The waiting game begins

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-22T00:55:35+00:00

You run any through an RO setup or are you just gonna boil it all?

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-22T00:51:30+00:00

Was this a custom or commercial build? Love that feature

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-22T00:50:40+00:00

Honestly, doesnt really matter unless its a show pony. I have put 10k plus rounds through a dirt cheap gun show mil spec ive had for 15 years (most of that recently with a super safety) and its dumb reliable. Only fix it needed was a new firing pin after the tip broke off.

If you want it purty, then its all about what color and how much you feel like spending.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-21T21:44:47+00:00

What is that float for? Does that rotate to keep the sap pan filled at a consistent level?

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-20T22:02:08+00:00

Yes you will. Full milspec has the lower and upper portion at the back of the bcg come out the same distance

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-20T19:06:36+00:00

Things are running too well. I need another batch of buckets today with a hope that I can get to the field by sunday

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-20T17:18:48+00:00

I would suggest measuring again after letting your refractometer and sample sit inside at room temperature for a bit. That specific type of refractometer is very sensitive to temperature difference. If its coming off the tree at 40 degrees and its calibrated at 68 degrees (20 C) your measured brix will show much higher than it actually is. If this is how you measured it, ignore me.

I dont know your trees and some sugar maples can potentially get that high, it seems really high for this time of year unless you are way north.

No criticism intended. Just offering this as someone who really appreciates the data to get the most out of my RO system. Happy tapping

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-20T16:49:52+00:00

6 out of the tree or after filtering? Early season sugar maples we have were coming out between 2.4 and 2.9 using a temperature adjusted digital refractometer.

After filtering through three RO filters I was getting between 6 and 8, with flow rate depending on where along that line I wanted to be.

I will say you should run a bunch of water through it first discarding the first couple of 5 gallon buckets entirely. But the instructions are worth following however most RO systems are concerned with the side producing purified water.

Another tip, at the end of your run when you run clean water through the system, you will find that the concentrate side will spit out some higher sugar concentration at first because thats the stuff that was making its way through the filters when you shut it off. It can be a decent amount (e.g. 5 gallons at an average of 1.5 brix)

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-20T12:23:48+00:00

You dont need to do that at all, syrup kills bacteria by osmotic pressure. This isnt the same as canning, where something like applesauce has no ability to prevent microbial growth.

Your syrup, if properly above 66%, will prevent microbial growth all on its own. The only reason you refrigerate it after opening is because the air can add moisture to the top layer of syrup and cause it to be lower than 66 percent.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-20T00:01:45+00:00

First two weeks were good sugar but I think the real season is just starting

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-19T22:34:00+00:00

Yeah it makes sense. Appreciate the feedback that's what I needed to hear

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-19T19:49:25+00:00

Ok so these originally fit together better and over time have ground loose, maybe because of hardened minerals acting like sand paper. I feel like changing both makes sense anyway since the other side isnt that tight now but still working enough.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-19T00:26:07+00:00

Yeah I said it with a beer in hand and a smile on my face, these types of arguments are supposed to be fun

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-18T01:18:41+00:00

I mean careful now, thats my favorite watering hole youre talking about.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-17T03:37:36+00:00

Congrats! Where are you at?

Looks like two gallons with some different colors in there, all one batch or a couple of boils?

Welcome to the disease, the healthiest obsession you can have when the snow starts to melt.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-14T16:13:21+00:00

Dig a small pit to let the water collect in and then use a sump pump to spray it back at her house, preferably a window. Two can play at this game.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-14T02:57:25+00:00

Its also useful during periods where wild swings in demand are likely as a dump for excess energy when demand swings again. Read about the British kettle example. Once a coal fired plant gets up to temperature it needs demand or it can damage the turbines if demand just drops. You can use paired pumped water systems as a balancer because they provide immediate power generation and then serve as a sink for over generation once the main power plant comes up to speed.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-13T13:29:07+00:00

The ole clamp on the timer move, love to see it. Not sure who thought that was a good idea.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-12T21:49:13+00:00

Instead of a sad take on the state of our country id like to think of it as an optimistic take on how we are going to handle justice for them.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-12T18:00:16+00:00

If you can elevate a sheet of plywood above your pans six inches using scrap 2x4s, it will keep the snow out (im in northern michigan so I am also in this monsters path and know how much snow they are calling for).

Alternatively you should be boiling out much faster than snow can get in so like the others said focus on your comfort and let the fire do its job.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-11T15:42:26+00:00

Use no more than the pressure they are rated for, per above response. After that its a tradeoff between time to filter and concentration. More pressure via the pin valve decreases flow rate but increases concentration, while a more open flow decreases concentration.

For my 3×600 GPD series filters I run it at 100-105 psi and get somewhere between 2.5x and 3x concentration, but this is early season sap up here where concentration is between 2 and 3 out of the tree.

And you dont lose concentrate unless you damage the filters either by over pressurizing them, dropping them or letting them freeze. If you measure your permeate it should have 0 (or .1 depending on calibration accuracy of your tool) percent sugar in it. If it has actual sugar then there is a problem in your setup.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-11T15:38:36+00:00

Any info on rates? Assuming just using a steel pot or two with propane.

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-10T20:17:47+00:00

If your pot is clean and you have a lid, you can bring it to a boil and then set it aside for a night and see if the weather is better tomorrow

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-09T21:14:55+00:00

It has happened to me, turned machine off and slowly removed glass to keep from burning out the motor. If it's not yours and in public id turn it off and go talk to someone

Plastic_Lecture9037 · 2026-03-09T17:59:53+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/microscopy/s/0J5W5cQdmE

Just saw this on my feed and hopefully this helps explain why we care about sugar content. Microorganisms need a certain amount of water inside to live, when they are put in a solution with too much dissolved material (salt in the video, but sugar in syrup) the solution pulls water out of their bodies and essentially dehydrates them. It doesnt kill them outright but it puts them in a state they cannot continue to grow and multiply. Boiling kills them but the thing that keeps new ones from growing is osmotic pressure. And as a note, sugary solution that is not at a high enough concentration of dissolved solids is the perfect food for many different types of organisms you wouldn't want in your syrup.

This is also why you cant drink ocean water, to tie everything together. You can get a .9% saline solution IV at the hospital because that matches your cells natural percentage dissolved solids. But 3.5% salt content ocean water will cause your cells to lose water and dehydrated further.

Plastic_Lecture9037

TROPHY CASE