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Thread: Willow Creek Sugarhouse 2020

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

    Default Willow Creek Sugarhouse 2020

    Hi Everyone, Getting close, this past warm up means its getting close. Still have much to do. Had a Great fall for sales best ever so I Ordered a brand new electric horizontal releaser from MES. should be ready in about a week or 2 looks like a pretty good freeze up coming soon according to the long term forecast anyway but who knows that could change tomorrow. This releaser will eliminate the open tank with the mechanical on it and I can use the mechanical releaser a different spot and get rid of the older hobby that has been a thorn in my side for the past few years it will be a constant vac pressure instead of dumping and back flow every few minutes. So building a little 6 x 8 shed that,s about 3/4 done, moving the vac pump in there with the releaser and need to run electric etc.

    then out in the woods to finish replacing some 3/4" black water tubing with 1" 30p I had 100 foot of it lying around last year put it in and I love it. my property is very flat and very little pitch to the tubing I have to constantly work at keeping out sags for good vac transfer and this helps so much because I can see the sap flowing and can just walk and find sags and tighten etc.

    Its been very windy this year in NH and not just from politics either. (although I can't wait for this election circus and all the side shows to be over!!! just sick of it) anyway lots of branches and blow downs to get at.

    Have a good season everyone!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    It's good to hear from you again Brad. Looks like you might want to update your signature. I replaced a 700' 3/4" black mainline with 30P last year and found that I really like it a lot. With all of the wind that we've had my woods were in pretty good shape. I had 2 trees come down across one of my mainlines that turned out to be an easier than expected fix. I didn't even need a chainsaw in the rest of the woods.

    I hope that you like your new releaser. I have really happy with the membranes and pre filters that I've bought from MES. They are a good company to do business with.

    Good luck with your season!
    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!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
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    Hey Everybody, figured I would take a minute and do an update. Not much down time for me between work, kids basketball and running him everywhere. I am doing some consulting work for my aunt, she is buying a bed and Breakfast in boulder Canyon, Colorado and I am designing the kitchen and menu and stuff. It is beautiful place called the the ALPS INN check it out if you like https://www.alpsinn.com/ so there is that. Next week is school vacation thank goodness but I am doing 3 ice carvings for The Sea Dog in Exeter for their little winter carnival I did it last year too. Its fun and make some extra money. I will see if I can post the picks of the ice from last year.

    anyway back to maple. Got my shed build electric run, vac pump is installed in there. still need to run the pipes though. My releaser from MES isn't done yet. have to call again tomorrow, so I will have to with the old set up until its ready. Hopefully it will be done and I can get it soon. I really don;t expect much sap saturday maybe some on sunday but cold temps will freeze everything up pretty good and take a day or 2 to get things going.

    Only 200' of the 30P installed and saddles re done. had to get other stuff fixed. had 2 more trees come down that snapped mainline wires in 2 places . So that set me back so I am slightly behind on tapping. Didn;t get started until Sunday afternoon. but struggled my drill is aging and just doesn;t have power anymore struggles again on monday and decided I was wasting too much time so headed in town after dark and bought a brandy new dewalt. WOW the power what difference. anyway I have about 300 taps in and have about 285 more on the vac. hoping I can get those in Thursday and Friday after work. finish up saturday if needed and get buckets hung on Sunday morning just in time.

    I did get my RO running and flushed the membranes so they thats all set too. So I have a little RO under the sink in my kitchen its a little 3 galloner. I have that serviced by the company that installed it. anyway when he was here he was checking the water with a TDS meter that measures in Parts per Million. TDS= total dissolved solids. So I got one on amazon its cheap money and easy to use to check on your membranes to see if they are passing sugar. Figured I would try it out. while I was flushing the membranes (well water) it was reading 0 PPM for the Permeat so nothing getting through. pretty neat.

    So I do need to clean the sugarhouse and get evap prepped etc. but I think I got a little time.

    busy but having fun.
    Last edited by red maples; 02-19-2020 at 06:10 PM.
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    I was wondering what you've been up to. Looks like you've got a little catching up to do. I hope your new releaser is ready soon. Good luck getting the rest of your taps in.
    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!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
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    Yeah just been super busy. just came in to grb a quick lunch.

    took my wife up to Wentworth Green house for an art and craft fair she does about 5 or 6 of them up there the coincide with the winter farmers market. got back to the house about 8:30 but my daughter was sick so sat with her for a bit she is 17 but it kinda was like meningitis but no fever so just wanted to make sure she was OK. then headed to the woods. put in about 125 taps.

