Cinder Block Evaporator - Freezing rain makes the project more fun

[@FOOKYOUTUBENUMBERS]

Great driving from the young Girl. She will be a excellent driver when She's older Well done, and great parenting.

[@basedamericafirst1983]

It's fun to see your family work together and grow up. Daughter #2 driving the truck. Awesome! Who needs breakers anyway? 13:25.

[@willymags123]

Great job I can't wait to see the finished product. Till next time, God bless

[@salmonhunter7414]

very nice job

[@jameskniskern2261]

My friend, an inexpensive pop up canopy would be a good thing for you to have on the farm. For those times when you need to get something done in adverse weather conditions. Like building an evaporator for your syrup.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Very true!

[@ManJO601]

Well done

[@jehsdca]

The winter snow and ice are attractive from my screen in Southern California. Don't think I'd want to be in it though. I hope the sap flow kicks i to full gear for you!

[@chuly740]

Just finished my evaporator yesterday, I live in Michigan and tapped Sunday. I have about 50 gallons of sap so far.

[@GagneFarms]

Great video! We didn't get as much sap as we thought on the first run either. 60gal on 60 taps, I collected on 2/25. I was hoping that it was just me and it was a bit colder up here in mid-Michigan. I think next week we should have a real good run. Just got to keep boiling!!! Thanks for sharing!

[@capnjimmy7357]

That saw seems to work pretty well. I like the overall design of this evaporator more. Curious to see how it does in the snow uncovered.

[@augustreil]

Nice work by the family ! Could you use a 55 gallon drum, sliced the long way for a bottom ? Also, why don't your kids have their skates on and using all that ice ?!!!!! That would be one cool place to skate around ! Oh, always a thumbs up !!!

[@mommymilestones]

We put our IBC tote on a trailer and pull it with a tractor or our Suburban. Filling the tote is easier for the entire family. If you need to transfer it off the trailer for more gathering while your cooking pump it out or drain it to a secondary tank at the evaporator. Then nobody has to to climb up the truck or lift them up. The evaporator is looking good but that door is very small when you consider cleaning out the ash. Old coal furnace doors are good because they also have draft. Ebay.

[@davidj.mackinney6568]

Glad to have that concrete saw.

[@lvlndco]

That looks to be a good quality saw you are using on the blocks. That would have been very useful for me on some past projects!

[@MrRWNTOOL]

I've had the same luck here in Western NY, expected more run from the 4 days of 40 degrees last week, but only really got one good day. Its froze up now though! Fun stuff

[@marilynm8812]

It's nice to see you have fun while you work. I would need cleats and a pillow. What about a little trailer for the tank?

[@andrewsarles3520]

I had the same problem some trees didn't run at all! There's always March hopefully it will get better?

[@CleoCastonguay47]

Great video! Once you have the evaporator on top of the cinder blocks and you start a fire under it how do you get the ashes out? That door opening doesn't seem to be big enough to get a shovel in there so how do you clean it out?

[@ProlificInvention]

Excellent, on so many levels.

[@thecynic807]

It's the ice field. When it thaws the sap will flow

[@neildriedger637]

Love the video guys!

[@markconner5446]

You should use a steel plate to mount your door on. That set up will make it hard to clean out. But I like it over all.

[@davidsonlankford1168]

The bulk tank in the back of the pickup, where do you find one and what was it previously used for.?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

I found a guy nearby that sells them. Got this one for $110 and it was used for a food thickener previously

[@davidsonlankford1168]

SSLFamilyDad : the reason I asked is because those types of containers are also widely used for bulk pesticides. Very difficult to rinse out plastic once contaminated. Also would advise running straps through the bottom of pallet when lifting. The metal frames on the sides are designed to keep the container from bulging out once fully loaded not for lifting. Not trying to be critical just passing on some safety precautions.

