October Journal

[brookledge]

Lookin good. Time to frame up the cupola
Keith

[Randy Brutkoski]

No coupla, Just the smoke stack and 2 steam stacks. A coupla would of looked nice, but just extra work that i dont have time for.

[3rdgen.maple]

a sugarhouse with no coupla????????????? To me that is what sets it apart from just a building to a sugarhouse. Frame it up man frame it up.

[maplwrks]

With Randys' Force 5 evaporator, he will want all the heat he can get. He'd better insulate the rafters and sheath the ceiling. Putting a ceiling fan in will also help warm the place up. The day will come when you will probably not be allowed to have a cupola if you are going to bulk syrup. Washable walls and ceilings will be necessry to pass an audit by the packer. Many new sugarhouses are going with a Canadian style sugarhouse, with stacks and no cupola.

[Maplewalnut]

. The day will come when you will probably not be allowed to have a cupola if you are going to bulk syrup. Washable walls and ceilings will be necessry to pass an audit by the packer. Many new sugarhouses are going with a Canadian style sugarhouse, with stacks and no cupola.

Mike- you are exactly right. In fact my Ag inspector in Pa commented last spring that they may be requiring cupolas to be screened in at some point in the future. The were trying to determine if it was feasible and what size screening they would require. If they are considering that in PA (which is far removed from the pulse of maple sugaring) than I can imagine your predictions arent far behind.

[red maples]

I was actually thinking of tring to make some sort of removable screen for the copula anyway. for most of us with the copula the stack is right there behind it so if your firing with wood you get some ash coming down through the copula I would think a screen would help that quite a bit. do you think that you would get condensation build up the screen and cause problems?

My Ag said its all about common sense. If you don't have your drawn off syrup, finishing pan, bucket pot what ever covered and there is condensation dripping into it you have a problem. I foresee hoods for everyone with-in the next 10 years or so. or else some sort of design that allows a copula that will never drip back into the evaporator. Just my thoughts. there are regualtions for everything!!!!!

[maplwrks]

Much of this is being driven by the customer--not government!

[ennismaple]

Much of this is being driven by the customer--not government!

More like the lawyers are driving everything! All the food safety regs are good for the consumer but can create nightmares for us.

[Sugarmaker]

Since we are only about 50 miles from Canada our sugar house with no cupola will fit right in
I debated a long time about not building one and if it would look right without a cupola. I finally chose to go with a stainless pipe system and hoods to remove the steam. Up to this point I have not regretted it. The inspector has not had a problem either.

But a sugar house with a cupola is very pleasing to my eye.

Regards,
Chris

[TapME]

More like the lawyers are driving everything! All the food safety regs are good for the consumer but can create nightmares for us.

ain't that the truth. I 2nd your statement Ennis