Author: SugarMaster Page 16 of 94

Audio clip of the R/O pumps running signifying the season getting easier. It’s music to our ears.

Into the woods by 5:00 AM. Got the R/O going by 6:30 AM. There was apprehension about it working. The feed pump incident is still fresh. It came online without incident. Started at 6 Brix then increased to 7 Brix. Only 300 PSI on the high pressure gauge. Got good flows at 2 liters/minute. The membrane preformed well. R/O finished by 9:35 AM.

Slight problem with the rinse cycle. The feed pump wouldn’t stay at 25 PSI. We had to try several times before it held pressure. Speculate the quick release we placed on the feed pump isn’t sealing tight enough causing the pump to ingest air.

Done cooking by 1:00 PM. We expected to be done for the day, but discovered the trees ran overnight and needed collecting. The weather gets colder tomorrow with a low of 15 and high of 28. The sap was liquid today so collect it before it becomes ice.

Picked up 160 gallons. Sugar is still down: Brix 1.75.

Placed the tank heater in the storage tank. And wrapped a heating tape on the feed line to the R/O. Wanted to prepare for the cold temperatures and prevent ice for tomorrow.

33/34 overnight. Some rain, but not a lot. Temperate dropped by 7:15 AM. Some snow flurries. Snow got crunchy. Sun came out by 10:00 AM. Temperature up to 34, but a cold northwest wind made it colder. But the trees warmed enough to run. Or try to run. We had sap icicles on many spouts caused by sap moving in the tree but freezing when it hits the colder air on the spout.

The day cooking
6:30 AM R/O start
8:00 AM -9 PSI
9:35 AM R/O done
9:40 AM batch
10:00 AM 9” concentrate
10:00 AM -9 PSI
10:40 AM batch
11:00 AM 6”
11:00 AM 1 PSI
12:00 PM 2.75”
12:00 PM 7 PSI
12:30 PM 1”
12:35 PM batch
1:00 PM done

Back to the farmhouse by 4:15 PM.

Into the woods by 10:30 AM to check buckets. Many full, but also a lot of ice in the buckets. It’s not clear when the trees dripped so much to create full buckets of ice. It was before yesterday when the low was -2. That low caused the ice.

Used buckets to store sap by moving sap from full and over flowing buckets to less full buckets. Checked the weather forecast: rain starting between 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM. Starting collecting at 1:00 PM hoping to avoid the rain. Finished collecting by 2:30 PM just as rain started. 270 gallons. The trees had mostly stopped dripping by the time we collected.

Rain and snow mix tonight. Northern Wisconsin is getting 12”-18” of snow.

Back to the farmhouse by 4:30 PM after we pumped sap into the storage tank.

Cold night. Down to -2. Didn’t expect the temperature would go so low. But warmed quickly. By late afternoon it was 37.

Checked the R/O room about 7:00 AM. The heater kept it a balmy 50.

Buckets full of ice. Some dripping. Tomorrow rain is forecast.

14 overnight then down to 10 at sunrise. Sunny and up to 33 by late afternoon. A little melting. Cold again tonight but starts to warm tomorrow. Trees actually had 4 PSI.

More snow overnight. Since Friday we’ve had 8” according to he National Weather Service. A lot of that snow came overnight. Mostly cloudy today with high of 29. Temperature falls to the teens tonight.

Checked the woods at 4:30 PM. Increased the R/O room heater setting to accommodate the colder temperature overnight.

Into the woods by 9:15 AM to light the fire on the finishing pan. Then brought over the filter press, filter aid, kitchen heater, bottling pan and other things we needed for bottling.

Syrup ready for filtering by 10:40 AM. Started bottling by 11:15 AM. Done by 12:15 PM. Then started on the second milk can. Finished bottling it by 3:05 PM. Bottle 16.5 gallons in total.

Snowed all day. Up to 37, but atmosphere must have been colder. Continues snowing over night too.

Trees did run some. PSI up to 6.

Back to the farmhouse by 3:30 PM.

UPS delivered the pump yesterday about 6:00 PM. The snow storm delayed them because UPS usually delivers around Noon. But we got it.

Into the woods by 9:00 AM to get a tank of water to test the pump after replacement. Took at little while to figure out the electrical connections on the new pump. When the pump starts it should reach 25 PSI within a few seconds, but took longer then expected. Likely because the pump needed to change itself with water first. But all is well. We need sap next to verify that the new feed pump can meet the needs of the high pressure pump.

This pump from Goulds is widely used in the maple industry. It’s propellers are all stainless steel. And parts are replaceable. It was expense at $1042, but should last. It’s the third feed pump for the R/O.

Washed the finishing pan. Brought over two milk cans of water. We plan to bottle tomorrow.

Snow forecast again for tonight and tomorrow with 3″ – 6” possible by Monday morning. 26 overnight. Cloudy all day. Did reach 36, but cold north east wind. Time change tonight: Spring ahead an hour.

Back to the farmhouse by 2:30 PM.

About 8” of wet snow over night. Snow started by 7:00 PM yesterday and lasted until Noon today. Between 4:30 AM and 9:00 AM it was accumulating at ½” per hour. We were at the syrup building and that’s what we observed clearing the sidewalk in front of the building.

Into the woods by 4:30 AM. Evaporator going by 5:15 AM. Three batches in the milk can. Finished by 1:30 PM. Back to the farmhouse by 1:45 PM.

Still waiting for the pump. UPS got a late start because of the weather. It’s still showing as out for delivery by 7:00 PM March 10 (today.)

The day cooking
5:30 AM 15.5”
6:00 AM 15.25”
7:00 AM 13.5”
7:00 AM 0 PSI
7:35 AM batch
8:00 AM 11.25”
9:00 AM 9”
10:00 AM 7”
10:00 AM 0 PSI
10:35 AM batch
11:00 AM 5.25”
12:00 PM 3.25”
12:00 PM 0 PSI
12:40 PM batch
1:00 PM .75”
1:30 PM done

Into the woods at 2:30 PM to clean tanks for collecting at 3:00 PM. Collected 160 gallons, but the Brix is down: 1.5 Brix. That’s disappointing. It’s the second collection that Brix is down. Trees were not dripping today when we collected. All the other days they were dripping. Collecting yesterday wouldn’t have yielded as much. And now the buckets are empty before the storm. We were right to wait a day before collecting.

A snow storm is predicated for later tonight and into tomorrow. 5”-8” predicated. Cold north east wind now. Cloudy and 35 today. Froze overnight but not sure of low. Sunny early, but then clouds moved in.

Back to the farmhouse by 4:15 PM.

Into the woods by 5:00 AM. Started the fire in the evaporator by 5:30 AM. 30 overnight, but dropped to 25 at sunrise. Sunny and up to 42 today.

5:30 AM 21”
6:00 AM 21”
6:30 AM -5 PSI
7:00 AM 18.75”
8:00 AM 17”
8:10 AM batch
9:00 AM 14.5”
9:00 AM 9 PSI
10:00 AM 12.5”
10:15 AM batch
11:00 AM 10”
12:00 PM 8.5”
12:55 PM batch
1:00 PM 6.25”
2:00 PM 3.75”
2:00 PM 6 PSI
3:00 PM 1.75”
3:25 PM batch
3:30 PM .5”
3:45 PM done

Snow forecast for Thursday evening into Friday. R/O pump scheduled to arrive Friday.

Back the farmhouse by 4:00 PM.