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Maple Syrup 2018

Started by Chuck White, January 29, 2018, 08:49:03 PM

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Corley5

  Beginning of the end for us.  We had a few days off with cold and snow.  The whole season has been starts and stops.  Yesterday we pulled about two hundred gallons of sap.  It warmed up late and the wind was pretty sharp.  It's warming quicker today, the wind isn't as sharp and it might be a bit warmer all around.  The big warm up starts tomorrow.  Forecast is for freezing at night through Sunday maybe.  I expect to be done boiling for the season Monday.  Next week is looking like real spring.  Sugar maple buds still aren't doing much but they're loaded and will go quick now.  The days are long and it's supposed to be near and in the fifties.  Ready to be done.  Got a long list to work on for next season.  Get the rest of the woods tubed (about 1,500 more taps), finish up sugar house, build wood shed, set up R.O. (we've got it but didn't use it this year because of our amount of taps and the rig's evaporation rate), move vacuum pump to releaser shed in the woods, get rid of this season's syrup ;D etc....  If the next five day's forecast holds true we'll be well over 200 gallons for the season.  I'm a bit concerned that the syrup may get buddy the last couple days.  If it does we'll quit.  It's really late now.  We'll see ;D ;D ;D  Been an interesting ride for a first season on this level.  Looking forward to next year 8) 8) 8)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Chuck White

It's looking like most are getting ready for the end!

Then comes the "get ready for next season" part, new equipment, new lines, added taps, new sheds, and some sugarhouses!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Magicman

I have been rooting for you Chuck.  Congrats on reaching the 300 goal.  smiley_thumbsup
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Corley5

Close to 1,300 gallons of sap today thus far.  Had some other things to attend while it was running.  It still is and will late.  Not supposed to freeze up until after dark and the days are long now.  Going over right now to start chewing on it ;D 8)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Corley5

Made 11.5 gallons of syrup in four hours tonight.  Still have close to 900 gallons of sap in stock.  The releaser cycled as we were walking out the door of the sugar house @ 11:15 PM.  We left the vacuum on.  It's freezing up now.  Tomorrow should be another good day and good right through Sunday.  It looks like now it will just freeze Sunday night.  Monday might be good too.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Coach

Hey guys. It's in the middle of the night here and I just sat up in bed with a brainwave.  Not gonnna be able to fall asleep without posting this.

So, would there be any interest in a device that would allow you to check the sap level of your barrels remotely, like from from your cell phone?  Or perhaps have it send you a text when it's at 80% full, 85%, and so on.  Or a guy could log in and check levels.

But have got an even better idea here I'm contemplating. It's something like a standalone vacuum pump, requiring no electricity.   A guy could set it up to give you hourly flow rates (via texts or logging in), also have current temp at location and and stuff like that. This would be for a small setup at a remote location where no electricity is available.

Or is there something like that already available, and at what price? 

Chuck White

Thanks Lynn!  Appreciate the cheering team!  8)
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Corley5

A Google search for "wireless maple vacuum monitor" will show what's out there :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Gary_C

Years ago I tapped a couple of boxelders that were around the yard and boiled the sap on the stove. It made some good syrup for home use.

Does anyone use boxelders for commercial syrup production? They are of the maple family and those miserable trees should be good for something besides growing crooked and falling down.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

GAB

Quote from: Coach on April 20, 2018, 05:16:52 AM
Hey guys. It's in the middle of the night here and I just sat up in bed with a brainwave.  Not gonnna be able to fall asleep without posting this.

So, would there be any interest in a device that would allow you to check the sap level of your barrels remotely, like from from your cell phone?  Or perhaps have it send you a text when it's at 80% full, 85%, and so on.  Or a guy could log in and check levels.

But have got an even better idea here I'm contemplating. It's something like a standalone vacuum pump, requiring no electricity.   A guy could set it up to give you hourly flow rates (via texts or logging in), also have current temp at location and and stuff like that. This would be for a small setup at a remote location where no electricity is available.

