Tapping Central Pa 2021

[Paddymountain]

Well, it's getting closer to go time! I spent a little time today in the woods getting ready. I have
one bush about ready to go. Installed new spouts and re-tensioned some lines. Sugar house is just about ready . I need to finish
putting the evaporator together, and a little more cleaning up. Looking to start tapping Feb 1! We will see if the weather
cooperates!

[Paddymountain]

I spent a little time in the woods at the house this morning. Replaced a two pipe sap ladder with
a star sap ladder. I'm thinking it will thaw out quicker. Also had a mainline connection that was
just about ready to pull apart. Fixed that and replaced some spiles. Still have a lot to do but hopefully
put a good dent in it this week end. In the sugarshack I need to put my evaporator back together, and wash
up all my receiver parts. Outside, need to get the head tank up on the roof and figure out some plumbing
to get sap to it. I bought a 400 gallon bulk milk tank to replace a 275 gallon cage tank. Mostly just some minor adjustments
to the process.
Feel free everyone to post on this thread!
Hopefully you Central Pa folks will help contribute!

[Openwater]

I'm planning on tapping this Saturday, 1/30.
Pretty much got everything ready.
Putting a few final touches on homemade evaporator: new AUF intake/blower install and putting it on wheels (repurposed AV cart bases) so I can just roll it out of the garage to boil and roll it back in when done.
Finished building shop-vac vacuum filter over weekend
Making sure drill batteries are charged

[minehart gap]

All of my laterals have been cleaned with chlorine. That cleaned stuff out that I couldn't see was in there. Black gunk came out of drops and laterals that I thought were clean. I used vinegar and hot after season last year but that is no comparison to what came out with the chlorine.

Trees are tapped and waiting for sap flow to flush the lines. I washed my tanks this evening. Need to wash the transfer tanks, RO, head tank and evaporator then I think that I am ready to go.

I was talking with a bigger producer about tapping frozen trees. I always thought that they did it so that they could have all of the taps in in time. Turns out that there is an additional reason. He claims that holes clean better with the tapping bit in frozen wood and the spiles seat better, so I tried it. Not sure how to compare but shavings definitely were pulled out more than I remember from past years and no questions that the spiles are seated better.

I have a few trees that I am not tapping because of location and the woodpecker has decimated so I put taps in and when I tried to pull the taps out, they broke off before they came out. I had to use vice grips and hot water to get the rest of the tap out. Never was able to get the one out.

[Sugarmaker]

All of my laterals have been cleaned with chlorine. That cleaned stuff out that I couldn't see was in there. Black gunk came out of drops and laterals that I thought were clean. I used vinegar and hot after season last year but that is no comparison to what came out with the chlorine.

Trees are tapped and waiting for sap flow to flush the lines. I washed my tanks this evening. Need to wash the transfer tanks, RO, head tank and evaporator then I think that I am ready to go.

I was talking with a bigger producer about tapping frozen trees. I always thought that they did it so that they could have all of the taps in in time. Turns out that there is an additional reason. He claims that holes clean better with the tapping bit in frozen wood and the spiles seat better, so I tried it. Not sure how to compare but shavings definitely were pulled out more than I remember from past years and no questions that the spiles are seated better.

I have a few trees that I am not tapping because of location and the woodpecker has decimated so I put taps in and when I tried to pull the taps out, they broke off before they came out. I had to use vice grips and hot water to get the rest of the tap out. Never was able to get the one out.

Matt,
Thank you for joining us today for our annual Northwest PA Maple Producers Meeting (Zoom) Had a good time!
Good luck with that new evaporator! We need pictures too!
Regards,
Chris

[Manada Hill Maple]

Threw a few taps in on 1/16 to see what the flow was like. Had a few good days of 1.8-2.2%. Will be tapping the rest of my trees this weekend before the snow hits.

[Billinpa]

Running lines tomorrow morning then tapping in on Sunday in Northumberland county. Next week looks like it should be a good one!

[Paddymountain]

I think I made a mistake! Thursday I checked my one main line and it was running fairly well.
The forecast here for yesterday wasn't too promising, although it turned out to be really sunny and nice.
I hesitated and didn't hook up my tanks in the morning, thereby loosing a pretty good run. This morning
I set out my barrels and hooked up my cage tank that has 100 taps running into. It will run some today but
after that, it looks like a week of Antarctica here. Whatever runs in the tanks now will keep until we get into serious
sap weather.

[Openwater]

Good day today - collected 27 gallons.
Got 18 gallons black walnut and 40 gallons of maple, total, to boil tomorrow.
First attempt using the RO5 and first burn in the evaporator. Hoping to be done by gametime.

[Paddymountain]

With the impending storm on Monday I am planning to get as many taps in tomorrow as I can.
I have two 100 tap bushes I want to do for sure. Regardless of how much snow we get I was planning to tap anyway.
It looks like late next week should be good! I spent some time today getting my head tank in place and figuring
out how to pump sap up to it. I bought a 400 gallon ss bulk tank last summer to put in place of a 275 gallon cage tank, so it took
a different plumbing scenario to work. Just a little to do in the sugar shack, put the float box on the flue pan, and run a new rope to open my steam stack.