yes the time goes too fast when your busy, Factor in kids with basketball, gutiar lessons, Flute lessons, etc etc etc. and you end up working in 45 minute thrashed to get stuff 1/2 way done!!! keep at it!!!
yes the time goes too fast when your busy, Factor in kids with basketball, gutiar lessons, Flute lessons, etc etc etc. and you end up working in 45 minute thrashed to get stuff 1/2 way done!!! keep at it!!!
may your sap be at 3%
Brad
www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
MES horizontal electric releaser
2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
300gph H2O RO
husquvarna 562 XP
Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!
Good start to vac life. Once the ice finally cleared the gauge is reading 26. I'm sure there is still some ice helping that out but I'll take it. Wife and kids hit the woods to help this afternoon. She installed a bunch of saddles. Then wanted to try tapping. Not sure how the hell she did it but snapped 2 Canadian tapping bits off in less then 15 taps. I've never broken one of those. Luckily I had one more stashed in the sugar house and I think I"ll be doing the rest of the drilling.
Only major problem was my generator did not want to run so I had to leave 500 gals down in the woods tank instead of boiling tonight. Hopefully its a simple fix. I had the whole thing redone in the off season so I didn't have to worry about this exact issue.
30x40 Sugarhouse
975 taps here at home. Still have 3-400 to add in.
3x10 Cabin by the Creek evap with "steamaway"
CDL 600 RO
ebayed Sogevac S65
Wow that sucks. I hope it's an easy fix on your generator. I've got one that you can borrow if you want. I don't remember if your pump is 110 or 220 but my generator does both.
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!
Got the generator fixed enough to pump once. Didn't want to fire up again this afternoon going to grab a new plug and hopefully that does it. Ice cleared and vac dropped to 16, found a few major chews and we are cruising at 23.5 probably get that a bit higher tomorrow. I concentrated at 500 gals pretty hard and didn't have enough to justify firing up. So that will be tomorrow's job as well.
30x40 Sugarhouse
975 taps here at home. Still have 3-400 to add in.
3x10 Cabin by the Creek evap with "steamaway"
CDL 600 RO
ebayed Sogevac S65
Better get on it first thing in the morning. It's not a good idea to let concentrate sit. It spoils pretty fast and bacteria eat the sugar and make a syrup that has a bitter aftertaste.
Hope a new plug gets your generator to run. More than likely it's a carburetor or fuel issue if it's not the plug. You can use mine if you need to.
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!
yes not good to let concentrate sit it will get pretty stinky pretty quick. even if you are close its good to bring it to a boil that will at least kill the bacteria even if you have to chase it with permeate its better to that then to let it sit. I will do that if the evap sits for more that a few days just to get the bacteria killed in there because the flue pan is much lighter and can grow bacteria much easier than the syrup pan because the amount of water still in it. There is still ice in evap so not too worried now.
may your sap be at 3%
Brad
www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
MES horizontal electric releaser
2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
300gph H2O RO
husquvarna 562 XP
Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!
I couldn't bring myself to dump it. It had froze up so Im hoping it will just make some really dark good tasting syrup I had only concentrated to 5% so fingers crossed.
Wifey and I added another 45 taps today. Sap was really running good this afternoon when I pumped the last bit up. New plug and a shot of carb spray and its running for now. Boiled for the first time tonight, didn't make any syrup but I should tomorrow. And for the first time in years I think I'm good on wood, have some really dry nice pine in the woodshed.
I'm done for adding new mainlines this year, but I have another 20-30 taps to add in on existing mainlines that's tomorrow's job. And then maybe thursday I'll get over to the other bush.
30x40 Sugarhouse
975 taps here at home. Still have 3-400 to add in.
3x10 Cabin by the Creek evap with "steamaway"
CDL 600 RO
ebayed Sogevac S65
How do you break a tapping bit, let alone two of them??
Josh
2009 - 370 on vac. & 16 buckets
2010 - 377 on vac.
2011 - 590 on vac.
2012 - 620 on high vac., 170 buckets, 110 on gravity tubing
2013 - 830 mine + 800-1000 others
2014 - 870 mine + 800-1000 others
2017 - 920 mine + 500-700 others
2018 - 902 mine + 500-700 others
2019 - 902 mine + 700 others
2020 - 902 mine + ???? others
Atlas Copco Pump
2.5'x8' 802maple Special with Dallaire pans
H2O Innovation 600gph RO
Spring Harvest Website
I never seen it run as hard as it did yesterday. Pumped up 3 times and the first run was so large my releaser hadn't been resetting. So next week I need to redesign that releaser holder. Made 8 gals last night. Its dark with all the start up issues. It tasted a bit off and I'm hoping it wasn't from that overnight concentrate. See what it tastes like this morning.
30x40 Sugarhouse
975 taps here at home. Still have 3-400 to add in.
3x10 Cabin by the Creek evap with "steamaway"
CDL 600 RO
ebayed Sogevac S65
Ya it sure ran good yesterday. Of course thats when our vacuum pump motor decided to quit. It think its the coil, put the spark tester on it and it ran fine... Go figure.
It should lighten up after you get some fresh clean sap. Is that your 2nd boil? We've been making medium so far.
Matras Maple
Started 15 years ago as backyard operation.
Now have a 1325 taps and growing.
Boiling on a 2.5x8 leader infurno with steamaway.
New for 2019 a cdl 600 expandable RO, another bush on vac.