OMG... tree sand is insane for me. I just went out to start my boil again and my entire pan is covered with it. Filter filter filter. What size is this stuff anyways. I'm running it through 5 micron filter.
OMG... tree sand is insane for me. I just went out to start my boil again and my entire pan is covered with it. Filter filter filter. What size is this stuff anyways. I'm running it through 5 micron filter.
Varies...everything from a large platy-like material to a fine/coarse sand, to an oily-like composition.Originally Posted by randolphvt
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
So, with regular old gravity taps, the sap that drips out is coming from above the tap, up in the tree, running down and out of the tap? It's not sap that's coming up the trunk of the tree, from the roots, on its way up to the tree above?
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5' x 9' sugaring room
37 taps (cast iron spiles), 3 gallon metal buckets
Boiling with a 21" x 24" divided pan, 3 troughs, w/warming tank on top
250K BTU propane burner inside cement block arch, 4 x 100lb. propane tanks in parallel
Sap storage in 44 gallon Brute barrels w/food-safe plastic bag barrel liners
2021: ~8 gallons of syrup
2022: ~11 gallons of syrup (but I lost a 3 gallon batch because I fell asleep and burned it!!)
2023: ~15 gallons of syrup
In maple trees under gravity conditions, when sap is flowing, it is coming DOWN from above the taphole (not directly above in a perfectly straight line, but generally above). Two forces are involved: gravity and stem pressure (due to gas bubble expansion). The liquid and pressure slowly seeps out the taphole until the pressure inside is equal to the pressure outside (in the air). The roots are NOT pumping the sap out. If that were the case, sap would keep flowing indefinitely when the tree thawed out. Under gravity it doesn't do that...it'll run until the moisture in the wood above the taphole is exhausted (the pressure of the sap inside equals the pressure outside). Note that there is still water in the tree...but it is held there due to resistance of the wood tissues to the flow of liquid. Same kind of thing if you put a big wad of paper towel over a glass and turn it upside down...it'll flow for a while, but then stop...and the paper towels will still be wet.
When the tree is recharging as it freezes, water is pulled UP from the soil into the roots into the stem and branches. It is being sucked up as a result of gas expansion and rapid vapor pressure changes. A nice slow freeze is good because it allows all the wood tissues to fill with moisture. A quick freeze will cause ice to form in the wood vessels which blocks the further entrance of water into the tree...resulting in lesser flow the next time the tree thaws.
This can be somewhat different under vacuum sap collection conditions depending upon the timing of the exudation (flow) period and the vacuum level.
Most physical things move in response to gradients: sap flows from high pressure to low pressure (much like water runs downhill unless you use energy to pump it uphill), electricity does the same (flows from high energy to ground), wind does the same (high pressure to low pressure areas).
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
Dr. Tim - I am a rookie at this "hobby," only in my 5th year. I believe I was taught well, but reading your posts has given me a ton of knowledge and I can't thank you enough. Congrats on your future retirement and I hope you enjoy every minute of it!
yesterdays haul was .75gpt in 24hr testing 2.25, getting close to 60% crop
darn you're a lucky man. I've only got 2 quarts and a pint so far with 12 trees, but the taste... OMG irreplaceable.
As for me ... I hope the sap runs all night and all day tomorrow. I need sap badly. I normally make about 5 gal but I'm way short so far -this time of year I'm normally done.
I just finally got my pans sweet tonight. First Boil was Monday night, I had about 600 gallons of 2.2 percent sap. Today I boiled about 400 gallons of sap that I didn't have time to test. But I got my first draws, so the sugar content must have been comparable. I seem to remember last year it took me more than 1000 gallons to sweeten the pans, but last year the sugar content was low. Sap was running this afternoon when I was in the woods, so I'll have more to boil tomorrow. Looks like a frost tonight is maybe going to happen, and then probably above freezing until Sunday night.
March 2020- got a Half Pint when the world ended.
12 taps and 3 gallons of syrup later, caught the bug.
July 2020- got a used Leader 3x12 raised flue- go big or go home!
2021- 350 taps on 3/16 gravity. Not much of a year, made maybe 35 gallons.
2022- 450 taps on 3/16, made about 70 gallons.
2023- Life got busy again, only 250ish taps so far.
not sure what to think, fridays boil we went from dark to very dark, light freeze up last night but not much for sap, next few nights look good but not sure i will hold out until next weeks low 20s, frog in the road last night crocus blooming in front of the farm house, frost nearly out of fields and they are drying up fast looking forward to spreading manure next week. At about 75% crop (full crop for me is .25gpt all 3/16 gravity) have plenty of wood yet would like to make an other jag or two I guess we'll see what happens. Very little sand and niter this year. Most of the sap this year was 2.25 plus
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