[@PubnicoExpat]

I want to buy syrup this year. I missed out last year. My family and I really liked the batch we bought from you the year before. Please let us know when we can buy some.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Will do! I think you already follow us on social media but that is where we will announce it

[@spoolsandbobbins]

One question dad, is there anything you cannot do? Great videos!!! From Nova Scotia

[@chaddesantis4191]

Looking good! Been thinking about your build and all sorts of options. I think the haters might stop hating as much and you'd retain a little more heat if you bury that whole thing. My thought, love it or hate it (and don't bother if the outside of the block is cool to the touch after you run it for a while), is to build a form by driving a couple t-posts in the ground around three sides, 6-12" away, screw pallet wood to them, fill in the 6-12" gap with dirt, and put a nice concrete ledge around the top. Not sure if it's neccessary, but it would work in theory and it would sure look cool. Can't wait to see the sugar shack when it's done! Will you be putting a tent over the evaporator in the meantime? I know in PA the board of health requires you to cook any food that you plan to sell under cover (because birds poop, among other factors). An EZ-up canopy (or similar) could save you a whole lot of heartache, and a big outfitters tent usually has a hole for a chimney.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Great ideas! Yeah, I had considered just building a form for the whole thing and filling it with concrete maybe on the next build!

[@chaddesantis4191]

@@SSLFamilyDad that might work, or you could line a concrete evaporator with either fire brick, satanite, or the like. I was thinking you might do well with a concrete door hole, too, but I guess I'll have to wait 'til the next video to see what you do. I have a half acre urban farm a lot like your old house, and we just shook hands with a friend to put a big market garden on his farm. Hopefully you can follow us on KZbin as much as I follow you, we're hoping to start a channel when we break ground!!

[@mattschwartz915]

Have you tried using reverse osmosis to take most of the water out?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

No but I would love to get one eventually, just don't have 3 or 4 grand right now:)

[@mattschwartz915]

They are not nearly that expensive for the amount of sap you are processing. I built a small RO system last year for under $400. I’ll give a list of the components below. It removes 5 gallons of water per hour from the sap and gets the sugar concentration up to 6-8%. I start with 1.5% sap usually so the RO removes about 75% of the water before I boil. It’s a huge time (and firewood) saver! In 2018, without the RO, I spent 4 or 5 days running my evaporator to get 3 gallons of syrup. In 2019, with the RO system, I ran my same evaporator for 2 days and produced 7 gallons! Here are all the parts needed with current prices: (Qty 1) Aquatec 8800 booster pump kit $110 (Qty 2) Alberts Filter 400 GPD RO membrane with housing $70 each (Qty 1) fluid filled pressure gauge $12 (Qty 1) 10” sediment filter housing $16 (Qty 1) pack of 4 2.5”x10” sediment filters (5 micron) $12 (Qty 1) low sugar (commonly 0-35 brix) hydrometer $20 I purchased all those items from Amazon. The only other things needed are some water tubing and fittings from your local hardware store. There are some good videos showing how to plumb the system. Search “small scale reverse osmosis” or “RO bucket”. Greetings from Muskegon, MI!

[@dangfangled7045]

Maybe make a steel frame for the door to connect to ....like 2" angle iron.

[@AtomicReverend]

I thought you trenched a drain for the "swamp"?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

That was a different area, I need new permission from the county to drain that area still

[@AtomicReverend]

@@SSLFamilyDad oh that sucks. So how's the area you trenched now that it's winter?

[@dixsigns1717]

Enjoy your videos, excellent. Question, do you sell maple syrup?

[@basedamericafirst1983]

When they have maple syrup to sell, it will show up on their website. sslfamilyfarm.com/new-products

[@sadie2431]

You should have brought your skates with you to collect :)

[@augustreil]

Right ? If I were the kids, I'd be skating all over that place !!

[@donaldheddy9277]

I thought you fixed that so that didn't flood all that water is there

[@augustreil]

Different area he said in another comment.

