January Journal

[PATheron]

Dennis- You might want to try a new start capacitor on the old motor. Thats what sounds like is wrong. Theyre probly 15 bucks. Very common to go bad. Theron

[Sugarmaker]

Glued up some fittings on the AOF system. I replaced some screws in the arch rails.
Darn work thing is really cutting in to the maple hobby.
Chris

[3rdgen.maple]

Dennis the guy that told you it would be better to buy a new motor is correct. A single phase motor is more expensive to tear down and rewind in comparisson to a 3 phase motor. Rule of thumb single burns up replace it 3 phase burns up rewind it. Also a motor start capacitor is just that. It starts the motor turning in the right direction on a single phase. If its limping its the windings and or bearing freeze.

Played around with the new welder this morning and made a stand to hold my drawoff pan up close to the spigot. Sure was fun and got to mess around with something maple related. Need to get the argon tank filled and then I might just play around with some tig welding. I will say this welding is not as easy as it looks and gonna take some time to master this hobby.

[Dennis H.]

Thats what I thought 3rdgen. I did at 1st think about the cap needing replaced but with the motors thatwe have at work when the cap goes we could turn them on and at the same time "kick" start them and they would run.

I mean this is a nice old motor but when I had to put a longer power cord on when I got it and the insulation on the motor leads were so brittle that I had to slide shrink tubing over them so that they wouldn't short to the motor housing.
You figure that 50-60 years ago they did not make rubber that would stand up to constant ozone that was being generated my the motor itself. So if the insulation on the leads are that bad I figured that the lacqure on the winds are probably breaking down also.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Last year I had 7000 taps but still not much sleep thats why I have 2 evaporators and 2 wood loaders. hooking the ro to the 6x20 cut down boiling, The 5x16 has a piggyback that does a lot of shivering when coal is in the arch.

Are you burning coal in the arch and how does it perform??

[shane hickey]

100% coal burns the hottest yet you'll spend most of the rest of the day cleaning the flus coal bakes on, I burn 2/3 barn boards and pallets, 1/3 coal.
coal has a lot of btus and hottest fire you'll ever see come out of an evaporator, Do not use a blower when using coal you'll have a melt done. Mix wood and coal together is a good combinantion. Just my opion.shane

[Dennis H.]

Since I started making syrup I have always wanted to know if coal would work in the evap.
We have a coal stoaker boiler here at in the house and I can get stove coal very easily. Maybe next year I will have to give it a try.

[Thiems sugarshack]

well today I got all the rafters up so tommarow i can put the metal roofing on the wood shed if I dont finish tommarow it will be sunday

[Thad Blaisdell]

I was able to get all (3) of my new tanks upstairs in my sugar house. I hired a local lumber company to come with a boom truck. The tanks are 4' w 5' h and 16' L. I am now set I have 6-2100 gallon tanks upstairs waiting for sap, water and concentrate.

[PARKER MAPLE]

I was able to get all (3) of my new tanks upstairs in my sugar house. I hired a local lumber company to come with a boom truck. The tanks are 4' w 5' h and 16' L. I am now set I have 6-2100 gallon tanks upstairs waiting for sap, water and concentrate.

Man Thad thats awesome cant wait to see pictures. next time im up your way maybe i can stop in for some show and tell. Good luck this year, when are you tapping? I think im shooting for the second week in feb for me

Maple rookie