Originally Posted by
Pdiamond
Check your local CDL store they will have sap hydrometers. They are usually around $20.00 or maybe a little more. It's been a while since I bought mine and I do not know about the prices in Canada.
Would a refractometer give you a good enough reading? I could understand how it would be a lot quicker
If you are running lines so the sugar content is averaged over the the number of taps of the line and are not using an RO to check on the difference between the sap and the concentrate, I guess knowing the sugar content of raw sap would not be as important.
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.