2016 - 2 x 4 Randy Worthen built arch and pans 11 taps; 2.625 gallons of syrup!
2017 - 29 taps; 11.625 gallons of syrup!
2018 - 30 taps; 98 pints bottled! New sugar house being built, new equipment coming!
2019 - 125 taps; 50 gallons made! New 2x6 Smoky Lake Corsair arch, drop flue pan, auto draw. Smoky Lake filter press and Steam Bottler
2020 - 173 taps; only 35 gallons made.
2021 - 242 taps; New record! 50.5 gallons made!
2022 - 321 taps; New record! 80 gallons made!
Maybe someone from H2O innovation will design a tee with a quick release drop that is vacuum leak proof! The world of maple producers will beat a path to their door!
Mark 220 Maple
1100 taps on low vaccum, 900 on gravity.
900 plus taps leased and on high vacuum
35 cfm Indiana Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump
80% Sugar, 20% Red MAPLES
http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/g...Maple%20Syrup/
I'm skeptical.... seems to me the quick release is just one more fitting that can leak or plug up. For several years now I have been replacing drops by cutting them off the T with a Pruno stripping tool. https://pruno.ca/en/5-16-3-16-tubing...g-pliers-71210
With some practice it is pretty quick to remove a drop. If someone wanted to sanitize their drops and/or spouts (which is I assume why Boxler does what they do), this could be an option.
The problem I'm finding is T's plugging after several years. I pull spouts with the vac on and every season I find several T's (5/16) that are plugged.
I'm not sure there's any true replacement to cutting out the T and drop every so often.
I'm also not sure what the quick release fittings Boxler uses cost but I would think that would add up pretty quick. Judging by their videos however, cost may not be much of an obstacle....
About 750 taps on High Vac.
2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
Springtech Elite 500 RO
14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
www.littlehogbackfarm.com
Exactly why this has not caught on. It's been tried a few times, always with issues of leakage, coming apart (during hard freezes) or (more rarely) plugging.
And that is the other primary factor.I'm also not sure what the quick release fittings Boxler uses cost but I would think that would add up pretty quick.
It is one of those things that really sounds like a good idea, but doesn't work very well in practice. A few people do it, most don't.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
I think they could be helpful on a few lines that I have crossing woods roads for disconnecting them during the off-season.
2016 - 2 x 4 Randy Worthen built arch and pans 11 taps; 2.625 gallons of syrup!
2017 - 29 taps; 11.625 gallons of syrup!
2018 - 30 taps; 98 pints bottled! New sugar house being built, new equipment coming!
2019 - 125 taps; 50 gallons made! New 2x6 Smoky Lake Corsair arch, drop flue pan, auto draw. Smoky Lake filter press and Steam Bottler
2020 - 173 taps; only 35 gallons made.
2021 - 242 taps; New record! 50.5 gallons made!
2022 - 321 taps; New record! 80 gallons made!
GeneralStark, I looked up the price of these, I don't remember which store, they were $1.11 each.
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