Into the woods at 4:30 AM. It was cold overnight: 22. Storage tank drain pipe was frozen and took about 10 minutes to thaw with the heat gun. But finally we heard the “gurgle gurgle” of the sap moving through the thawed pipe. Started the evaporator by 5:30 AM.
Then started on the R/O. The membrane needs rinsing before use with about 200 gallons of water. First we had to get the membrane out the storage canister. It was sealed very tight. Struggled with a pipe wrench to open it. After applying heat from the heat gun it finally opened.
After starting the pump, leaks appeared. First around the canister for the pre-filter. Food grade grease solved that. But there was still a leak from one of the drain plugs on the pump. Tied food grade grease there too but didn’t solve it. After inspecting the plug, noticed it was missing an O ring. We didn’t have any spares so we were unable to continue with the R/O. Later in the morning, family was able to get an O ring. But now it was 11:30 AM. We checked the sap level in the tank and realized we wouldn’t get enough water to wash the R/O after use. So we cooked all 170 gallons old school. One batch into the milk can. Finished by 1:30 PM. Back to the farmhouse by 2:00 PM.
But we still had to collect. Help arrived and we started collecting at 3:15 PM. Some ice in buckets from the cold overnight. It did warm to 42, but stayed cloudy all day.
While going around a sharp corner the front tires fell into a rut. Struggled to get it out. And one of the tires was flat making it even harder. Unhooked the wagon. Got the tractor out. Back to the farmhouse to fill the tire with air. Completed collecting by 4:45 PM. Picked up 215 gallons.
Another long day. It’s frustrating when something small like an O ring prevents use of technology that significantly reduces cooking time.
Tomorrow we cook again.