2017 - 115 taps on 3/16, homemade r/o.
    2018 - 150 taps on 3/16, r/o a big help, but lots of leaks killing yield.
    2019 - sticking with 150 taps or maybe less, focusing on good vacuum and less waste to increase yield. Doubling up my r/o, and made a vacuum filter that looks promising.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Mitchell, Indiana
    Posts
    41

    Default

    Andrew, My experience with it is that it intensifies. I made some maple cream with it and ended up throwing it out.

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    It depends on the off flavor. Some off flavors will go away or lessen with heat and others will intensify. The only way to tell would be to make a small batch of cream or candy and try it.
    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!

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