Mead Maple "It's for the kids..."
Paul Cerminara
2019 - First season ever
-Goal: 3 gallons
-Season Total: 7.5 gallons - pulled taps after running out of firewood and time
2020
Built 2'x8' Oil Fired with Thor drop flue pans
-Goal: 20 gallons
-Season Total: 55 gallons
Mead Maple "It's for the kids..."
Paul Cerminara
2019 - First season ever
-Goal: 3 gallons
-Season Total: 7.5 gallons - pulled taps after running out of firewood and time
2020
Built 2'x8' Oil Fired with Thor drop flue pans
-Goal: 20 gallons
-Season Total: 55 gallons
Been using a pressure washer for years..its messy..not worried to get it spotless
3x10 Dallalre, oil fired, Stainless steel.
Steam hoods front and rear with preheater.
1500 taps on vac, right to sugar house.
900 on Gravity
New Busch 3 Phase Vacuum. (2010)
Lapierre 600 Turbo with 2 - 8" posts
36 years of MAPLE ENJOYMENT!!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hills...93710737313171
Easy Off and a pressure washer.
2023: Award Winning Maple Syrup and Honey!
2023: 200 Taps on 3/16" "natural vac"
2022: 150 Taps on 3/16" "natural vac"
2022: Lapierre Vision 2x6 with Preheater & Marcland Autodraw
2022: Brand new post and beam sugar house
2022: 4"x40" RO
Kubota L4701, Kubota BX2380
2 Black Rescue Dogs, 2 Livestock Guardian Dogs, Many Bee Hives, A Flock of Icelandic Chickens
30 Acres of Wooded Bliss
vikingmadeforge: Artist Blacksmithing & Bladesmithing
https://blackdogbeesandmapletrees.com
Ima try a peroxide, baking soda, dish soap paste this year
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
Glass cleaner for wood stoves etc. from Rutland works good on soot buildup. Not sure om the real thick stuff though.
Oh good, the soot is A) normal, and B) OK to leave on for the season. Just finished my third test boil and panicked that was what people meant by burning the pan. After a good 45 minutes with 2 brillo pads, Dad came along with a mini-paint scraper and I was done with the pan in a couple minutes.
2024 - Starting with the 25 then more late Feb.
2023 - 25 taps on 11 trees to focus on the process. 9 Gallons and lots of sugar sand. 35 people over for breakfast in April
2022 - 8 x 14 sugarhouse and a steam bottler. 50 buckets! 9 Gallons syrup and 4 pounds of sugar
2021 - 20 x 30 divided pan on a Mason arch, 34 taps and 8 gallons for family and friends to judge. Dad hooked as well.
2020 - 2 taps, 1/2 pint on a turkey fryer, About 3/4 pint syrup in two weeks - Proof of concept!
Aaron, you don't need to get all the hard creosote off until after season, but you'll want to brush the soot off the bottom of the pan everyday or two before firing up. It will help your boil. I use a grill brush I got at Lowes. You may need to put a long handle on it. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-Grill-Brush/50330231
In mid season I pull the pan and scrub inside and out. On the bottom I just use a putty knife or a flat piece of copper. I don't put a lot of pressure on the putty knife as I'm only looking to get the worse of it off. Inside the pan a vinegar soak and then a Mr clean magic eraser does wonders. A copious bleach solution rinse followed by a clean water rinse and I'm back in business. At the season end I let sap ferment for about 6-8 weeks and then power wash and clean it to a shine . At that time I'll use some oven cleaner on the bottom (fire side) and wash after I scrape off the heavy stuff.
125-150 taps
Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
Modified half pint arch
Air over fire
All 3/16 tubing
Southern Ohio
Oven cleaner and pressure washers do wonders for soot. That’s what we use at the end of the season. Very little wiping with oven cleaner and paper towels to what little bit is left off.
305 taps on 2 Shurflo's, 31 taps on 3/16" and 229 taps on gravity. 565 in all
Mountain Maple S3 controller for 145 of the vacuum taps
2x6 Darveau Mystique Oil Fired Evaporator w/ Smoky Lake Simplicity Auto Draw
Wesfab 7” filter press