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Thread: Hop Kiln Road 2019

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Here We Go!

    Ah the start of the sap runs. Tree wells tight with fresh sugar snow. Good frozen ground. 33F overnight and sun up glittered ice in the trees. Vacuumed the sugarhouse and pressured washed the evaporator during the storm. Safe to load the membranes. Forecast is finally 10 days of perfect sap weather. Happy sugaring everyone!
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default 33" of Vacuum?

    Maple News Online reports:

    “It was good to come and see a modern plant here,” the secretary said of the sugarhouse, which sits on a ledge at the base of Georgia Mountain. “I was blown away that Vermont produces half the syrup the U.S. consumes. I’m happy to be here during maple tapping season.”

    - US Sec of Ag Sonny Perdue tapping the 1st tree in Vermont before returning to Washington to work on the new Farm Bill.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Rolling, Kinda

    Plenty of sap but not even flows from the orchards yet. Some spots are still pretty cold. 2.7% sugar but there is probably an ice factor.

    Blew out the concentrate pressure gauge when I started the RO. H2O says it "probably froze." Huh? Interestingly unit operates but leaks a gallon in 300, which will have to do until the replacement arrives. Would have had steam yesterday otherwise. Usual start up dripping valves and fittings which needed cleaning and retightening.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Still a Slow Roll

    I've got the RO humming and a (food grade) bucket right under the pressure gauge squirt. H2O says a new one is on the way. Boiled 14% to sweeten the pan and made 2 gallons in 3 hours. Quickest sweetening I can remember. My woodshed is a wind tunnel and last season's wood is so dry it ignites outside the evaporator doors. You know what they say in Vermont: upping your concentrate levels is the same as getting a bigger evaporator for free! If I go high brix I can just finish it in the canner - or on the kitchen stove if I get chocked - and not even need an evaporator.

    Oh, but first Ag in the Classroom came up and we made videos of how to use hydrometers, refractometers and various grading kits for the Tucker Mountain Challenge. I think there are 15 schools competing this year and another one with a beautiful new sugarhouse.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    I sweetened my evaporator and drew off about a gallon of syrup in an hour and 6 minutes Tuesday night which is the fastest that I have done it. I was boiling 12% because I can get that with my souped up RO machine in a single pass.
    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!

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Update

    500 gal of 2.7% yesterday from 700 taps so the trees are still unfreezing. Ice in all the tanks.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    My trees aren't producing that well yet but I am getting something which is a plus. The ice in my tank has finally melted.
    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!

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Catch My Breathe

    Wind put a hold on things. Once I got the filter press hoses right, bottled 10 cases of glass and got Sir K broken in on those plastic safety caps. Got some help positioning the second permeate tank, last part of the operation to reassemble! I store 600 gal for a 200 RO but its rigged so I can run a pressure washer off the permeate. Every sugarhouse should have a pressure washer! Still waiting for my H2O gauge. Beautiful weather ahead so don't slack off Parker.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Appointed Rounds

    Walked all the lines Sunday morning. Found almost 10% of the taps out of service, fallen limbs mostly. One 25 tap 3/16 line was severed by a bear, cut it and then bit off a 3' section and played with it before waddling off. Perfect timing. About 2PM, 33F and pretty breezy up here, everything let loose. Sap was streaking across the 3/16 speed bump in the driveway. My 1" pump lines freeze up in this weather so I won't be able to pump until later this morning, but I bet we had our first little run of the season.

    Oh, and the PO wouldn't deliver my H2O gauge Saturday because of "loose dog." But they were able to deliver a bunch of junk mail and unsolicited political postcard crap. Same USPS equipment doesn't have any problem delivering here Sunday mornings for Amazon.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Bow, NH
    Posts
    622

    Default Half Speed

    Getting about .5 gpt in the afternoons. Air temps moving very quickly between the nice sun and the snow/ice pack but trees are primed and pushing hard. No problem keeping the concentrate cool after 6PM.
    Bruce Treat
    825 Sugar Maple Taps
    3/16 w/ DSD .225 Spiles
    H2O RO
    H2O 2.5 X 8
    Bow, New Hampshire

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