Author Topic: OT Maple Taps (Read 156709 times)

The Rusty Crab · « **Reply #810 on:** Apr 18, 2013, 02:41 PM »

only 30 more gallons to go. phew.

countyboy · « **Reply #811 on:** Apr 19, 2013, 05:54 AM »

Looks good Rusty.

pipeboy98 · « **Reply #812 on:** Apr 19, 2013, 03:02 PM »

well after a lot of work and watching and learning from a lot of you...I finally made a few videos and posted them. thanks for all the help and the pics posted on here...they were a great inspiration.

part one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzaActx7PLk

part two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Y22DQPH7Y

part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1IxbZ5ynTc

and the final result is this

and this

so far this year...the neighbors and I have split close to 5 gallons of the sweet stuff and the trees are still running! this will be my last week though as I am almost out of wood! hope everyone had an awesome season, and again...gamefisher...t he coffee urn idea was to maple syrup what the smitty sled is to ice fishing. absolutely brilliant....thanks again!

pipe

Raquettedacker · « **Reply #813 on:** Apr 19, 2013, 09:25 PM »

That is awesome... I cant wait till next year..

Keychain · « **Reply #814 on:** Apr 22, 2013, 08:29 PM »

Nice haul pipeboy! Though with a dog, three cats, and a three and a half year old rugrat in my house there's NO way you'd catch me stacking it up like that even for a two minute photo op!

pipeboy98 · « **Reply #815 on:** Apr 22, 2013, 10:26 PM »

Well I have 2 dogs and 3 cats and 2 kids ages 10 and 12. I locked the cats in the bed room and told the kids that one of them had to walk the dogs and the other had to empty sap buckets. The wife was at work and the kids rock-paper-scissors each other for job choice and I got to snap my pics in peace. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while! This weekend will be my last! I already have 6 + gallons of finished syrup. I have 40 gallons of sap saved up and will let it run all week till Saturday night. The cooker will fire up Friday night and run till we're done on Saturday. Then the taps will get pulled and equipment washed and stashed.

It's been a hell of a year...way better than last year. After 4 seasons of doing this...this is the latest I've ever cooked sap! No one I know around here that does it can think of a run the went this late into the season!

Keychain · « **Reply #816 on:** Apr 23, 2013, 07:40 AM »

Well played! Yeah, this was only my second season and it definitely ran later here as well. First season I had 8 taps out and only made 3-4 pints. This season I put out 18 and made a little over a gallon. I expect I'll be expanding a bit more next season. Just hope it runs as well as it did this year...

Keychain · « **Reply #817 on:** Nov 05, 2013, 06:31 PM »

Yeah, I know I should be thinking of ice and not looking toward spring, but we just finished the sugar shack and new evaporator this weekend. She's all ready to go in a few months!

moxiedog · « **Reply #818 on:** Nov 05, 2013, 09:17 PM »

Sweet set-up. (pun intended) It sure will be nice to have a project like that done when when all you want to do is have a few more days on the ice instead of building a sugar shack in the snow.

gamefisher · « **Reply #819 on:** Nov 06, 2013, 06:43 AM »

Wow, you have caught the fever! I must admit I check mapletrader most every day however.

Best thing about your design is that it will double nicely as a bus stop for the kids!

Couple thoughts, not criticisms:

1) Slide your metal roofing down all the way around even with your top nailer for better steam escape. You may still experience some drip from the roof to deal with, not sure.

2) Slide your stove more to the right so you can add a tier of wood inside to feed from. Sides of stove wont be that hot after bricking it or add a piece of metal roofing inside with short spacers if worried about to hot.

3) Get that talented Dad of yours to to weld on a nipple from your sectioned pan and plum it to your finish pan. Use the valve you have to draw off the finish pan from a "T" and add another valve that controls flow from back pan to front. No ladling or nothing that way, as your front pan gets low, simply add more near syrup from the back pan with your valve. Must be a valve handle on that back off the pre heater we can't see, great hobby set up you have.

Keychain · « **Reply #820 on:** Nov 06, 2013, 03:25 PM »

Good points gamefisher! I had wondered about drip from the roof on the inside but figured we'd just have to give it a try and see what happens. I didn't consider stacking wood inside but had worried a bit about having enough room to maneuver beside the stove. And we'll definitely have to consider #3. But for now, let's just get some ice made and catch a few fish first...

BrownTroutBoy · « **Reply #821 on:** Nov 06, 2013, 09:26 PM »

I was thinking about Trying a small scale run this year. Never made syrup before but I do like to eat it! Where can I get the taps and other supplies I will need and as always any expert advice is welcome!

