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Thread: Tapping in Western PA

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    South of Pittsburgh, PA
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    183

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    Hoppy.....I'm about 2 miles south right off McMurray Rd. That's cool to know there are a few hobby maple people nearby.

    Collected 50 gallons Sunday. Haven't checked things since. My trees are at my in-laws down in Lone Pine (Washington). Planning my first boil Friday....hoping for 150-200 gallon boil. Things seemed to slow down a lot with this warm up.....hopefully things reset tonight with the dropping temps. Forecast looks goooood.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hoppy View Post
    My son and I tapped 3 monster sugar maples at a relatives house. They were dripping much more than mine. We have 3 taps in each so 9 taps over there for a total of 16 this year. I have a couple more I might try to get in the neighborhood.

    I need to finish welding up my framework for the pans.

    Someone tapped on McMurray Rd across from the Goddard school, looked like a dozen and a half out there.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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    121

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbedilion View Post
    Hoppy.....I'm about 2 miles south right off McMurray Rd. That's cool to know there are a few hobby maple people nearby.

    Collected 50 gallons Sunday. Haven't checked things since. My trees are at my in-laws down in Lone Pine (Washington). Planning my first boil Friday....hoping for 150-200 gallon boil. Things seemed to slow down a lot with this warm up.....hopefully things reset tonight with the dropping temps. Forecast looks goooood.
    Nice! I plan on tapping on Thursday, we got back yesterday and I still have stuff to clean to get ready. If you see any around Bower Hill School, those are mine

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Bethel Park, PA
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    33

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    Sbedilion,
    That's great you're close. Do you boil here or in Lone Pine?

    Helptheold,
    I'll be on the lookout for them!

    My trees are really slow but I went over to the other property this morning and had 7.5 gallons from 9 taps. 5 or 6 were overflowing. That was about 18 hours after tapping. I was pretty excited. I have more than half of lasts years total sap already.

    Last light I finished my boiler setup. I have a Blackstone griddle that we keep outside. The griddle comes off and it's a rectangular framework with 2 H burners. I put together a framework that holds two pans above the burners. I finally got some pictures today. It's going right now out on the porch. I have it on high. The bottoms of the pans are about 3 inches above the burners so they are close but the flame is not really touching the pans. It's evaporating pretty well though. The sap is about 200 degrees. The pans are dropping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch per hour so maybe 2 gallons an hour?

    The sap from today is really sweet tasting. I'm just made a drink with Jameson's Black Barrel, ice and sap from today. It's very good, with a sweet finish.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    2017 - Started with 5 taps, added 2 more. 16 gallons of sap. 58 ounces of syrup. Boiled in a 4" water pan on my camp stove. Finished in the kitchen.
    2018 - Expanding to a relatives property. Upgrading my boiling setup to a double pan.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    South of Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    183

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    Hoppy...my driveway. I just make a cinderblock firepit and throw a 3ftx4ft flan pan over it. I'm located next to the old Rolling Hills Golf Course. When the steam gets going....my neighbors start coming out to investigate and just shake their heads. haha

    1111111.jpg

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Polk, PA
    Posts
    1,363

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    Boiled 227 gallons yesterday. Turned the pump off but should be back at it Friday.
    136 on high vacuum for 2019
    A&A 2X8, raised flue evaporator
    hood, parallel flow pre heater and air over fire
    12X28 sugar shack

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Bethel Park, PA
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    33

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbedilion View Post
    Hoppy...my driveway. I just make a cinderblock firepit and throw a 3ftx4ft flan pan over it. I'm located next to the old Rolling Hills Golf Course. When the steam gets going....my neighbors start coming out to investigate and just shake their heads. haha

    Attachment 17203
    Great sight! You weren't hauling sap in a silver pickup today were you? I'll keep an eye out near the golf course for you. I have taps on Center Church rd closer to rt 19.

    My trees were dry, but I picked up 5 gallons from Center Church. Boiling again tonight. I wasn't impressed with my double pan setup. Tonight I was able to raise the back half of the burners. Now half of the flame is touching the pan and I have a boil going where I didn't before. Also, last night I was such a rookie and put cold sap into the pans. Duh.. Preheating tonight and going much better.
    2017 - Started with 5 taps, added 2 more. 16 gallons of sap. 58 ounces of syrup. Boiled in a 4" water pan on my camp stove. Finished in the kitchen.
    2018 - Expanding to a relatives property. Upgrading my boiling setup to a double pan.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gary R View Post
    Boiled 227 gallons yesterday. Turned the pump off but should be back at it Friday.
    Gary,
    Good to see your out there making syrup. I heard the sugar content was good this last run?
    May tap Friday???
    Regards,
    Chris
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
    3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
    12" SIRO Filter Press.
    2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
    One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
    Too many Cub Cadets
    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
    1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck

    www.mapleandhoney.com

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    South of Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    183

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoppy View Post
    Great sight! You weren't hauling sap in a silver pickup today were you? I'll keep an eye out near the golf course for you. I have taps on Center Church rd closer to rt 19.

    My trees were dry, but I picked up 5 gallons from Center Church. Boiling again tonight. I wasn't impressed with my double pan setup. Tonight I was able to raise the back half of the burners. Now half of the flame is touching the pan and I have a boil going where I didn't before. Also, last night I was such a rookie and put cold sap into the pans. Duh.. Preheating tonight and going much better.
    That was most likely me Silver Tacoma with a 275 gallon tote. I collected 70 this morning bring my total to 120 gallons in that tote. I don't think that truck can handle anymore weight. I'm off tomorrow so I will be doing my first boil of the season. Weekend weather looks good, so maybe another boil on Sunday with similar numbers.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Polk, PA
    Posts
    1,363

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    Hi Chris! First day sugar was average, 1.4 on my 3/16" (mostly sugars), after that 1.1. Didn't have a freeze for three days. I'm surprised anyone is started up north. After this weekend it doesn't look too good. Should have been around to watch my wife fire the evaporator in a tee shirt I keep tell her you shouldn't do that.
    136 on high vacuum for 2019
    A&A 2X8, raised flue evaporator
    hood, parallel flow pre heater and air over fire
    12X28 sugar shack

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Bethel Park, PA
    Posts
    33

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbedilion View Post
    That was most likely me Silver Tacoma with a 275 gallon tote. I collected 70 this morning bring my total to 120 gallons in that tote. I don't think that truck can handle anymore weight. I'm off tomorrow so I will be doing my first boil of the season. Weekend weather looks good, so maybe another boil on Sunday with similar numbers.
    Ha, awesome! I don't know if you remember ( about 4:30pm) but you slowed down to let someone out of Cranmoor (on Mcmurray) right before Donaldson's Crossroads. It was me in a maroon pickup truck with racks, I wasn't paying attention to you slowing down because I was staring at the big tank in the back and thinking about sap in it, so you went ahead! Sorry! Then I saw it sloshing around, saw it was clear, and figured it could be sap.

    Those numbers are great. We've collected 13 gallons so far. It's boiled down to about 3. Tomorrow should be good. I'm rethinking my griddle/double burner setup. It's not as fast as I'd hoped and it's going to cost me. I might have to build a little concrete arch like you have and just tend to it.
    Last edited by Hoppy; 01-25-2018 at 05:00 PM.
    2017 - Started with 5 taps, added 2 more. 16 gallons of sap. 58 ounces of syrup. Boiled in a 4" water pan on my camp stove. Finished in the kitchen.
    2018 - Expanding to a relatives property. Upgrading my boiling setup to a double pan.

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