Two draw-offs tonight, put about 3 gallons into the finishing tank. Still have about 80 gallons of sap in the storage tanks to boil so it'll be nice getting a break from collecting until the weekend.
Two draw-offs tonight, put about 3 gallons into the finishing tank. Still have about 80 gallons of sap in the storage tanks to boil so it'll be nice getting a break from collecting until the weekend.
The Heldeberg Sapper
I like how you have that set up on wheels, then roll it out each time you boil. Isn't it a pain setting up the stack?
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
I try and keep it setup as long as the weather looks good and it doesnt rain or anything. I have threaded rods with nuts welded on and i use an impact so i can level it off really quickly. I can have it out and setup ready to go in about 5-10 minutes. Ive had it setup since Saturday which was nice. I got 25 gallons of sap yesterday, boiled that down and then brought the evaporator inside because of the rain that is supposed to come tonight. Its looking like Sat-Wed will be good sap days with a nice solid freeze Friday night. In regards to the stack, the base stack and support stays mounted to the unit and i have the (4) 2' long pipes screwed together and i just pop it onto the base stack with a 4' ladder. Theres a piece of wire that i leave attached and kind of wrap it down to the evaporator itself, doesnt really do much but ive never had any problems even on moderately windy days. A sugar shack someday would be nice so i dont have to move the thing around all the time, ill keep dreaming for now.Originally Posted by Pdiamond
Run stopped today. Good start to the season tapped last Saturday and have made over 45 gallons so far. A few(5) hundred left to process tomorrow.
2023 650+ taps 4-4x40 Frankenstein ro
2022 - 500 taps 77 on shurflo the rest on Gast 3040 vacuum pump 1" main, DIY 2 post 4x40 RO, NEW to us 30"x8' oil-fired with preheat/hood
2021 - 205 taps (150 on shurflo, rest on 3/16 gravity) RO Bucket 4 membrane
L48 Kubota tractor
1954 Ferguson T0-30
www.hopcitymaple.com
OH yeah, It's so nice being inside on those nasty days boiling out of the weather. I did that the first year, and said screw this. been inside ever since.
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
I'm whooped, lol. Finally finished boiling what we had stored tonight. Have about 7.5 gallons in the finishing tank which we'll bottle tomorrow to make room for the next run. Had to dump about 45 gallons out of the buckets we had to leave due to lack of storage space. Didn't want to risk it with the warm temps we had.
Tapped in 50 buckets and the rest of our tubing lines yesterday - boiled down 150 gallons of first run and sweetened the pans, here we go!
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2015: 8 bucket taps (7 red, 1 sugar) on DIY barrel evaporator
2016: 13 taps (bucket and tube) on block arch and hotel pans
2017: SAME
2018: 25 taps on 2x3 flat pan and resurrected barrel arch
2019: 25 taps...same setup plus DIY 3x150gpd RO filter
2020: 50 taps, all buckets..."new" oil tank arch setup
2021: 100 taps (50/50 buckets/3-16 tubing) on 2x4 divided pan
2022: 150 taps (50/100 b/t) on 2x4 pan with sap warmer pan
2023: SAME
2024: 150 taps, added single-post 4x40 RO system
New to this thread, but have been mapling since 2016. First in Charlton and this year for the first time on my new property up in Milton. 15 taps this year and first time running an RO system. It's been a good start to the year so far.
Another great February day today! Collected 125 gallons of sap and trees were still dripping good at 6 PM. Added another 1.5 gallons to the finishing tank tonight with still about 70 gallons to boil tomorrow. Not sure if they will run tomorrow, cloudy and showers looks like. Looks to be an extended cold spell after Tuesday, should be a nice reset for the trees.
It's been a good season so far. Hard to believe we are still in February. I have made 4 gallons so far which is almost half of last years output, and there is still sap that is needing to be boiled. Going to max out my firewood reserves for sure!
Pete
2017- 17 taps, 3 gallons, stove-top insanity
2018- 36 taps, 10 gallons, Oil tank evaporator
2019- 24 taps, 7 gallons
2020- 27 taps, 5.75 gallons
2021- 42 taps, 8 gallons
2022- 48 taps, 8.5 gallons
2023- 50 taps, 15 gallons
2024- 46 taps, 9.5 gallons
Oil Tank Evaporator build
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