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Thread: Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

  1. #3741
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    2,249

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    Sap ran well yesterday. I got 1 gpt but only testing 1.2%. I just shut the pump off this morning. Starting tomorrow, it looks like sap everyday for a while. I still have a few leaks to chase down but I am running 25 inches of vacuum.

    Spud

  2. #3742
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    ANDOVER, VT
    Posts
    767

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    Quote Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins View Post
    You need to return the favor and feast on the squirrels. I hear they taste good if you use enough syrup on them.
    I will stick to chicken 😂
    vacuum
    RO
    filter press
    auto draw
    New leader oil fired


    http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww123/jtrap/

  3. #3743
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Thetford, VT
    Posts
    464

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    We are all tapped in. Having some challenges this year with leaks. We have one pump with two releasers. One is a mechanical. The other we upgraded from mechanical to electric. When the vacuum is sent only to the releasers it is 26-27 (I stopped waiting and moved on to supplying the woods lines but I belive there was more to go as it was slowly increasing). When sent to the woods I started at the side which showed less vacuum throughout (we are using the CDL monitoring system and have sensors on the major mainlines). I shut one side (on the mechanical releaser) down to one mainline and began to walk it...found a heck of a chew by coyotes. Fixed it and that run and the other on that side seemed to retun to 26" with a slow climb so I moved to the other releaser (electric). I found one sensor about .5" less so I started there and found another big chew and whole drop gone.

    Now the whole system is within .5" through all sensors. We have about 750 taps 1/3 to one releaser and 2/3 to the other releaser. The challenge is the vacuum does not get much over 22". As this evening rolls on and the temps drop I am seeing more fluctuations from sensor to sensor. I have three zones I plan to walk tomorrow. It seems like they are small leaks and are freezing first. It seems like they are out on the sap lines vs at the mainline except one run (which shows a 0" for the sensor).

    What does everyone else have for thoughts about this? Am I looking at it from the right angle or am I missing something.

    Thank you,

    Mike
    Tapping since 1985 (four generations back to early to mid 1900s). 200-250 taps on buckets and then tubing in the mid 90s. 2013- 275 taps w/sap puller 25 gal. 2014-295 taps w/sap puller 55 ga. (re-tapped to vacuum theory) 2015-330 taps full vac. 65 gal, 2016-400 taps 105 gal, 2017-400 taps 95 gal. 2018-additional 800' mainline and maybe 400 new taps for a total near 800 taps. 2x6 Leader WSE (last year on it) supported by a 250 gph RO.

  4. #3744
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Vermont
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    2,249

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    It is possible your mechanical releaser is causing the vacuum to go down during dumps. I had a similar problem about 5 years ago when my pump was running two releasers.

    Sap started running at about noon today. I have about 1400 gallons in the tank and it’s still running 200 gph. I think it will freeze up at around midnight. Sugar is now 1.4%.

    Spud

  5. #3745
    Join Date
    Feb 2023
    Location
    Sheldon VT
    Posts
    55

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    Last two days got about 2.5 gal sap/tap at 1.4%. I am sort of sketched out that we have 4 days in the next week at 58-60 degrees and no freezing.
    825 Taps
    CDL Rotary Vane Vacuum Pump
    H2O Electric Releaser

    2024- 825 taps 17725 gallons of sap
    2023- 825 taps 17325 gallons of sap
    2022- 800 taps 12375 gallons of sap
    2021- 350 taps 3815 gallons of sap

  6. #3746
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Vermont
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    Last two day I got 1.5 gpt and testing at 1.6%. I’m still fighting with micro leaks. Hope to have higher vacuum by tomorrow. I need to start pruning 400 apple trees and cutting scion wood for spring grafting.

    Spud

  7. #3747
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    ANDOVER, VT
    Posts
    767

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    Sun piped out this morning around 8:30 and sap started to run pretty well. It just trickled in overnight but at least it didn’t stop lol. Now it’s cloudy and over cast and still running at 180/hour. Sugar is down to 1.8. Nothing like last year. This year is one that I scratch my head about. I’m not sure how we will make out. So far to date only 10k gallons of sap in last two weeks. Last yr we had 3500 a day. But a lots less snow pack. I’m holy snow how’s away a bit here and we get back into the freeze and thaw.
    PM
    vacuum
    RO
    filter press
    auto draw
    New leader oil fired


    http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww123/jtrap/

  8. #3748
    Join Date
    Feb 2023
    Location
    Sheldon VT
    Posts
    55

    Default

    This last run 1.5gpt/sap at 1.2%
    825 Taps
    CDL Rotary Vane Vacuum Pump
    H2O Electric Releaser

    2024- 825 taps 17725 gallons of sap
    2023- 825 taps 17325 gallons of sap
    2022- 800 taps 12375 gallons of sap
    2021- 350 taps 3815 gallons of sap

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