    I have less than 100 probably closer to about 85 taps to get in here on my property.

    Picked up Releaser on thursday after work looks pretty Quite a bit simpler than the other options I looked at. less things to fail I will get a pick up as soon as I can just trying to get caught up before sap runs. Still have to run tubing and plumbing and hook up the VFD and float switch. Hoping to get to that later on this after noon after finish tapping my woods.

    Have to fix a dry line connector but that will take a little rebuilding big crack on the pvc thing I build with valve and vacuum gauge. Have to replace a few more drop lines that are destroyed (ran out of what I had with me) and have to replace a saddle, man the thing is chewed right down to the nub.

    but getting there. its 40 and sunny here but the trees need more time to thaw didn't have one drippy hole this morning.
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    You're not missing much yet. It's a beautiful day here, sunny and 42*, but the trees are still frozen and the sap is barely running.
    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!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

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    Sap was running but still working on stuff worst case scenario I missed Sunday's app. But it was very pretty cold on sat night so guessing it was just the warm trees running. Got vac pump all plumbed into the releaser VFD wired and dry tested. They had the toggle switch wired backwards but that an easy fix. Releaser is all plumbed except for incoming sap lines bit have valves on them. Ran the vac brought it up to 29" turned of the vac and it held vac for about 20 minutes. No leaks. Beautiful.

    The remaining work I needed to do outside so called it quits for the night and had some family stuff to do. Building a new connector for my dry line this morning should have that installed shortly. Replace a few drops and get those trapped and the woods are done except for leaks. And minor adjustments.

    Get the main lines connected and we are business. Got down to 25 here. And with warm air coming through should be boiling tonight!!!.
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

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    ah... finally up and running as of 12:00 yeaterday!!! ffeeewww.... got my woods done. attached all the lines to the releaser. put in new oil in the pump and started her up. pulling 22" right off the bat!!! nice!!! grabbed a sandwich and sit down for a few minutes, then headed out to find leaks found a couple pretty good chews, and 3 hollow trees. got it up to 27" when I started on the farthest mainline and all the laterals were full of sap ooops... forgot to open the valve on that section. well opened it up and swoosh... only down to 26.25" I'll take it. came back to the SH to check on things there everything seems to running smoothly have a slight boil on the drain pipe in the releaser its not too bad so I will worry about that when things freeze up this weekend.

    sap was super green stinky and nasty of course dumped a little and now its crystal clear in the releaser green hue in the tank. only got down to 34* here so got some sap on the over night as well. no freeze here until thursday night I think overcast this morning. butwe'll see what the next few days bring. low pressure system so sap will continue. guessing we are gonna start with dark or very dark syrup based on this run.

    I love the fact that there is continuous vacuum!!!


    gotta see the accountant and get tax stuff done this morning.

    then have to get the taps in across the street. 75 over there. I am gonna use the mechanical releaser over there and offiacally decommission the hobby that has been a thorn in my side the past few years. expecting alot more sap out of those 75 this year.

    then we will get all the buckets in this weekend hopefully saturday or sunday.
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

    Default

    vac is now up to 27" didn't do anything. but I will take it. guessing the trees are warmer. had a couple of little fixes across the street and got in about 1/2 the taps about 35 to go ran out of light got a later start over there than I wanted to. I left my 150 gallon plastic tank over there over the summer covered but apparently not covered well enough because its solid ICE oops. but I slid it out of the way and I have another one I can put in there. have to make something to set the releaser down in the tank because it is alot bigger.

    Finish everything tomorrow morning over there. and work on cleaning the sugarhouse should need much I had everything pretty clean in november. need to run up to sunnyside this weekend for a few things and stock up on containers, DE, filters etc. hope everyone is having fun!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    Sounds like you're making progress. I've got the weekend off so maybe we can get together when you go to Sunnyside. I've got some greenish colored sap too. I'm planning to go through a couple of pre filters before I get it all through the RO.
    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!

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