Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr Tim do you guys have issues on some mornings (seems to be on a heavy run when it freezes fairly quickly) where when it starts to thaw the Frozen slushy sap piles up at a y or even a saddle? I do know the difference between a leak causing this and maybe a main line at 2-3% grade. It drives me nuts when you have a 2-ft slush plug and all the taps behind it are running! Sometimes I go out and massage them out with the torch on the cooler 35 36° days where it will never thaw unless you do.

Yes, that happens occasionally in some spots. Our larger problem is that about 1/2 our taps in our main bush (so maybe 1,400 taps) run through a small culvert under the road where it's pretty flat. Inevitably there are freeze-ups there. The dry line helps deal with that most of the time, but it's been an issue the entire time I've been around.

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr Tim, When was your first run this year? There were a lot of warm days through Jan and Feb and I am wondering if you got them

Our first sap totals this season were recorded on 2/14, so probably the first sap run was a day or two before that. We dumped about 1,000 gal of crappy sap on 2/13 that had collected prior to that.

We record the sap yield (gal) and sugar contents in the morning from each of our two major sections, although there are additional sap monitoring devices in other areas for different research projects to evaluate different equipment or practices on yield. Those two totals are the amounts ending up at the sugarhouse from either flowing down from the main bush (above the sugarhouse) or the other part of our woods where the sap is pumped up from lower down. This is the first year that all the sap from our entire operation is pumped directly to the sugarhouse and none is being trucked up. That was one of the goals I had before retiring.

[DrTimPerkins]

I feel like my dry line needs to be connected every hundred feet to the wet lines. I have done this on most mornings this year and I think it has a little bit to do with my higher volumes this year

Many people will build their tubing systems to handle average flows because it is simpler and cheaper and it works fine a lot of the time. The unfortunate thing is that these systems don't work so well during the PEAK flows that happen 3-5 times a season. Those are the periods when you make your money. When the sap is running hard, you want it to be able to get out of the tree and through your tubing system to the tank as quickly as possible. If it gets slowed down for some reason, you may not get the chance to get it the next day -- it's gone.

[johnallin]

... We dumped about 1,000 gal of crappy sap on 2/13 that had collected prior to that. ...

I don't feel so bad now... this year I've dumped 3 full 330 gal tanks because it was just plain lousy looking "stuff"...

Are you getting pretty close to retirement date? Whenever it is - enjoy yourself and hope you get lots of boating in..!!
And thanks for your contributions. John

[blissville maples]

Many people will build their tubing systems to handle average flows because it is simpler and cheaper and it works fine a lot of the time. The unfortunate thing is that these systems don't work so well during the PEAK flows that happen 3-5 times a season. Those are the periods when you make your money. When the sap is running hard, you want it to be able to get out of the tree and through your tubing system to the tank as quickly as possible. If it gets slowed down for some reason, you may not get the chance to get it the next day -- it's gone.

So I have 1 1/2 wet line carrying 1300 taps, a 1 1/4 carrying about 1200 and a dry line of 1 1/2. Handling both for this year. Some mornings like yesterday there was no issues, other mornings there is I feel like it has something to do with how much sap freezes in the main line while the trees are still running. I swear it has to do with volume vs how fast it freezes, time will tell I suppose

It opened up yesterday with the sunshine,. Probably a gal of sap per tap, nice run. Looks like a good couple weeks. Hopefully I can find some barrels only have eight left! I am told there will be some available Tuesday if you need any this year you better scrounge them up!

[DrTimPerkins]

I don't feel so bad now... this year I've dumped 3 full 330 gal tanks because it was just plain lousy looking "stuff"...

Some years we dump very little, but most years we'll dump at least a small amount.

Are you getting pretty close to retirement date? Whenever it is - enjoy yourself and hope you get lots of boating in..!!
And thanks for your contributions. John

Technically my last day is June 30, 2023. However, I've got another 8 wks of vacation to use up between now and then, so probably won't be around much after May 1st...other than the Bascom Open House in early-May.

[GrowlingMaple]

I've been sugaring my whole life and have run into something this year I've never seen. Our syrup started fancy, but then within the first 10 days was already nearly grade B dark. Not only did this happen fast, but the sap in the buckets is still crystal clear. No yellowing or fogginess. The taste is very dark with even a slight sourness. I'm hoping it is not something I'm doing and just a unique year. I boil with wood, and so it's possible extra smoke or debris is getting in there, but again, I'm not doing anything different than in the past. Are there reasons that mid season clear sap can be so dark outside of "user error"?

[GrowlingMaple]

The darkness was definitely my fault and not the tree's. More burnt nitre build up than we had all year last year in the bottom of the pan. Flues and syrup pan. Cleaned it out and did a full reset. Still beautiful clear sap. Onward!

[DrTimPerkins]

The darkness was definitely my fault and not the tree's. More burnt nitre build up than we had all year last year in the bottom of the pan. Flues and syrup pan. Cleaned it out and did a full reset. Still beautiful clear sap. Onward!

Yup...that'll do it. The slight off-taste was probably what is called "burnt niter".

[blissville maples]

Yes, that happens occasionally in some spots. Our larger problem is that about 1/2 our taps in our main bush (so maybe 1,400 taps) run through a small culvert under the road where it's pretty flat. Inevitably there are freeze-ups there. The dry line helps deal with that most of the time, but it's been an issue the entire time I've been around.

I find my dry line works on freeze up at night, so in the morning it ices up also. I am thinking about adding a second dry line in which I leave the valves off so they cannot fill on the overnight freeze up and then turn the valves on in the morning for the start of the days run. It's always heavy first thing so that first hr you can miss alot.