At the beginning of the season we have a chicken and egg problem with water for the R/O.  We need to wash the R/O membrane after it sat for a year.  We need the filtered water the R/O produces.  But we don’t have any because we haven’t processed sap yet.  Because of minerals in well water its advised not to use that:  the minerals will plug the membrane to shorten its life.  The solution is to use water that’s been processed through a water softener.  Many years ago we had a Culligan water softener in the farmhouse.  But that’s been gone 30 years or more now.   So we purchased a new water softener (not Culligan) for the farmhouse.  Its already arrived and planned to install on Friday.  It will benefit the house overall, but the main reason for getting it is to use with washing the R/O membrane at the beginning of the season.

Finished tapping.  202 today that gives 502 taps overall.   Brought the R/O into the syrup building.  Membrane still at the house.  We don’t need that until we have sap to process.

Snow on the way.  We are on the line between all snow and snow/rain mix.  We’ll get a couple inches of snow the rest depends on the temperature at the time.  It will make the woods pretty again.   The weather turns back to a colder pattern which we need.   February was too warm.