Maple Syrup 2019

[Cut4fun]

I called a guy in the middle of last week to let him know his saws were ready. He called back saying he was in the middle of syrup making.

So must be time around north central OH too.

 

[Steve Taylor]

My spot is flooded bad. Never seen water up this high before. I hope i can find my buckets after the water goes away.

 

[titanman6100]

steal away

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Transferring today’s run to the storage tank. About 40 gallons. Hope for as much again tomorrow on 28 taps.

@beaglebriar , that little pump is badazz.

 

[beaglebriar]

Transferring today’s run to the storage tank. About 40 gallons. Hope for as much again tomorrow on 28 taps.
View attachment 171828
@beaglebriar , that little pump is badazz.

Best 12 bucks you'll ever spend!

You have a really nice set up there.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Best 12 bucks you'll ever spend!

You have a really nice set up there.

They’re up to $16. Still worth it!

I have been building up a little bit every year. Next year I think it’s time to expand up to about 50 taps, by adding another run of tubing.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Mrs. geek got some pictures of me and my helpers:

 

[Johnmn]

They’re up to $16. Still worth it!

I have been building up a little bit every year. Next year I think it’s time to expand up to about 50 taps, by adding another run of tubing.

Link for this pump?

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

This little pump is fantastic if you have a few taps on tubing.

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/191534547426

Link for this pump?

 

[beaglebriar]

They’re up to $16. Still worth it!

I have been building up a little bit every year. Next year I think it’s time to expand up to about 50 taps, by adding another run of tubing.

3/16" tubing is the way to go now from what I understand.

 

[Ryan Browne]

3/16" tubing is the way to go now from what I understand.

It's certainly got advantages, but it's not for everyone. It's very sensitive to leaks and blockages. I literally check my mainline to see if any of my laterals has developed a leak several times a day. Most of the time it's very quick and there's no problem, but because I'm using 3/16 and a shurflo pump, it's crucial to keep on top of it. One squirrel chew can kill the vacuum for 200 taps. Using 5/16 and a traditional vacuum/releaser setup you can get away with some leaks here and there and still have good vacuum. One thing about running 3/16 without vacuum is that it's much more difficult to find the leaks. You'll get good vacuum if you've got the drop, but unless you have a gauge at the top, you won't know if it's as good as it should be, and if it isn't, it's much tougher to diagnose.

 

[beaglebriar]

It's certainly got advantages, but it's not for everyone. It's very sensitive to leaks and blockages. I literally check my mainline to see if any of my laterals has developed a leak several times a day. Most of the time it's very quick and there's no problem, but because I'm using 3/16 and a shurflo pump, it's crucial to keep on top of it. One squirrel chew can kill the vacuum for 200 taps. Using 5/16 and a traditional vacuum/releaser setup you can get away with some leaks here and there and still have good vacuum. One thing about running 3/16 without vacuum is that it's much more difficult to find the leaks. You'll get good vacuum if you've got the drop, but unless you have a gauge at the top, you won't know if it's as good as it should be, and if it isn't, it's much tougher to diagnose.

Good to know maybe I'll stick with 5/16. I really like the idea of smaller holes in the trees.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Good to know maybe I'll stick with 5/16. I really like the idea of smaller holes in the trees.

Don't get me wrong, personally I love the 3/16 and I don't see ever using 5/16 again. I just wanted to point out why someone might not want to use it. I love that you can run it up over trails or down on the ground even. It's very easy to work with.

Also, you can run whatever tap size you want with buckets, 3/16, or 5/16. Might need an adapter if you want to do something goofy, but 5/16 taps on any tubing size is very common. I'm running 5/16 check valve taps with 3/16 barbs on them this year. I did the same last year and made .6 gallons of syrup per tap.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

3/16" tubing is the way to go now from what I understand.

Yeah, I have about 24 on a run of 3/16 tubing this year and last, and I like it a lot, but Ryan is right - one squirrel chew or leaky tap can kill your vacuum. I stuck a gauge at the top of my run, and you can tell in an instant if you have a leak to be searching for or not, just by how much vacuum there is. Even without a gauge, you can watch the speed of the air bubbles in the tubing, and they can tell you where a leak might be, as they speed up significantly around a leak.

 

[beaglebriar]

Don't get me wrong, personally I love the 3/16 and I don't see ever using 5/16 again. I just wanted to point out why someone might not want to use it. I love that you can run it up over trails or down on the ground even. It's very easy to work with.

Also, you can run whatever tap size you want with buckets, 3/16, or 5/16. Might need an adapter if you want to do something goofy, but 5/16 taps on any tubing size is very common. I'm running 5/16 check valve taps with 3/16 barbs on them this year. I did the same last year and made .6 gallons of syrup per tap.

I don't do anything fancy like pull vacuum, RO etc. Just 3 or 4 runs of about 15 taps on a fairly steep side hill and a couple buckets here and there. My trees are smallish and half are soft maple. If I make over 4 gallons of syrup I consider it a good year.


Edit: all on a north facing slope that gets little sun. Lol

 

[Marshy]

The sap is running boys!
This is my neighbors. Constant stream.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

The sap is running boys!
This is my neighbors. Constant stream.
View attachment 171951

Now that's a run! How big of an outfit does he have?

 

[Ryan Browne]

I don't do anything fancy like pull vacuum, RO etc. Just 3 or 4 runs of about 15 taps on a fairly steep side hill and a couple buckets here and there. My trees are smallish and half are soft maple. If I make over 4 gallons of syrup I consider it a good year.


Edit: all on a north facing slope that gets little sun. Lol

Right on. If you ever want to take it up a small notch, adding a shurflo pump is very cheap and can really boost sap levels. Going from no vacuum to 15" increases your sap production by 150%. Another 5% for every inch after that.

 

[Marshy]

Now that's a run! How big of an outfit does he have?

I dont recall the number of taps but he is running vacuum. I want to say it around 1500 taps.

 

[beaglebriar]

Right on. If you ever want to take it up a small notch, adding a shurflo pump is very cheap and can really boost sap levels. Going from no vacuum to 15" increases your sap production by 150%. Another 5% for every inch after that.

Those pumps are reasonable. Never would've guessed that.