Hey it works good in shine. Makes good mash.
Hey it works good in shine. Makes good mash.
25 years sugaring
2018 191taps. Made 80 gallons
Two taps to a 5 gallon bucket roadside trees.
A retired dad to hump buckets and do most of the boiling the great wife that let's me spend lots of time and money.
New Smokey lake 2×6 raised flue SSR on my own version of the silverplate arch.
2019 new hood and new preheater concept that worked great.
306 taps roadside trees
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
1960 - 1970s 70 taps on galvanized buckets with Dad and Grandpa.
1970s - 1985 Acted crazy!
1986 - 2005 20-30 buckets.
2006- 2017 70 buckets and bags
2017-2019 100 bags and buckets
2020 Finally retired!!! 75 buckets, 50-75 on tubing. RO Bucket, New 12 X 16 Shack and a 42X42 flat pan.
2021-Adding another 125 taps along with a second RO bucket.
2022- Shooting for 350 taps, with 100 on lines.
Lots of Family and Friends and dogs named Skyy and Nessy!
Lol... Here is a related article. https://www.themaplenews.com/story/e...p-go-away/243/
I find it interesting that the problem results from metabolites from a certain bacteria. So, not the bacteria themselves it seems, but products of their metabolism.
And the article also supports my experience with ropey syrup in that: “Float boxes are really a problem,” and I would add that pre-heaters can be a problem as well.
The worst experience I have had with ropey syrup was several years ago after a break in boiling for a couple weeks. Sweet sat in the pans and float boxes and the flue pan float box spoiled and then contaminated the sweet. There may have been some contamination in the pipe between the float box and preheater. Since then I drain the float boxes and wash them out after every boil. I also drain the pre heater into the flue pan while the pan is still boiling as the evap is cooling off. It's a tricky balance not running the pans to low but with forced air I can pretty effectively blow the fire out pretty quick.
About 750 taps on High Vac.
2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
Springtech Elite 500 RO
14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
www.littlehogbackfarm.com
I woke up to this issue this morning, boiled on Sunday, left the sweet in the pan, nights were frosty but days were warm. When I first started the foam was noticeable but not extraordinary....I continued on all morning fretting as I went. I have been skimming almost constantly but as the morning went on it got better and better.
2014 - 6 buckets, 4 coffee cans and a propane burner - almost 40L of sap and 1.6L of syrup
2015 - 103 taps on gravity. Homemade oil tank arch and a Smoky Lake 2' X 5' hybrid. - 2.66 gallons of syrup
2016 - 101 taps, 550 gallons of sap, ~10 gallons of syrup all dark.
2017 - 138 taps, 225 gallons of sap, 5.55 gallons of dark syrup, still procrastinating on the vac.
2018 - ~150 taps, I lost track of the sap it was incredible!, over 20 gal of syrup, all dark.
I had it happen a couple years ago. Had just lit the fire and stuck my hand in the flue pan while it was still cold - and came out with a handful of snot! I ran the garden hose into the pan while I let the fire go out, drained the pan and pressure washed it. A couple hours later the pan was clean and I was boiling with fresh concentrate which made good syrup. The contents of the syrup pan were fine - it was the flue pan that turned.
This past Sunday I drained 400 gallons out of one of our sap tanks in the woods but left 20 gallons in the tank that was pretty nasty looking. By the time I'd sloshed it around to clean up the slime it the tank it had gone totally snotty and would barely drain! 15 gallons of clean water later the tank looked like new and the sap coming in was great.
4,600 Taps on vacuum
9,400 gallons storage
3 tower CDL RO
3.5'x14' Lapierre Force 5
Twitter & Instagram: @ennismaple
www.ennismaple.com