Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[wsugar]

Our first boil was yesterday and everything went smooth. We made 2 40 gal barrels. So off to a good start. That puts me ahead of last year by 2 days. The color is all better than golden delicate. I will use this week of cold to tweak my lift system and add taps.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

First boil also yesterday, thanks to Randy. Picked up 900 gal from him. Concentrated first 450 to 6.6 we made around 4 gal. No real problems, a few drips and some dead boiling sodas bit there never a problem.
Second boil tonight.
My 3 tower unit processing if I did my math right 145 gph

[wsugar]

Randy's helium injection must be working well to be able to give you sap

[PARKER MAPLE]

OK guys I have a question. I was tapping yesterday, and couldn't get good vac transfer in my woods. Maybe I done have the dryline right. Im using a 3/4wet and 1in dry. The 1in dry comes right out the vac chamber on the releaser and travels apprx 700' before it joins into my 3/4 wet with a y. HAve I done something wrong here?? its the dry line the cause of my problem?. I typically ran 20" all day no problem, this weekend I could only get 7". I have every leak fixed and all taps seated well....


Please Help
PARKER MAPLE

[spud]

Randy's helium injection must be working well to be able to give you sap

It might be that he has been sniffing so much Helium that he did not know he gave sap away. The talk is someone in that area has been talking squeaky.

Spud

[wiam]

OK guys I have a question. I was tapping yesterday, and couldn't get good vac transfer in my woods. Maybe I done have the dryline right. Im using a 3/4wet and 1in dry. The 1in dry comes right out the vac chamber on the releaser and travels apprx 700' before it joins into my 3/4 wet with a y. HAve I done something wrong here?? its the dry line the cause of my problem?. I typically ran 20" all day no problem, this weekend I could only get 7". I have every leak fixed and all taps seated well....


Please Help
PARKER MAPLE

Hate to say it but you have a leak. Do you still have 20 at the pump?

[Tucker08]

Got enough sap to boil, but decided to just hold off. I didnt feel like the bs require to keep sap in the pans during this next cold snap, so just decided not to start it up. extra time = more taps.

[GeneralStark]

Seems like vacuum was key with this weekend's run. I thought yesterday would have been the best day of the whole run but collected less than a pint between two buckets. Probably about .25/tap for the whole run. I think the amount of frost in the ground is the main factor. I was at Shelburne Farms this morning with some students and they were finishing up boiling what they had collected this weekend. 2 gal./tap from 550 taps with their new state of the art vacuum system pulling 27".

Still feeling good about the decision not to tap for this last run. Enabled me to finish up the vacuum system and the heated room. Now a few more details in the sugarhouse which I will finish up in the evenings. Going to get all the taps in this week and get everything ready for the next run which is looking like it may not be until mid march or later if you believe the long range.

[MikeVT]

Yah I have 300 on gravity and got around .25gal/tap both yesterday and Saturday, was able to finish a little over a gallon of golden last night. and have around 30 gallons from the pans that I will store until the next warm up, whenever that may be...?

[PARKER MAPLE]

Hate to say it but you have a leak. Do you still have 20 at the pump?

Ok, so talk to me about micro leaks then. I have repaired all leeks it were a known problem. For instance I turn pump on and walked threw woods tapping. Found multiple leaks one was a piece of 3/4 main split for apprx 10'. I thought for sure this was the problem. Went all the way back to releaser still only 7". Seams no matter how many leaks I found and fixed no change. Now my pump is 8cfm and I have apprx 2000' of mains/conductors all together. Dose the length of mains have anything to do with vac transferr? I thought that no matter the length if all tight it should work..... The things I have changed from last year are. 700' of dry line, put in check valves at releaser. I'm wove ring if it's the dry line causing the problem....

Help me
PARKER MAPLE