Northern Ontario 2022

[Swingpure]

We are getting a fair amount of freezing rain and it will last longer than originally forecasted. Hopefully it will melt overnight as the temperature warms, before doing any damage.

Tomorrow will warm to +12, with rain and strong winds, before the temperature starts dropping early afternoon. Should be a good sap run. The next day will only warm to zero, so we will see how how the sap runs on Friday. I will boil next on Friday, assuming Thursday’s run gives me 40+ gallons.

It is funny, I collect sap in US gallons and my five gallon pails are graduated that way, but I bottle in litres. I know others report their sap in litres.

[aamyotte]

Thanks, if I get the blessing, I may check him out before making a decision. I had asked about how the sap got from the pre heat pan to the main pan and was a little surprised it was manual transfer. If I was to get it and get a simple flat pan, it almost makes me wonder if getting a 2x5 pan and just add heated sap from my induction elements would be a more productive way to go. It also would be $200 cheaper. To get the raised flue pan and divided pan would be an additional $1500.

You should try to preheat your sap with a copper coil wrapped around the chimney. It used waste heat and dumps directly into the pan. I pump from my storage tank to a 5 gallon bucket hung up high with a bulkhead fitting connected to the copper coil.
That would keep your induction free for finishing.

[Swingpure]

You should try to preheat your sap with a copper coil wrapped around the chimney. It used waste heat and dumps directly into the pan. I pump from my storage tank to a 5 gallon bucket hung up high with a bulkhead fitting connected to the copper coil.
That would keep your induction free for finishing.

I have read about that on this forum. So obviously that works for you. Does your feed connect to the bottom or top of the coil? Something to consider when I do things different next sap season. I could see that drizzling into a 2x5 pan.

[aamyotte]

My feed connects to the top of the coil. I have a shutoff at the feed to slow the rate going into the coil. I can adjust how fast it flows. Too slow and the sap evaporates inside the coil and comes out as steam at the end.
It's unfortunate that we can't post pics on the site. A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Swingpure]

Pretty good layer of ice on the ground, but other than the pulley on the flag pole, it does not look like much damage. As of yet the sap is not flowing. Hopefully soon.

I am finishing and bottling Tuesday’s 43.5 gallons boiled. Of note, checking the SapApp for the boiling temperature of sap at the moment, it is the lowest I have ever seen here. 216.67!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04fj...v9z1mHQtQPWHZg

[Someclown]

My feed connects to the top of the coil. I have a shutoff at the feed to slow the rate going into the coil. I can adjust how fast it flows. Too slow and the sap evaporates inside the coil and comes out as steam at the end.
It's unfortunate that we can't post pics on the site. A picture is worth a thousand words.

I also have the copper coil around my chimney pipe. One thing about doing that like aamyotte mentions is the sap evaporating in the coil which is actually scorching the sap. I had a problem with vapor lock like that when I fed sap from the top of the coil so I flipped it to feed in the bottom so the sap would contnue flowing through instead of vapor locking the inlet end and not stop the flow of sap and haven't had that problem since. Be aware you need a fast enough flow but also slow enough flow as to have the sap continuously moving but also being heated and not scorching. There's also times I put a piece of tin over the coil to get the sap to warm up as it's going through to quick or a cold wind. My sap temperature in my warming pan is in the vicinity of 95F to 105F if I keep and eye on it, far cry from. boiling but not slowing my main pan boil and not scorching in the coil.

[Swingpure]

I was able to make just over 5 L from the 43.5 US gallons of sap.

It still has a nice colour and tastes great!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/094j...VJklHV_eiMkBsA

[Swingpure]

My philosophy is always be grateful for what you have. I had expected today, to be an amazing sap flow day, coming out of the deep freeze and hitting +13° C (55.4°F). But it wasn’t a great sap flow day and I think the fact it was very overcast, is why.

I am grateful for the 45 gallons I did collect and that I will boil tomorrow. My sugar concentration in the sap is still high. I have collected about 33% of my expected sap.

[Mrk59rsk]

Syrup looks great! You using the bucket filters?
I purchased some after seeing your post on them, syrup showed cloudy
after filtering. { 3 prefilters than orlon }

[Someclown]

I was able to make just over 5 L from the 43.5 US gallons of sap.

It still has a nice colour and tastes great!

https://share.icloud.com/photos/094j...VJklHV_eiMkBsA

Very nice, I checked my trees around noon and the sap was flowing pretty good it was pouring rain and about +7.
I left for Parry Sound so wont know what I ended up with for sap until I get home tomorrow. I expect our run will start full flow this weekend. Fingers crossed