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Thread: Introduce yourselves....

  1. #1141
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Corbeil, ON
    Posts
    171

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    Thank you maple flats for the names of the companies, I will look into those specifically the canadian one to start. I guess if a local shop has not made pans before I could end up with something that will warp or leak.
    I have been reading up on the Ebay post. I try as a general rule try to buy outside of China and support local if possible.

  2. #1142
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

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    You may be able to hook up with a local producer in your area, they may be able to provide you with some local shops that do work. Its also a good way to learn some of the ways for making syrup.
    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

  3. #1143
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    SW PA
    Posts
    9

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    Hi all,

    I am new to the forum and this is going to be my first year tapping maples and making maple syrup! I'm in Southwestern PA. I've wanted to do it off and on ever since I was a kid. I was walking around my family's farm earlier this fall, saw all the maple trees, and finally realized/remembered that I should be able to do it this year.

    I believe I have most of my supplies ready. From my count & estimation I have about 200 trees I can tap on one main farm, about 50/50 sugars and reds all on sloping hillsides between 17 - 27% slope. I bought 3/16" tubing and am hoping for some serious gravity vacuum; the hillside after the last tree on each line is about 25% slope, open & empty cow pasture, with ~ 60ft of drop to where I will be collecting in a couple 55 gal barrels. I think I can split my lines into "top" & "bottom" sections (top & bot of the hillside) in the woods, then connect the laterals into mainline after 30-40 ft of drop. So my top section will tap (with 5/16" droplines) roughly half the hillside/maples, continue down to the wood line, have 30'+ drop, and hit the mainline. The bottom section tapping the lower half, continue down through the field about halfway for 30-40' drop, and connect to the mainline there.

    I have more maples on that farm and the other farm too, but I think I'm going to be limited with tubing. My maple "budget" is getting pretty big...

    I'll be (trying) to build a block arch for boiling on a 2'x5' badgerland flat pan. Concrete blocks , maybe some concrete board for extra air-tightness, then red brick, all mortared together if the weather is warm enough. I poured a concrete pad earlier and my dad is making me a 1/4" door with frame from scrap metal at his work's shop. I'm gonna try to insulate that with ceramic wool.

    I also have 20-30ft of 3/4" copper tubing I found in an old shed on our property. I'm gonna clean it up, and put in 6 or 8" drop tubes into my pan to increase boiling.


    Man.. the money I have into this already and I haven't even started lol. And there's still a lot of work to do and a couple more things I need. I don't think I'm going to have the budget for a small RO system this year; that'll be for next year and I'm planning on building a 400 gpd system.

    Sorry if I went on a little long here... the maple addiction is real!
    Last edited by bigbeef; 01-19-2021 at 10:08 AM.

  4. #1144
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

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    bigbeef, welcome aboard. Yes this is addictive. Your only chance is to get out before you get deeper into it, BUT we all heard that and didn't listen.
    It sounds like you have pretty detailed plans. That 2x5 flat pan should get 10 maybe 12 gph on a rip roaring fire, adding some drop tubes will help even more. Just be sure the "old copper" doesn't have any lead solder in or on it. If it has old solder it maqy well contain lead. In that case, cut off any old solder joints and flush the inside well. If any solder got inside it's not likely to stick because the pipe in away from a joint would not have been hot enough. I like the idea of 5/16 drop into 3/16 lateral lines, just if you can have 10 or even better 20' of drop on the 3/16 before you go into a mainline. The 3/16 will give you the natural vacuum, the mainline (or even if you used 5/16) you get no vacuum.
    One thing with 3/16, in year 1 it is great, but at the end of the season you must clean the lines (if you use calcium chloride it leaves nothing for squirrels to smell, sodium chloride leave a salt which squirrels love). To clean it, plug the bottom and fill the 3/16, let it set a minimum of 30 minutes then drain it. Be sure to fill every drop line. Then repeat in mid fall - late fall before things freeze. Flush with potable water and change all fittings. Little scales of sap residue can flake off and plug the small holes in the 3/16 tubing fittings.
    Your plan sounds ambitious for sure. With the gravity you will get using 3/16 on clean lines you can get 1-2 gal a day on good flow days. You may want to figure 6-8 taps per hour boil time if you get 10-12 gph on that 2x5.
    Don't be like I was my first year. I had a 2x3 flat pan, which evaporated 5-6 gph. I started with 2 taps if I recall, the sap ran 1 day and I said, "I can handle more", so I added taps. Each time thereafter I'd get it boiled ok and I added more taps. In the end, I had 70 taps if I recall, then the good sap flows started. I had too many taps to keep up with. Between my wife and myself we boiled 24 hrs for days on end, taking turns. That was also not with any vacuum, it was just 5/16 drops into 5 gal jugs. Your set up will likely boil slightly more than 2x per hr. what my little 2x3 did. Be careful not to take the fun out of it.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  5. #1145
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Putnam County, Ohio
    Posts
    377

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    "I believe I have most of my supplies ready. From my count & estimation I have about 200 trees I can tap on one main farm, about 50/50 sugars and reds all on sloping hillsides between 17 - 27% slope. I bought 3/16" tubing and am hoping for some serious gravity vacuum; the hillside after the last tree on each line is about 25% slope, open & empty cow pasture, with ~ 60ft of drop to where I will be collecting in a couple 55 gal barrels. I think I can split my lines into "top" & "bottom" sections (top & bot of the hillside) in the woods, then connect the laterals into mainline after 30-40 ft of drop. So my top section will tap (with 5/16" droplines) roughly half the hillside/maples, continue down to the wood line, have 30'+ drop, and hit the mainline. The bottom section tapping the lower half, continue down through the field about halfway for 30-40' drop, and connect to the mainline there."

