My plan 2023 - 2024

[Andy VT]

So great to hear from you Gary!
For filtering, I think the cone filters with pre-filters are way underrated. Love mine. I can't remember if you used that prior to the vacuum.
I haven't been able to figure out why there is so much hatred toward the cone filter. Too slow? Use two in parallel. I'd probably be up to 4 before I personally would start thinking about something fancier.

For my 30 taps, which came to ~10 gallons syrup this year, one cone filter is way over capacity. I've heard that this overcapacity can cause problems with the syrup not having enough weight to get through. I have not experienced this. I've been using 2 pre-filters. I think one would do the trick for your goal of 3 gallons of syrup.

Andy

[Swingpure]

Thanks, I will be visiting CDL before the season starts.

I actually had a bucket filter, which I never ended up using, because I made the vacuum filter before my first syrup. I actually simply gave it away to a neighbour in my first year. Similar concept to the cone filter and he liked it.

[30AcreWoods]

Welcome back to health and a low key season!

I use a natural cone filter with 2 pre filters. Did 60+ gallons on it last year, and won some awards for our syrup. I agree that they are way under-rated. Super simple, never fails (no mechanical systems), relatively inexpensive and thus you can always have a back-up on hand.

[Andy VT]

I guess the one caveat that just occurred to me after pondering this since March... I've only ever used my cone filter in my warm kitchen. Maybe that's part of the reason it has worked so well, and maybe the people who have had trouble have used it in the cold outdoors or a cold sugarhouse. Not sure, but trouble-free for me so far!

[30AcreWoods]

I alway pour hot sap through first, so I think that mitigates any cold sugarhouse issues...but after boiling, the sugar house is pretty darn warm. I'm sure indoors also helps since everything is warm to start.

[Z/MAN]

I also find no problem with my wet cone filters. I finish my syrup on the stove [219 degrees] and then immediately pour the syrup thru my cone filters. I think the people that have problems are trying to use the filters with 180-190 degree syrup.

[Swingpure]

Thanks, I will go with the cone filter. I always finished and filtered in my relatively warm garage, and my syrup was always very hot whenni filtered as I did it as soon as I got to the correct Brix.

This may be heresy, but I sold all of my Brix testing equipment, so I will be judging if it is syrup, by temperature, the spoon drop test and also the appearance of the syrup (bubbles). It won’t be perfect syrup, but perfectly good enough for my grandkids pancakes.

I had mentioned I would be boiling over a turkey fryer, an induction stove and over a metal fire bowl which is 30” in diameter. I will surround the bowl on three sides with cinder blocks. I will have two large, 1/2” thick angle iron, spanning two sides of the cinder blocks over the fire bowl. At the ends of the angle iron, I will weld on plates. All the metal is left over from the various stages of my old evaporator. The goal is to spend as little new money as possible. 2 steam pans from my first year of boiling will sit right over the fire and two others either side of those getting some radiant heat and some heat from the plates they sit on. These will be sap preheat pans. Not efficient like my old evaporator, but it will boil. I have lids for all of the pans, that I will put on when I add wood, to keep any ash out.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/08f3...0oTvtu7S7yv0vw

[Swingpure]

Today I replaced the drop on line 1 and then went to check line 3 for the first time. There was a four inch diameter tree on the line in one location. The line bent, but did not break. I removed the tree and the line bounced back and the rest of the line was fine, somI will have three lines. If I have to make any repairs, I will have to borrow a one handed tool as I did not push the new drop on as far as I would like on the fitting.

Lots of time to work on the frame to hold the steam pans over the fire bowl.

[30AcreWoods]

You sure are getting after it! So, if you fill an insulated water bottle or thermos with near boiling hot water, it is super easy to push those drops on without a tool. I mean, I wouldn't do hundreds that way, but if you only have a few, it saves money.

[Andy VT]

If the $50 for a hydrometer plus test cup is not in the budget, you could, maybe, also consider not shelling out the $30 to $40 bucks the cone filter plus pre-filters will cost. Some folks allow the impurities to settle over time, and pour off clear syrup. Or maybe just one prefilter (2 bucks?) and call it done. It's an option if going very "backyard". It's mostly just a question of clarity, which the grandkids probably won't fuss too much about either. Now, if the syrup tastes like garlic or pickles, they might fuss about that. :-) So, no garlic or pickle sap buckets. Or peanut butter jars as syrup hot packing jars. :-)
(all guesstimates in USD)
Andy