Keychain · « **Reply #822 on:** Nov 06, 2013, 10:01 PM »

I use cheap plastic ones that I picked up at the hardware store and asked the local grocery store to save plastic buckets from the deli for collection buckets. I only have two seasons under my belt, so I wouldn't count any of my advice as "expert" at this point

pipeboy98 · « **Reply #823 on:** Nov 06, 2013, 10:16 PM »

I use the cheep plastic taps too. So far we're 4 seasons in and I haven't broken any. I personally use 2 liter pop bottles to collect in. Just cut a quarter size hole in the top of the biggest diameter of the bottle and it will stay on the tap. I used to use plastic tubing into 5 gallon buckets...but if the tubing freezes up...the sap won't run out until the block is melted. I also have the ability to collect at least once a day as all of my trees are at the edge of the yard, but on heavy flow days i do feal guilty coming home from work and seeing dozens of overflowing bottles. Plus at the end of the season there is no washing of anything...I just recycle them and start collecting them a month before we start tapping.

BrownTroutBoy · « **Reply #824 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 07:57 PM »

I'm almost done building my sap evaporator and was wondering where I can find taps and tubing in the southern maine/nh area. This is my first season looking to run about 10 taps.

rude the dude · « **Reply #825 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 07:59 PM »

any paris farmers union.

Raquettedacker · « **Reply #826 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 08:00 PM »

Quote from: BrownTroutBoy on Feb 14, 2014, 07:57 PM

where I can find taps and tubing in the southern maine/nh area. This is my first season looking to run about 10 taps.

I just bought 10 taps and 50 feet of hose on Ebay for $36 with free shipping....

BrownTroutBoy · « **Reply #827 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 08:36 PM »

Wonder if tractor supply or agway might have the taps and tubes?

woodchip · « **Reply #828 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 08:51 PM »

Sap is starting to run ,Look at broken branches on Maples from ice damage and sap icicles are hanging along the roadways.

BrownTroutBoy · « **Reply #829 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 08:54 PM »

Quote from: woodchip on Feb 14, 2014, 08:51 PM

Sap is starting to run ,Look at broken branches on Maples from ice damage and sap icicles are hanging along the roadways.

A quick glance at the extended forecast tell me I need to hurry up and get some buckets out!

pipeboy98 · « **Reply #830 on:** Feb 14, 2014, 10:48 PM »

No way...you guys in Maine are getting sap already? The syrup season hasn't even been a thought in my head in here in Wisconsin. We still have 30"+ of ice to drive on.

Keychain · « **Reply #831 on:** Feb 15, 2014, 12:23 AM »

Gah! You're killin' me! I hope it's not time yet. I'm gonna be out of town for work March 4-11 which is what I would expect to be prime time. Though now that I think about it, maybe if it starts earlier I'll be better off. Can't wait to get this bad girl fired up ....

blufloyd · « **Reply #832 on:** Feb 16, 2014, 09:39 PM »

I am jealous of Maine, maple syrup and Allen's. Throw in a moose steak or two and I might cry.

I know of a couple non commercial guys here as well as a well know Route 66 spot.

RocketRollinSX · « **Reply #833 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 05:49 AM »

We put in about 130 taps on Saturday, still about 400 to go. Hoping to get 75 gallons bottled up this year. No sap run yet but then end of the week looks promising.

kguerrette · « **Reply #834 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 06:17 AM »

Quote from: mainedukblaster on Mar 17, 2008, 08:15 PM

where would one buy the taps .. i would like to tap the 3 big mature sugar maples in my yard.. how many taps can a tree handle?

On trees over 12inch I place 3 taps east facing as much as possible.

vermonner · « **Reply #835 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 12:04 PM »

We tapped our 1100 over the weekend. Pump reassembly (we moved it) tonight, new releaser over the tank tonight. Plumb lines into releaser tomorrow (we reconfigured), lots of little odds and ends in the sugarhouse and probably start boiling Thursday Night. Our trees are frozen HARD and it will take a day or two for them to really get going, but if the forecast holds, we'll run like hell on Thursday. R.O. gets plumbed in during next week's freeze, then our long days shorten significantly. I love sugaring. Hope everyone has a great season/good time boiling.

SmellsLikeFishNH · « **Reply #836 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 12:06 PM »

Quote from: Keychain on Feb 15, 2014, 12:23 AM

Gah! You're killin' me! I hope it's not time yet. I'm gonna be out of town for work March 4-11 which is what I would expect to be prime time. Though now that I think about it, maybe if it starts earlier I'll be better off. Can't wait to get this bad girl fired up ....

This is a sweet little setup, I like it, nice job!!!

Sinnian · « **Reply #837 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 02:07 PM »

Quote from: SmellsLikeFishNH on Feb 17, 2014, 12:06 PM

This is a sweet little setup, I like it, nice job!!!

If you like that you should check his posts on the evaporator his dad built

Keychain · « **Reply #838 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 05:48 PM »

Quote from: Sinnian on Feb 17, 2014, 02:07 PM

If you like that you should check his posts on the evaporator his dad built

just hoping I don't miss the better part of the season...

BrownTroutBoy · « **Reply #839 on:** Feb 17, 2014, 05:59 PM »

Got all my supplies together, weather looks sappy going to put them in soon!

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Author Topic: OT Maple Taps (Read 156709 times)