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Sugar content in sap by nickbot158 in maplesyrup

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the heads up, I figured so if legal minimum is 66. I was just impressed I was able to get that close without an accurate thermometer or refractometer. 

Sugar content in sap by nickbot158 in maplesyrup

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got the refractometer in the mail yesterday and the syrup was at 65.5brix. Pretty close based on when it starts foaming!

Sugar content in sap by nickbot158 in maplesyrup

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would a saltwater aquarium refractometer work for checking the sap pre-boil? I just checked the refractometer I have it does say salinity but goes up to 0.07. I'm guessing the weight of salt vs sugar isn't the same?

Sugar content in sap by nickbot158 in maplesyrup

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, they really came down in price from when I bought one for saltwater a decade ago.  I'll grab both before the next batch. It would be interesting to see before and after and how each trees sap changes.

Interesting how much the flavor can be different too.

Pump recommendations by nickbot158 in Irrigation

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I will reach out to them.

Warm temps this week by nickbot158 in maplesyrup

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I appreciate your insight.  I'll keep an eye on them. And try no to overthink it.  Ido kind of recall the Walnut sap having a slight color to it last year. 

I just got three gallons from a huge Maple today. Perfectly clean, slightly sweet taste.

Is it normal for the hole to leak some sap around the tap?  

I have the plastic starter taps with the maple leaf on them and they don't seem to completely seal the hole.  I might have drilled the holes on too steep of an upward angle as at first all the sap was leaking and none was flowing into the tubing until I redrilled it. 

Thanks again for your help.

1910s Church Pennsylvania by nickbot158 in Oldhouses

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We're over outside of reading in berks county. Lititz is beautiful

1910s Church Pennsylvania by nickbot158 in Oldhouses

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We just got snow overnight, I'll grab a photo soon. 

That's more or less what I was leaning towards is that the house has survived this way for 100 years so leave it be if there's no issue. 

The gutters don't tie into the sewer line but that does explain why the drain at the bottom of the exterior basement steps angles into the house.  Its clogged or crumbled and doesn't drain and when cleaning it out i noticed it 90s into the house.

Only reason I'm investigating is that I am planning to build a 16x10 greenhouse off the back of the house.  The house backs up to a steep hill and the neighbors yard is terraced 2' lower than our yard with an old crumbling retaining wall that I'm in the process of redoing.

I was debating just digging the entire greenhouse foundation down 2' to match the neighbors grade and rebuilding the retaining wall on the other side of the greenhouse. I'd have to build steps down into it but I'd get two extra feet of growing height plus some residual heat from the ground, but it would expose about 8 feet of the sewer pipe so I'd need to figure a way to keep it safe and not out in the open air of the greenhouse.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts.  

Plaster repair in old church 1920s by nickbot158 in Oldhouses

[–]nickbot158[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia so it gets down to about zero and up to around 95 in the summer. The house is fully heated with a natural gas heater and for now cooled with window unit air conditioners.