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Thread: Willow Creek Sugarhouse 2022

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    Rock Creek, NC
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    5,807

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    Quote Originally Posted by red maples View Post

    Russ better be here this year!!! But his daily activites are gonna be like... "well sat on the porch in my Rocking chair havin' me some maple sweet tea..... watchin' the squirrels in the bird feeder..."
    Ask and you shall receive! I did have a big porch built on my house but I'm not sitting on it. I'm at PATHERON'S in PA helping him with his 12000 taps. I'm getting my maple fix and he's getting some much needed help with bubble patrol. This is the best kind of maple production for me. I get to do all of the fun stuff and he spends the money lol.

    It sounds like you're going to have a nice vacuum set up now. That pump will put the suck on!

    Good luck with your season! The sap's just starting to run here in PA
    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!

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

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    good to hear from you russ!!!
    Glad you are 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!!!

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
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    east kingston, nh
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    Well I did a dumba$$ thing. I assumed my brand new vacuum pump was all ready to go not knowing it was wired for high voltage. I should have known better worked great for that first run had a great boil and things were going too smooth. Well my pump was wired for high voltage and I fried the motor. so my heart sank just got completely stressed out. Got in touch with Shayna at MES and got out of work early on Wednesday Clayton took one look and told me what I did. But luckily he a one sitting there that I have on loan until mine is either fixed or replaced. so more money more money more money. Got it home and was back in business by 5 PM. and collected 600 gallons in less than 12 hours overnight. and slept better. Oh well live and learn.

    So up to 11.5 gallons so far on the season. Heading out in the woods for a bit and search for leaks pulling 25" but want more. need 27" thats the goal anyway. not putting in buckets yet still dialing things in on tubing. might miss a little sap but its only 28 or what ever and they are sap saks and after this little warm up its gonna pretty much shut down for about 7 days and that too long for them to be sitting idle they will get chewed. I will get them in next week during vacation week.

    not much sap today too cold for too long so things need today to thaw. its coming in better and better. guessing tomorrow its gonna run hard for 48 hrs or so before we freeze up and snow on Friday!!!

    Hope everyone is getting their "s" together and getting things dialed in Good luck all!!!
    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. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Barrington, NH
    Posts
    2,762

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    That stinks about the new vac. pump motor. That's one of the problems with us playing at electricians...we know enough to be dangerous.

    Good luck the rest of the season. You're further ahead than I am.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

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    Quote Originally Posted by Amber Gold View Post
    That stinks about the new vac. pump motor. That's one of the problems with us playing at electricians...we know enough to be dangerous.

    Good luck the rest of the season. You're further ahead than I am.
    yeah thats the truth.

    sap just aint coming in that good at all. only a 2 day total of about 200 gallons. not enough to do anything yet. trees are still frozen from the weekend. its gonna break loose tonight and tomorrow for sure. they are saying 8-12 inches for seacoast NH for friday now I just hope its cold enough its not heavy wet snow.
    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. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

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    Not much flowing over this way either. Had enough to sweeten the pans yesterday. Only collected about 100 gallons today.
    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. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    Things are starting to loosen up here in PA but no bigsap yet. We should have around 12000 gallons to boil tomorrow morning.
    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!

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Walpole, NH
    Posts
    1,363

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    Trees finally thawed out overnight in the pouring rain and ended up with a pretty good run here.
    Sugaring for 45+ years
    New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
    New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
    2022 added a used RB25 RO Bucket
    250 mostly Sugar Maples, 15% Soft Maples. Currently,(110on 3/16" and 125 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 15 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
    1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
    2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

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    Well things broke loose overnight Tuesday and got about another 150+ gallons by morning. had to RO in the morning to make sure I had enough room for the rest of the day.

    My boss let me run home about 10am and turn on the RO so I would be ready to boil a little earlier.

    all total got about 575 gallons made about 10 gallons of syrup could have done a late draw and got another gallon maybe but need to keep some in the evap. nice smooth boil and filter. Nice to have some sugar in the sap for a change as well I will take 50:1 all season.

    I ALWAYS have issues with the first syrup through the filter press. I never put in enough DE. this year the pressure spiked right away and was spraying out all over. I learned my first year to always put a towel over the plates or it makes a Huge mess I think I hit the ceiling that first year with the press. actually learned that from Glen Goodrich he said he had a school class in on a field trip and he was demonstrating the filter press and forgot how much DE he put in while he was talking and it wasn't even close to enough it clogged the papers and sprayed syrup straight up to the ceiling. he said luckily everyone was far enough away.

    I have another 100 gallons of sap after I was done boiling so just gonna squeeze it a little and refresh the evap today or tomorrow.

    season total sits about 21.5 gallons for February. looks like a longer cold snap than I expected. but the snow is good. Hope we go into April but only time will tell.
    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. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    It sounds like you're off to a good start. Until I got the amount of syrup and dirt figured out filtering was a pita. I had a learning curve with the AOD pump too which added to the excitement when the pressure got too high. I made sure that I put the towel over it before I opened the air valve to keep the ceiling clean.
    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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