[@liveandlearnwithmike]

what Brand cutting saw is that?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Evolution, link in description

[@coreoncrack]

Awesome vid, is the rice field frozen?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

yup, lol

[@greensnapper1602]

Family Daddy, Nice to see you All get out and be together !! No but you should be ok on the Sap watch some other people that Pull Sap and they just put there's out .. You need a Shed out there and turn it into a Man Shed !! lol where you can be Warm , Dry Etc. when you build a Roof out there Put a Small Shed out there First then Build a Roof off the 1 Side of the Shed like a Car Port type roof .... Then you can again be WARM ,DRY have hot CoCo lol You get the Point... Think we might order a Bottle from you this Season !! OK SSL Daddy ill be talking to ya O think we might have Asked before but How Far are you from Lansing ? Have good amount of Family up that way... Thanks Again..

[@48wilber]

4:23---why dump 3/4 full bucket into empty one?,, just trade buckets.....also--- some of those trees have way too many taps in them for their size..

[@victoriaheuman8853]

I missed out on the syrup last year can I buy some syrup this year SS family Dad?

[@basedamericafirst1983]

If they have maple syrup to sell, it will probably show up on their website. sslfamilyfarm.com/new-products

[@frrapp2366]

where,s the gator??? cut a thin slot above the door and slip in a piece of steel then slices of brick ?? great driving lessons for the kids

[@monirep5359]

😍😍😍

[@civilwarbuff4555]

Should'a worn ice skates out there......make the job go quicker at least....

[@audioalt]

Sap collector! Haha

[@groundprepper4946]

had to end....cant take any more Bloomberg commercials...,,,

[@1982MCI]

Please stop telling folks how to do masonry work! You don’t have a clue of what your doing, which is fine for your own stuff but not when your trying to presumably teach others how to do it. And your gonna fire it up the next day? Are you kidding me?!?!?! Your gonna pop every joint in that thing and it’s not gonna last to see the second firing. The joints will still have moisture in them and what happens to moisture when you get it hot? Yes, it expands, all those kids can teach you that from their science class. When it expands, the concrete explodes, which is why everybody else was telling you to use fire brick. Please stop showing folks how to do stuff.. I’m sorry to be negative but your gonna get others hurt because they will then do it half as ass as what you have and your dealing with fire, but then this comes from a dad that allows his child to be in an extremely unsafe position while backing the truck up while they sit on the IBC tote. One sudden break and that child would have catapulted off the top. Unbelievable!!! Again, sorry for being negative but you need to look at how your projecting yourself to the rest of the world!!

[@SSLFamilyDad]

I appreciate your feedback, this is the 3rd time I have build an evaporator in this manner and it has worked very well. However, I am not teaching or showing anyone how to do masonry work I never claimed to be a mason and have not made a single comment about " this is how you should do it" I am just showing the progress of the build and yes, the joints will crack and that is ok, it just needs to hold up the pan and have a fire under it.

[@johnr8439]

Don Pheiffer I did think the same as your comment. The one thing I have learned from so many of these KZbin homestead channels is they are jack of all trades and master's of none. I do give them credit for what they are trying to accomplish. But I do SMH a lot.

[@FOOKYOUTUBENUMBERS]

@@SSLFamilyDad Haters going hate send them love and thanks for watching with a smile on your face they carn't handle it. I thought it was crap masonry work but for a evaporator who cares not like it's in Your Home G.B

[@FOOKYOUTUBENUMBERS]

Least You know Someone tried it if it Fails You have video to prove it fails so, that's doing the World a favour. more than You. All Your doing is showing people (KIDS) how to be a TROLL

[@chaddesantis4191]

You're right. That thing's never gonna be good enough to set on fire and boil water. I bet the chickens and pigs are embarrassed to look at it. And man, there's no way that a teenage kid who's dad's a preacher could ever have the time to develop the skills or patience needed to drive a pickup truck around the farm at 5 miles an hour without killing someone. That poor little girl might have fallen 3 whole feet! Sheesh!