Or is there something like that already available, and at what price?
I have a nephew who has installed numerous cameras for sugarmakers that can be monitered from smart phones so that they can see if they need to go home and boil or can continue doing other work.  He has also wired numerous barns to be able to see what is going on at any hour of the day.
Cost depends on what the owner desires to some extent.
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

celliott

We have some wireless vacuum monitors that tell us the vac level on different mainlines, so we can easier pinpoint problems. We also have wireless monitors for tank levels at remote stations, temp sensors, basically anything you want to monitor you can do it.
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

Corley5

20.75 gallons of syrup tonight.  700 gallons of sap to get started with tomorrow.  Should run good again tomorrow.  Have to fire up the firewood processor first thing in the AM and run off some wood to finish up the season :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Corley5

25.75 gallons today.  Sap ran steady all day.  Not real strong but steady.  26 for a low tonight so it should run about the same tomorrow.  Grade is holding steady at Amber Rich. 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

celliott

We made 830 gallons of golden yesterday. It is darker but we were so far above the color scale for golden we've just now come down to where it's on the edge. Maybe we'll make some amber today. Sap has been hammering in yesterday and will today as well.
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

celliott

 1045 gallons today and still running strong. Hardest runs yet actually. Be another long day tomorrow. We could make a good portion of our crop in these next couple days. 

Here's a few pictures from our Woods. 


4" over 3" conductor and a sub conductor that is 1.5" over 1.25", carrying about 2700 taps into the main system.


 

Here's a few vacuum leaks.  That pinhole is what we call a micro leak. 
Not audible but makes the sap run quickly. Believe it or not you can hear that leak by shutting the valve at the beginning of the mainline and slowly cracking it open, with your ear to the valve. The chewed tubing is a big leak and you can hear it from a ways off.



Our can am 6x6 on tracks. Quite a snow vehicle but slow.

My ugly mug out checking for leaks

We still have some snow up on the hill!


 
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

Corley5

  21 gallons tonight.  Ran out of sap and jars.  Came out just right.  Still at Amber Rich 8)It may not freeze tonight but it might depending on the forecast.  It might be Wednesday before it freezes again.  We'll see what it brings but we may be done and that's fine.  I need to tally what we've made.  I think we've done pretty well for our first season.
  Cool pics celliot :) :) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

51cub

Great pictures, Chris. Thanks for posting them!
I believe in the hereafter, because every time I take two steps into the tool crib to get something I wonder " what did I come in here after"

If nothing else I'm always a good last resort or the guy to hold up as a bad example

Chuck White

Chris, it's easy to see that you'll be going for a while yet, with all that snow!

We don't have any snow in our woods!

We were out yesterday flushing our lines and pulling taps, got most of it done, and we'll finish it today!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Bricklayer51

Corley are you going to sell to the public?

Chuck White

We finished flushing our lines today, and then finished cleaning the flue pan!

The only thing we have left to do is cut next years firewood!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Corley5

Quote from: Bricklayer51 on April 23, 2018, 08:10:18 AM
Corley are you going to sell to the public?
Yes, we've been filling 15 gallon kegs first and the balance of the day's run goes into quarts and pints. 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Corley5

Ran 4 gallons of syrup tonight from the 200 or so gallons of sap we pumped today.  Still Amber Rich and tasting great.  Finally figured our total and not including the several gallons my wife has sold at her work, she has those figures at work, we've made 225.75 gallons.  Going for 250.  Supposed to freeze Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.  We might make it.  Buds are swelling but not a lot.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

maple flats

Quote from: bill m on April 17, 2018, 06:15:41 PM
Engine driven is not an option. This property is a resort with guests staying nearby, the noise would not be tolerated. To get AC power it is over 350 feet away and would need to be buried and in conduit. This is their requirement. Because of the lay of the land, not a simple straight run, this would be very expensive.
Run the electric, you will never regret it. 350' is peanuts, I ran 320' from a pole just in my woods to the sugarhouse for a 225A box because of solar regs. I ran 450MCM copper, the service is a 200A service but you can not feed in more than 10% over the rating, thus I have a 225A box with a 200A main breaker but when the solar is at peak I put in up to 46.8 amps at 240V, the rated max for that box is 247.5A (225 x 1.1=247.5, 10% over). 200A from the grid and up to 46.8 from my solar.
I went 1 number higher than the minimum because I wanted to send more power to the grid and have less loss in the conduit (net metered).
For 350' just use a voltage drop calculator available online, plug in the info and hit "calculate". You want less than 3% voltage loss, and I prefer staying under 2%, but code says at max 3% "suggested". It is less voltage loss to run 240 than 120V, I'm not familiar with 3 phase, but that's a whole new kettle of beans.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Corley5

I ran power 900'+ to my releaser/pump house from the sugar house.  It was costly but well worth not dealing with a gas engine.  I used the online calculators too.  Moving the vacuum pump out there is under serious consideration.  I need to dig out my multimeter and check amps and volts.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

maple flats

Be aware of the surge amps, that is the true figure to plug into the calculator.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

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