March journal
I guess everyone's too busy. It seems no one started the March Journal yet.
So here it goes- I have gotten no sap yet, ran the pump yesterday when the temperature got up to 36 F. Vac ran at 27" for an hour and I only got about 1/2 gal off over 300 taps. The trees must still be frozen. I will try again today, maybe temps in the upper forties will thaw the trees. Then it looks like the next 4 weeks will be good sap weather, freezes almost every night and warm most days, in the 40's on most days. If that happens it could end up a much more traditional maple season.
Yesterday we put our larger pump and engine out at the lease. That's at higher elevation and the temps generally run 4-6 degrees lower. That sould also give up some sap starting later this week. Too windy today to risk working in the woods, 18+ MPH keeps me out of the woods. Too much risk for falling trees and limbs.
Based on the forecast it looks like my first boil might come Tuesday , especially if the trees thaw today so sap runs today and tomorrow.
I will be doing my start of season clean up on my RO tomorrow, then tapping more trees at the lease. Still have maybe 400 more taps to put in, to end up at about 1000. The mains all look good, but at the lease several laterals are down, and frozen into a layer of ice which slows things a lot.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.