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Thread: CT 2018 - How's it been running?

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Ashford CT
    Posts
    54

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    BSD, looks like you and I have similar buildings. I used Jamaica Cottage shop plans to build my 16x20 sugar house. I modified the plans a bit, moved the cupola off center, made the walls 9 ft, and added a large front swinging door. overall I like the plans. good luck with your build.
    IMG_0878.jpg
    16x20 sugar house
    2x3 mason evaporator
    Mule 610 sap hauler
    2016 - 2x3 Mason 50 buckets - 5 gallons
    2017 - 2x3 Mason 70 on 3/16, 15 buckets - 17 gallons

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Danbury, Connecticut
    Posts
    331

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cjadamec View Post
    I just ordered a kit from Jamaica Cottage shop as well. No hope of having it ready for this year but it sure will be nice for next season to have an outbuilding finally. How was your experience will putting the kit together?

    This is my first year with any type of tubing so I really don't know how long to expect my taps to stay running. I have collected over 250gallons (I lost track of exactly how many gallons after 250) of sap on 50 taps since I tapped in mid januray. That's more than double what I got on buckets for the entire season last year. One of my runs is 60ft elevation top to bottom and the other has a 90 foot drop with all but 3 of the taps on the very top of the hill so 3/16 was a perfect fit for my trees.

    I just wish my trees had better sugar content they so far its been just over 1%. All of them are in a mixed mature forest, most are reds, and none of them get full sun. The syrup still tastes great tho.
    what size did you get from JCS? overall the kit from JCS is good, but we had a hell of a time figuring out the cupola even though it comes in panelized sections already. I think because i ordered it with windows it wasn't a standard size and didn't match their directions. in the end we got it, but it chewed up hours of time I didn't have to spare. putting the frame up itself is very easy, once you get to the roof it gets really slow. you're going to want 3-4 people for the roof work. my advice would be to find/rent/borrow scaffolding to work off. it will make the job MUCH easier. We had nice aluminum planks for working down the side of the building on the outside but we really should have had a scaffold tower on casters on the inside too. the cuts for all the angles and lengths are very good. For the whole building i think we had to trim/cut or make less than dozen pieces.
    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

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Danbury, Connecticut
    Posts
    331

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Van View Post
    Nice job Matt! I don't know how you guys do the outdoor boiling, it must be a real pain in the butt. This morning I had 60 gal to boil off, it was 14F outside when I started at 5 AM, all I could get the barn up to was 38. Funny, late in the season i've had it 100 in there. Actually, it's not funny, it just sucks.
    this year will be a hell of a different story for me, i didn't actually mind boiling outdoors too much last year, but the wind would really cool my evaporation rates. but moving indoors, everything will also have a permanent home too. right now i've got stuff tucked away all over the place. i'm wondering if i'm going to end up putting a little heater in the shack, since i'm planning on going to an insulated arch this year.
    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

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Danbury, Connecticut
    Posts
    331

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    Quote Originally Posted by CTsap View Post
    hey Guys, for those of you who have tapped on 3/16 tubing in mid January, did your sap run through the end of the season? How many weeks we talking, 8? First time tapping this early for me. I got a ton of sap but wondering if I can keep it going through end of season. still have 50 or so trees I'm holding off on until mid Feb.
    last year i tapped 2/16 and it ran through march ( i don't have notes about last collection days though). if you run check valves i wouldn't doubt 8 weeks is possible. without CV's 8 might be a stretch. i would wager that the bottom trees would dry up, but the real up-hill ones will keep producing
    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

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Quaker Hill, CT
    Posts
    328

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    I'm putting up a 10x16 hobby house. It's gotta be dual purpose shed and support for this maple sickness I caught. I really like the looks of their buildings it's nice to know someone had good luck with one of their kits. They had one heck of a sale about 2 weeks ago. I got the kit for 4600 out the door . Only catch is I have to drive there to pick it up. It's going to max out my truck and trailer for weight but that's what they are for. It's going on 5 years now since I finished the house and I finally got the shed before the money got set to another project.
    2017 25 taps on buckets got me hooked 1 gallon of sweet
    2018 51 taps on 3/16 tubing/ DIY oil tank evaporator 8.5gallons finished
    2019 60 taps 7 gallons finished ended season short
    2020 New 2x4 divided pan ready to get away from the headache that is steam table pans
    2021 off year due to pandemic and projects
    2022 back at it

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Danbury, Connecticut
    Posts
    331

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cjadamec View Post
    I'm putting up a 10x16 hobby house. It's gotta be dual purpose shed and support for this maple sickness I caught. I really like the looks of their buildings it's nice to know someone had good luck with one of their kits. They had one heck of a sale about 2 weeks ago. I got the kit for 4600 out the door . Only catch is I have to drive there to pick it up. It's going to max out my truck and trailer for weight but that's what they are for. It's going on 5 years now since I finished the house and I finally got the shed before the money got set to another project.
    I picked my kit up, just shy of 10K lbs. don't buy any windows from them, they're a rip-off. the buildings (when they're on sale) are a great value though
    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

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Ashford CT
    Posts
    54

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    I likes strafford window up in NH. Custom size to your needs. I always picked up orders so not sure how shipping is. Their prices are the best I found and very good quality
    16x20 sugar house
    2x3 mason evaporator
    Mule 610 sap hauler
    2016 - 2x3 Mason 50 buckets - 5 gallons
    2017 - 2x3 Mason 70 on 3/16, 15 buckets - 17 gallons

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Quaker Hill, CT
    Posts
    328

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    That's a bummer about the windows. My kit has them included as part of the standard kit. Either way still got a great price on the kit.
    2017 25 taps on buckets got me hooked 1 gallon of sweet
    2018 51 taps on 3/16 tubing/ DIY oil tank evaporator 8.5gallons finished
    2019 60 taps 7 gallons finished ended season short
    2020 New 2x4 divided pan ready to get away from the headache that is steam table pans
    2021 off year due to pandemic and projects
    2022 back at it

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Old Lyme, CT
    Posts
    272

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    I had a very good experience, buying, building, and using my JCS sugar shack.

    It's only 8X12, but sure beats boiling outside.

    new roof chimney.jpg Sugar Shack 2.jpg sugar shack 7-16.jpg


    Mark
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Mason 2x4 w/raised flue pan, 240 gal. sap tank, 80 Reds on 5/16 tubing and Lunchbox releaser/pump, 20 sugars on buckets

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