Looks like I will finally start tapping. So far I've just been packing lots of syrup to have my stock up for my online and retail store sales along with fixing lines. I will only be tapping around the sugarhouse this year, no more steep hills and hauling sap. Last year at the sugarhouse I had about 350 taps and about 400 in the hills 7-8 miles away. This year I plan to add more taps around the sugarhouse, to tap trees and areas never tapped before. I should finish with somewhere between 400-450 taps total, all on good vacuum and all going to the sugarhouse.
I had few large trees down from what seemed like more than usual winds but I had plenty of limbs on the lines and lots of deer chew damage along with some squirrel chew damage. Last year was my worst year ever for deer chews but the NYS DEC says deer do not chew the tubing. I beg to differ, when the chews are not at the trees, but rather in the spaces from tree to tree, and the chew marks show no center teeth, but 2 almost parallel chews directly across the tubing I say it is deer.
I recently changed to D&G tubing from Leader, in 3/16. That D&G is the one getting chewed. Does anyone have a tubing that seems to get less chewing damage from deer? I still have 3 coils of D&G but will need more, I'd like to try another brand if it seems to be better in areas with a high deer pressure. Our woods and a neighbor who's land borders mine on 2 sides is hunted and a good number of deer are taken annually, but for some reason the deer like to move to my woods from about mid Jan thru March or into April.
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.