sugaring

[Mark Cowdrey]

Finally got my sweet boiled off yesterday. It went pretty well, only started about 4 points low in the finisher. I had boiled it down in the arch the day before which was a little hair raising tho went fine. A lot of things to keep an eye on at one time. I set the 16×16 finisher up on top of the back pan to drain into a front float box & kept filling that. Now the clean-up.
I ended up w 64 gallons total from 264 taps (99 buckets) plus 175 gall from a neighbor. I added a bunch of red taps here but noticed that the buckets didn’t do hardly anything. Maybe the reds need vac? Guess I will keep thinning for the sugars and hope I am done before the beetle gets here. Hope to get a line run at another neighbor’s next Fall, I’m guessing another 75-100 there.
Mitch I also dumped a bunch of decent sap when I pulled buckets but it seems the lines had quit. I was “done” anyway.
Ed how do you wash your lines?
All – ya the new grading system sucks, the price of living in an under-regulated-corporatocracy. As my Dad would have said, “Those that got the gold make the rules.” This new systems aligns everything across state lines so the big boys can package everything in their metric containers and sell them in any state they want. Reminds me of the bulk tank laws and Earl Butz.
Mark

[Ed Thayer]

Mark,

I use a small 1″ Honda pump to force water back up the lines from the tank end. I found a male “Lincoln Style” air fitting fits perfectly in to the end of the 5/16 tube. I fill my pickup tank with water and simply pump it up the line and start at the furthest tap. It works very well. After washing, I then drain the line and plug the taps to keep the mud wasps out.

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[Mark Cowdrey]

Thanks Ed. Very similar to my system.
Mark

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