sap yield

[PATheron]

What have you guys that run vacuum found to be a general increase in sap yield. The NAMSP book says that a properly installed tubing system with vacumm can see a 50-100% increase in yield in some years. I've heard some producers say 40%. What have you guys in practicality found to be the case for you? My other question is this. Are they saying on a good days run you may get twice as much sap or are they saying on questionable days when gravity sap may not run vacuum sap will and over the duration of the season you will see the increase from those days?

[ennismaple]

Several of our bushes (approx 500 taps each) were previously on gravity tubing but were quite flat. When we put them on vacuum the sap yield more or less doubled. However, on days when gravity and cans run well there's not a huge difference.

We use the rule of thumb that a gallon of sap is worth a dollar - that'll help you to estimate when you'll break even for investing in the vacuum system. I normally figure that if we have to put up mainline, lateral lines (including fittings) and buy a tank and vacuum pump we take 5 years to pay for the capital costs. If we're simpy adding more taps to an existing vacuum system the tubing and fittings are paid for in the first year.

[PATheron]

Ennismaple-Thanks for the explaination. Im installing my tubing system this month and am installing for vacuum but going to use it gravity this year till I get some experiance running my evaperator. I figured to probably put a pump on it next year and wondered if Id need any additional tanks. Have about 1800 gals worth of tanks for 1000 taps. The reason Im installing for vacuum is to maximize the taps I have on my property. You think im probably doing right? I did some soul searching before I bought that tubing. Would have been a lot cheaper to tube for gravity but it seems like with the amount of iffy years weve had hear lately the vacuum seems to be a big advantage.

[markcasper]

Patheron; Ennismaple summed it up best on the yield issue. If you can get out those extra 12-15 days of production with vacuum, you have more or less doubled your crop.

There are many days that the ones on vacuum go ungathered due to no freeze or other weather conditions. Vacuum takes the risk out and balances out the whole season.

If you plan on running 800 taps with vacuum on a 3x10, you'd better get an r.o. ordered first in my opinion.

[PATheron]

Markcasper- I agree with you a 100% about the ro. I am kind of starting from scratch so Im limited to how much I can do in one year. This year my goal was to build a shed and install a good tubing system and be to a point where I will be able to make syrup in the spring. I bought the 4 by 10 becouse I decided right from the start to use a small evap in conjunction with an ro Instead of a large evap. I was thinking next year buy the vacuum pump but only if I buy the ro. This year is going to be a year of learning for me, once I get good at things Ill step up the pace.

[royalmaple]

One bush I tap down the road had 434 taps last year. All red maple except one sugarmaple.

I got an average of about 300 gallons every single day from early march till mid April, except for the solid freeze we had in march. Now other guys in my area had maybe 4-5 runs this past season and thought I was smoking something when I told them I had sap basically everyday this season.

I think you'll find vacuum will give you marginally more sap on good run days, but consistent sap through the season. It is the equalizer to offset mother nature.

Worth every nickel. Once you go to vacuum you won't go back.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Patheron,

You can handle 800 taps with a 3x10 without much problem. I handle 500 taps on a 2x8 and you should be able to boil about double my evap rate with a 3x10. Not trying to disagree with Mark, but might want to pay off some of the stuff you have for a couple of years before you since 10k+ in an RO. It is easy to get in over your head fast or to sink so much money into things that it takes forever to pay them back.

I do like the $ 1 per gallon of sap analogy by Ennis and I agree. I retail all of my syrup and it averages out to $ 50 per gallon and my ratio is usually around 50 to 1.

[markcasper]

Patheron, I do not know some of your other statistics. Are you gonna have to haul/transfer every gallon of sap from the woods, or can you pipe it right to your sugarhouse? Will you be working part of a regular day job during season?

I'm not disagreeing with Brandon either, but I have been there/done that. I once had 850 taps with a 3x10. It was mostly all hand gathered, however, which took lots of additional time and people. I'd gotten to the point where I'd only gather every other day b/c I had to cook 30-40 hours straight. This was with no vacuum either. I believe between '92-'96 I had two years where I wound up with 400+ gallons of syrup, all from a 3x10. Thats a lot of hours cooking with no forced air, preheater, or r.o.
I might add that this particular woods was all on the south side of a large ridge top. There were many days when I had overflowed bags, yet on the other side of this ridge, the north end, it was too cold and there was nothing.
I am not in that woods anymore. Some of my current tapping areas have never matched the production of that woods, but with vacuum it does.

The 3x10 was way too small, thus I moved up, but now the one I have now is too small.
I fully agree with Brandon and the sinking money....don't over extend your finances on this and blow you whole savings on it. To be honest...its probably better to lose a few gallons of sap than to get in over your head.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mark is right, better to have to much sap and have to dump it vs not having enough!

[mountainvan]

Dump Sap!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! My heart aches just thinking about it. With the vacuum increasing yield.... I made .15 gal of syrup/tap without vacuum, .34 gals of syrup/tap with vacuum.