    What a great setup! Those of us that can see for miles because our topo maps don't need many lines would love to be greeted by our sap waiting for us at the bottom of the hill courtesy of gravity and free vacuum. Good luck to you.

    "I had a 2x3 flat pan, which evaporated 5-6 gph. I started with 2 taps if I recall, the sap ran 1 day and I said, "I can handle more", so I added taps. Each time thereafter I'd get it boiled ok and I added more taps. In the end, I had 70 taps if I recall, then the good sap flows started. I had too many taps to keep up with."

    I did the same thing except I didn't get to 70 taps until year two. About 2 days after hanging bucket number 70 the sap started flowing. It seemed more like work for a while until things settled down. Good memories.
    RC Maple

    14X14 sugarhouse - new for 2012
    RO Bucket - RB10 - New for 2019
    2x3 barrel evaporator with continuous flow pan
    55 taps - most on buckets
    This is next year!

  6. #1146
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

    Default

    Welcome aboard BigBeef. The addiction will only continue to grow. Think of it as a small seed you planted for your garden (you). By 2 months time its a full grown plant ( everything ) you continue buy. Just make sure you keep it fun. Who is going to do the tig welding for your drop tubes? How many are you planning on using and will they be in just one area or the whole pan? Make sure you have a way to drain the drop tubes.
    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

  7. #1147
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    SW PA
    Posts
    9

    Default

    RC Maple,

    Yeah pretty much my whole life I've be "jealous" of other areas that had flatter land, every time I had to trudge up and down hills lol. But now I'm really pumped about the slope we have
    2021 - first year, planning for 200 taps with a 2x5' flat pan with copper drop tubes

  8. #1148
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    SW PA
    Posts
    9

    Default

    Pdiamond,

    I haven't looked for someone to tig weld. I was planning on drilling out the holes, punching out the lip with a knockout tool, and silver soldering on the drop tubes with flared ends. (45) 6" tubes in 6 rows of 7 & 8, and staggered to maximize the heat transfer and "block" any straight air paths to the stack. This is all just my preliminary thoughts though and something might change as I start this project lol. So I'll have a 24" area in the front of the pan over the firebox, then the tubes will take up 16" in the middle, leaving 20" in the back; maybe I'll expand with more tubes next year in the back area. Why I'm thinking putting the tubes in the middle now, instead of starting in the back and expanding forward... I'm gonna have just a vertical back wall to my firebox area, then the "ramp" starts and up to ~1/2" to the bottom of the tubes, then another vertical wall behind the tubes for the last 20" up to ~ 2" to the bottom of my pan. I think I'll get more hot air right up under my pan this way. It might not matter much? But with how long it takes to boil sap to syrup, I'm trying to be as efficient as I can reasonably be lol.

    As for draining the pan.. I'm either gonna do the method of putting sheet metal over the fire and drain the pan through the draw-off valve, or remove 1-2 non-mortared top blocks, pull the pan off the side sitting on 1" angle irons and drain off the fire. I already have a large wooded structure next to the evaporator area (a composter bin/fire wood bin thing, whatever I want to use it for) that I can use to support everything. Drain the pan, and maybe tip it up some to empty the tubes more. If I don't get the last little bit then I'm fine with that going with the next batch of sap to boil.


    DT pan.jpg

    DT staggered.jpg
    Last edited by bigbeef; 01-20-2021 at 07:53 AM.
    2021 - first year, planning for 200 taps with a 2x5' flat pan with copper drop tubes

  9. #1149
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    159

    Default

    Interesting pan setup! Keep us in the loop as far as how you do! I was initially also thinking you may have too much sap when it starts to run alot, but looks like you are planning pretty well!
    Good luck!
    btw - the RO bucket/kit is well worth the money - and it's easy to set up and use! I know you said you were going to build one, but look into the RO bucket before you go too crazy.
    2017 - 20ish taps on buckets, boiling outside in two baking pans
    2018 - 70+ taps, 14-buckets, 50+ on tubing, homemade arch from oil tank in my barn, 17 gal syrup
    2019 - same set up, 20 gal syrup
    2020 - less taps, short season, but RO kit was fantastic! 6 gal syrup and a maple cat!
    2021/22/23 - expanded into the neighbors yards! 50 taps on buckets and 40 taps on tubing

  10. #1150
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Location
    New Brunswick canada
    Posts
    30

    Default

    Hi all from New Brunswick Canada. Been reading alot on this fourm since I made my first syrup last year (11 litres) built a barrel evaporator and planning on 30 taps with 3/16 tube this year. Very thankful for all the info on this fourm

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