Willowcreek Sugarhouse 2018

[red maples]

I got the releaser fixed. after taking it apart yet again this morning, I figured out, finally, that the bearing on the tripping arm was bad and seized up so when the float push rod went up it was sticking in both the opened and/or closed position. but a quick trip to the hardware store for a new bearing $10.79 and we are back in business. I didnlt even think to check it out because its spring loaded when I took the spring off there was no tension on it and it moved freely but as soon as I put the spring and there was tension it would get hung up.

I think with the colder temps the leak is frozen right now so I will have to wait for a better thaw tomorrow to find them. I think it might be several smaller chews but its just a guess right now Vac is pulling a little over 27" right now. but since its cold and nasty only 36* not much coming in anyway but a little sap is still better than no sap!!!

[Dill]

hmmm good idea, never thought of checking that.

[red maples]

I hate to say it but things are running pretty good. all except the weather here. the night temps are just not cooperating. the original forecast which would have had me boiling everyday is now about every 3rd day. not good for production and I hate holding sap. my first draw this year was just right at the amber/dark border( which I had to call dark) but went dark quickly after that and I have made some very dark as well. with holding sap and lack of night freezes guessing its gonna be more Very Dark. but it has a really good flavor. with lack of good runs I am only at 30 gallons which is way more than last year at this time for me since I made most of my syrup in march last year.

still having issues with drawing off heavy and plugging the filter press. I don't know I can usually get it with-in a point but can't seem to hit it this year. Heavy nighter too. I'll get it... I will boil tonight but need to strain the back pan and do a quick rinse that usually helps get things cleaned up and also lightens up the syrup as well.

I am thinking of a bubbler for the flue pan too. but mine is a drop flue so have to get the pipe sizing correct. too bad copper is so expensive but if it helps and lightens things up a bit and keep the pans cleaner and less niter then its worth every penny. Josh I think we need to plan a trip after the season to See Russ. and check out how he made his. and would be nice to see you too Russ and Anthony if he is around.

[Amber Gold]

Brad. I'm on board. Lets plan it after the season. I haven't been there in a while, so would be good to see what he's been up to.

[Dill]

We need a bubbler as well. And I have extra high pressure air that I'm just bleeding off. Granted the all dark all the time makes grading easier.

[Russell Lampron]

You guys come on up. Let me know ahead of time and I will make sure that Richard is here too. For homemade stuff the bubbler is the best thing that I have made for my sugaring operation. It sucks making dark syrup all of the time. I was there for a while and now that I'm on the other side of the spectrum it sucks to make all light syrup too but not as bad as making all dark.

[red maples]

Well... I haven't posted in a few days because there was really nothing to post about. didn't get a freeze for 7 nights. and haven't boiled in I think 5 so... we finally got a freeze night before last so got 100 gallons (it never got over 37* here and cloudy yesterday) added to my 100 gallons and 50 that I collected from across the street... 250 gallons but I have some permeate saved form the last RO so I can clean the machine. and enough sap to boil for a few minutes and get the Evap freshened up.

but I was able to finally finish and install a 1/2" 2 pipe sap ladder for about a 100 tap line that works awesome. and I had about 80 feet or of 1" 30p laying around so I ran that length from the releaser out and and ran 2 side mains into it and connected it in with y's instead of T's to get a better flow. I have to say its alot more expensive than black water pipe but its really nice to be able to see the sap in the line because since my slope on most of my mainline is so flat its easy to get sags so I can see where sap is pooling and getting hung up. I just wish it were cheaper but I can change out a little at a time and fell the pain so much. there were no saddles on this stretch so it didn't take too long.

gotta start getting ready for maple weekend and stuff too.

alrighty heading out soon,

[red maples]

oh man.

well... after ROing yesterday I could smell some metabolism... very common with too many days on vacuum with no freeze. I could smell it too after I took off the good syrup I could smell it pretty strong. Have to see what happens with it.

Now that was a heck of a storm we got a mess here I hope other people did better than me by the amount of posts since yesterday I am guessing no.

after boiling yesterday came in grabbed a bite to eat then hit the sack for a few hrs. got up at 12:30 am and was on the tractor by 1 am and there was already 10 inches of snow and man it was heavy. there were already many large branches down across the driveway in front of the sugarhouse... great. so cleared up by the house and grabbed a chain and hooked on the branches and pulled them down the driveway and pushed them off the side. dug up my driveway and yard pretty goo since there was no frost in the ground at all. so then I the power went out at 2:30 there was quite a bit of lightening snow too. had headphones on so didn't hear and thunder. I think all total we got about 15 inches the last 5 or 6 inches was fluffier since it dropped to about 29*

finished up with drive way best I could by about 3:30. got my little generator I use for pumping sap hooked up to my wife's yurt to keep the snow melting off and keep the pellet stove running.

grabbed a quick nap and some breakfast back out got everything else and the cars cleared off. got the generator out I haven't used it in a couple of years (which is a good thing) but had to out the old gas and change the oil put in new gas 3 pulls and she started awesome I thought I would be pull it all day!!! got it all hooked up ran extention cords and came in to grab some lunch and poof the power came back on. so got that cleaned all up. the a quick nap. headed out in the woods to see the damage, over all not as bad as I thought but still bad enough. 1 main down, 3 broken laterals. lost about 7 or 8 trees over all. they broke off higher so I will keep the taps in but they will go over the summer. got the main line back up best I could and still have to fix the laterals just worked on removing branches.

back to the house and cut up the 3 big branches between the sugarhouse and chicken coop so I could get to them.

shower and dinner I am wiped out!!! I think as soon as my butt hits the couch I will be out!!!

Hope everyone else is doing OK!!!

[Russell Lampron]

Sounds like the storm hit you pretty hard. The wind blew so hard that it is hard to know how much we actually got. I only plowed as much as I needed to to get in and out of the driveway. I didn't want to dig up the lawn any more than I needed to.

It's too bad that your trees and tubing got damaged. I hope that you get everything back together soon. The saps going to start running again.

[BAP]

That stinks having that kind of storm damage. We got 15” but it is a dense snow but not really sticky, so there wasn’t any damage. I hope you get everything tightened back up before sap starts running again. Good luck.