+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 49

Thread: Sleepy forest maple 2021

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default Sleepy forest maple 2021

    I figured I'd start my own post this year. Added 100 taps this year. All on 5/16 gravity. It's all set up to be vacuum in the future, possibly next year if everything goes alright. That puts my tap count close to 250, with the rest on vacuum.

    Got all my taps in today. I honestly thought I was way behind but from the sounds of it I haven't missed much. We had a couple warm days so far but nothing great. My woods is pretty cold anyways. A couple of trees were running when I tapped but not many.

    Hooked up the vacuum and it was at 15... got some work to do. By the end of the day it was up to 23. Hard to find the leaks while nothing is running. I'll try and find some more tomorrow.

    Got a new set of smoky lake 2x6 drop flue pans this year upgraded from a 2x4 hybrid pan. Still have a few things to set up to get the evaporator up and going. Mainly the flue drain, head tank, and finish the new air over fire setup. Hopefully all the improvements help with wood consumption.

    How everyone else is ready for the warm up! Happy sapping.

    Jake.
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    W Charleston, VT
    Posts
    36

    Default

    Hey Jake,

    I would have thought you would have been rocking and rolling being as south as you are down in Richmond. Do you know my friend Jim Mountford? Seems everyone does, he and Heather are great people. We are way up north in Charleston and haven’t had much of anything. We rand 20 gal through the other day to test equipment and practice as it’s our first year, but this week should be what we have been waiting for all year! We have a set up similar to your numbers with 145 on a small producer vacuum system by Mountain Maple. Uses solar to charge batteries. We have some on gravity, but decided to give vacuum a try early since we would end up there eventually like most do. When we first turned on a couple of weeks ago we had 10 in one main, and 0 in the other. Found what we thought was a hollow tree and pulled it and the vac on both lines went up to 10. That was encouraging, but it tells me there’s more to find once the run starts. Do you think we should be up more near the 20s like you are, even if the saps not running? It’s hard for me to know, being new to the whole deal. Here’s to high-reading vacuum gauges, full tanks, and great brix for 2021! Ellen

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Not much sap to speak of today... only got up to 38 here but not until late in the day. Last night was cold too. I had 16 when I woke up. I got enough through the vacuum lines to flush them out so everything i connect now is getting boiled. The gravity lines are all new so that's all good to go as well. They didn't produce at all today but they are all deep in the woods so they're going to take a few warm days to thaw out. Found a few small leaks. Got the vacuum up to 24.i think i have a few leaky saddles. I'm using the cdl multi use saddle. I don't have the bolt kits but I think it will be a good investment to get them.

    I got the flue pan drain installed and the float box plumbed up. Now just need to move the head tank to the shack and we're ready to rock and roll.
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Hi Ellen,

    I don't know Jim, but then again I'm a pretty big home body. I don't get out much! We're definitely a lot farther south than you but I'm at 1300 feet elevation and my woods sits in a low spot. It's always cold and goes late in the season. I'll be making syrup well into April if the weather agrees.
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    The sap finally started running today. I came home to about 100 gallons in the vacuum tank. Not to bad... the gravity line was another story. It was dripping some, maybe about 20 gallons in the tank. Those trees are all deep in the woods so I'm sure they still have some thawing out to do. Got some more minor plumbing things in the sugar house tied up. Also got the manifold for the new air over fire setup put together. All i need to do is drill and tap the holes for the 3/8 stainless nipples that will be the nozzles. Hopefully it will decrease my wood consumption.

    I hope everyone is ready for the sap flood coming!
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Finally got enough sap to boil. Did my first boil yesterday. Got the pans sweet and ready to go for the season. Just need some more sap now. The vacuum taps are producing but the gravity ones have not. Hopefully after this last warm up they start flowing. Was able to make a short video of the first boil.

    https://youtu.be/XhS9hnUz0Ug
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Hudson NH
    Posts
    170

    Default

    Love that video. My first thought was that must be 200 dollars in lumber there, before I heard you got it for free! Seeing that makes me want to upgrade. Have fun, looks like it will be a joy to watch it chew through the sap!

    19x48 mini pro oil fired, Nano R/O, CDL Vacuum Press,Mountain Maple Vacuum setup
    6x12 sugar house off back of shed
    2024-103 Taps Mostly Sugars, Dozen Reds
    "The days are long, but the years are short"

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

    Default

    raptorfan, gotta love that corsair arch right. I noticed you didn't leave yourself a lot of room in front of the arch to work when loading. I know with mine it is hot You must get just a tad bit warm. haha
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Pdiamond View Post
    raptorfan, gotta love that corsair arch right. I noticed you didn't leave yourself a lot of room in front of the arch to work when loading. I know with mine it is hot You must get just a tad bit warm. haha
    Stacking the wood in front of the evaporator was a bad idea... one that is gone I'll have plenty of room. As it is now, yes it gets quite toasty loading wood lol.
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    Been a slow few days... I boiled this past weekend and made 4 gallons of syrup. Pretty light stuff, came out as amber but really close to golden. Finished it and bottled up on Monday night. Now just waiting for the next run.

    So I've been chasing a mystery leak all year. My releaser would only get up to 23 inches vacuum. I should be able to get 25 easy. Was checking everything i could find with no luck. Finally today I checked the moisture trap. Sure enough the o ring to seal it was rotten and broken. I called bascoms and they don't sell just the o ring, great. Now I have to find one. I have the black cdl moisture trap. Not sure of the exact size but looks to be about 4 inch pvc... I put it back together without touching the o ring because it would have just fallen apart.
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts