My plan 2022/23

[Swingpure]

The hose is food safe for sure, and the bilge pump is made of food safe plastic. I used to fixate on food safe pumps, but then I discovered that a number of people on the site use a number of transfer pumps, both large and small, that are not officially food safe.

The brand new bilge pump type, is being used by others on this site with no issues.

None of my syrup will end up on store shelves, however my grandkids will be eating it and I trust that the syrup will be just fine.

All of my collection barrels, pails and tanks are all officially food safe, everything from the pan onwards is stainless steel and I wash much of it, on a daily basis.

[johnallin]

.. I used to fixate on food safe pumps, but then I discovered that a number of people on the site use a number of transfer pumps, both large and small, that are not officially food safe...[/COLOR]

That doesn't make it right.

[Swingpure]

I made myself some drill bit depth stops today out of dowel. I am not sure how well they will stand up, so I made a few.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/092W...FEva-7rDIHJpVw

I also received some maple related Amazon deliveries today, including a digital thermometer, because the one last year was done at the end of the season and an in-line on/off switch with quick connect ends.

[bigschuss]

I used to fixate on food safe pumps, but then I discovered that a number of people on the site use a number of transfer pumps, both large and small, that are not officially food safe.

If I am hearing you correctly...everything "upstream" of the evaporator and everything "downstream" is all food safe. By your own admission you used to "fixate" on food safe pumps. But because other guys are using cheap Chinese Harbor Freight pumps of questionable pedigree that are not food safe, you're OK also using them?

Just my 2 cents, do your grandkids a favor and find a food safe pump. They are easy to find and really not that much.

[BoerBoel]

I made myself some drill bit depth stops today out of dowel. I am not sure how well they will stand up, so I made a few.

You could also use some tubing instead of the dowel.

[eustis22]

Until this day, what I didn't know, was that there WERE such a thing as food safe pumps (excluding sump pumps). Anyone got an example? I procured stainless water transfer pumps.

[Swingpure]

You could also use some tubing instead of the dowel.

Lol, I tried finding friends that had old 5/16 tubing, just a couple of inches of it and no luck. You can’t buy just a couple of inches, and it was $10 to buy a small roll of it. I may end up doing that if the dowel does not work. I had the dowel on hand.

[Swingpure]

If I am hearing you correctly...everything "upstream" of the evaporator and everything "downstream" is all food safe. By your own admission you used to "fixate" on food safe pumps. But because other guys are using cheap Chinese Harbor Freight pumps of questionable pedigree that are not food safe, you're OK also using them?

Just my 2 cents, do your grandkids a favor and find a food safe pump. They are easy to find and really not that much.

My first season (last year), I was going to buy a shurflo food grade pump, but for Christmas, I was given as a present a different pump that was not officially food grade. It was a generous gift. I spent time researching all of the components that the sap would touch and they were all food grade. I used it last season with no issues, but it was slow.

I discovered that a friend who has been making syrup for many years and at a greater volume than me had been using a sump pump to transfer his sap. It does it dry quickly. The components that will touch the sap are all stainless steel. He has used it for years with no issues. It is not officially food grade.

The bilge pump that started this conversation was also recommended to me. Everything that the sap is food grade plastic and the sap would race through this pump. The people that have used it have had no issues with it.

I am a by the book kind of guy in almost everything I do, so not having a food grade pump is different for me, but I do trust the people that have recommended them to me.

Other than Shurflo pumps what other choices are there?

[Swingpure]

Andy VT started another thread specifically on the food grade pump issue and I think that is a good place to discuss that particular topic and I will be gladly discuss and learn on that thread.

Earlier this year I lost my tension hooks and could not find them and later with a new pair I lost them, but eventually found them in the leaf cover just a few feet away from where I thought imhad placed them. Today a month or so later I went with a leaf blower trying to find the original pair. I started off where I thought I might have left them and no luck, I then blew leaves where I walked and still no luck. I will eventually find them, but it might not be until next summer.

After I temporarily lost the second temporary tension hooks, I tied bright orange and yellow construction ribbons/tape to it so it would stand out in the leaf litter. I used different colours for each end of the tension hook to make it easy to grab the end you want to hook up first.

[Pdiamond]

I heard on the weather report today that you may be expecting some snow in the next several days once it leaves the Dakotas. Sounds like you may get a significant amount too, good luck.