New to the Maple Industry in NE OHIO

[MapleCreekFarm]

Hi you all,
I've learned a lot from all you folks that have posted your tidbits and more over the years for us newbies to glean thru. A big shout out and thanks to all!

This will be my second season getting my feet wet (and sweet) in the maple syrup business. I think the bug has bit pretty deep and is going to hang on for a while. Last year we had 250 taps in our woods on our 46 acre property near the town of Columbiana, OH. This year we expanded the tubing to the rest of the woods and a small patch on a neighbor's property to bring us to 650 taps. To my knowledge, the maples were never tapped before. They run to the smaller size (8-20") and are about half sugar and half soft maples. Last year on 250 taps we got nearly 3 qt of syrup per tap running high (24-26") vac.

As far as the sugar house side, we are currently taking our sap to Dave Hively at Misty Maples to run it thru his RO and evap on the half, although I did purchase a used Deer Run 500 RO from Ray Gingerich so that we don't have to haul so much water this year with more taps. Last year we hauled 12,438 gal (1.2% average) of sap in 600 gal batches on our dump trailer. Not practical to nearly triple that volume and still haul it a half hour. Within several years, I would like to set up my own sugar house but for now the investment is plenty high enough and the learning curve is steep for someone who started out knowing practically nothing about it.

I am using 2 Airtech HP200V oilless air cooled vac pumps. Each pump is rated at up to 8 cfm and a max of 27" Hg but do not know whether they are running to spec since I bought them used. In testing this spring after I tapped and during the tiny run of sap I collected I was able to hold 24.5"Hg. Which I am happy with for now. I have a few tiny leaks that I know of and few more suspected that I will fix once the season starts for real (hopefully next week).

This year I also buried an electric line and sap line from my collection point to my one pole building which I eventually plan to convert into my sugar house. All told I'm probably around $15,000 in investment and you all know better than I do the ROI of maple sugaring. But its fun and something to do in the winter when my regular job (tree service) is slow. I also figure that if I get the investment pain done now while I'm young (37) it is something I could do for many years yet.

Well, this is probably long enough for my first post! Best wishes to you all in 2021!

Eric Kurtz

[maple flats]

Welcome Eric, glad to have you aboard. There are a few ways to find leaks. One is to watch the loop where a lateral line joins the mainline, if the flow is fast, you have a leak, walk that line, check each tree for fast moving. It may be best to start that line at the far end, fix the first drop where you find a fast flow, then continue towards the mainline repeating as you go. Another way if to have a vacuum gauge on each mainline and a ball valve. Close the valve, if the vacuum drops quickly, you have a leak to hunt down, if the vacuum drops slow and steady, no leak. Another way is to just listen carefully as you walk the woods, if your hearing is still good, you can hear the leaks, if bad look into a Leak Detector (I think I got it from CDL) That is a set of head phones and a battery powered amplifier, with it you will be able to tune in to hear even the tiniest leaks, even ones next to a running vacuum pump. That is how I hear them, my brother in law can still hear them without the leak detector
even though he was a mechanic his whole life and runs a chainsaw a lot.
As far as ROI, that happens when you get out of maple and sell all of the equipment. By the way, I have a whole list of stuff for sale in the classifieds.

[Pdiamond]

Welcome Eric,
As you said, now is the time to start, while you are young. Just don't get so big that you get overwhelmed. when it comes down to the end of the season you wnat to be able to look back and say that was fun, a lot of work but a lot of fun. Make sure you include others too. Got to pass it on

[MapleCreekFarm]

Not planning on growing too much more for the next couple years, but you know how that works sometimes. 🤪I wasn't really planning to be at 650 taps the second year, but I needed a RO if I expanded much at all, so then with that investment it made more sense to get the rest of the woods tapped to maximize ROI. So I just decided to Git R Done.

David Klish: your evaporator tempts me but I first need a proper place to install it. But that's how I get snookered into doing more than I thought I was going to. So I'll just let it slide. 😀 If God grants me life and health till I'm 74, that will be 38 years of sugaring! Best wishes to you!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Welcome, sounds like you figured out the viscous cycle that is maple syrup producing. It never ends so just accept it and move on

[maple flats]

David Klish: your evaporator tempts me but I first need a proper place to install it. But that's how I get snookered into doing more than I thought I was going to. So I'll just let it slide. �� If God grants me life and health till I'm 74, that will be 38 years of sugaring! Best wishes to you!

I didn't start until 2003, after I sold my business and got bored, too much free time. It was fun until I ended up on a blood thinner, that took the fun out of it.