This bulletin is for those who are plan­ning to build a new sugarhouse or repair,~ ,old one. You may also find the informationuseful in making modifications to existing,augarhouses.

Buildings, equipment, and prod.uctlon

Editing by Meg GemsonAshinannlustrations by WendY' Laramee

I _ ' r " 'I - > • ~ '/ _\::'!'Issued In furtMrance of Cooperative ~xtenslQn ., Acts ,of MQy 8 anclJune 30.1914, In\ «!C)peroiloll wltbthe Ullite~LStates Department of Agrlculture.R. P; Davison, Director of El(tensionServli:e,Unlverslty of' Vermont, 8urlirigtOII, VermQ:lI.

The Extensioll Service, University of Vermont. and U.S. Departme;'t ~f ,Agrltvlture cooperating;, olJer~ucatlOIl 'f""~,.without regard to race, color; national origin, sex; or rellfjion, 'Tl1e Extens:on Service is (1/1' 'Equal OppartUII!ly;,

. ~,- - '(~.' . "- -,.

ii

. . .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

SITE SELECTION.Drainage.Accessibility.UtilitiesDraft •Space.other factors

SANITATION

SIZING THE SUGARHOUSEBasic houseFuel storageSap storage tanksSyrup processing room (Sugar kitchen)Auxiliary storage

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTIONOrientation • •Construction • • • • • •Foundation.FloorsArch foundation • • • •DrainsWalls.RoofVentilators •StacksLightingEntrancesMaintenanceExpansion

SUGARMAKER'S RATING SHEET

SELECTED REFERENCES

APPENDIXESA. Vermont SugarhouseB. Cornell SugarhouseC. 16 x 24 Sugarhouse

. . .

. . .

ii

iv

1111223

3

344689

999

101010111111111212131313

14

14

15151721

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Table

1. Recommended Sugarhouse Dimensions. • • • • • • • • • • • • .

2. Approximate Syrup Production from Wood-fired Evaporators

3. Fuel Oil Requirements •••••

4. Maximum Allowable Knot Size • •

4

5

6

10

9. Roof ventilator

7. Sugarhouse processing salesroom •

8. Grain slope • •

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Figure

1. Surface drainage

2. Sugarhouse located for good draft and air drainage

3. Basic sugarhouse layout •

4. Open-sided wood storage •

5. Wood carrier mounted on overhead track

6. Sap storage located on north end of sugarhouse

10. Cupola ventilator with side and top roof doors.

11. Large windows for good lighting •••••••••

iv

.. . -" .

1

2

4

5

6

7

8

10

12

12

13

Sugarhouse DesignGrant D. Wells

Extension Agricultural Engineer

SITE SELECTION

Decisions regarding a new sugarhousestart with site selection.

Site selection includes consideration of:

• drainage• accessability• utilities• air movement (draft)• space• convenience and other factors

Drainage

Selecting a well-drained site is essen­tial in the location of a sugarhouse. Goodsubsurface drainage is important for thefoundation of the building and for year­round access to the site.

The surrounding area should be gradedto drain away from the building. You canuse diversion terraces or ditches to inter­cept and divert hillside surface and seep­age water from the building site where itis a problem (Fig. 1).

Interceptor Trench /

Figure 1. Surface drainage.

Check out the site in late winter andearly spring. This is the time of year itwill be used and when melting snow, sur­face runoff, and muddy road conditionscan be serious.

Accessibility

If you can't get to it, how are yougoing to use it? Locate the building whereover-the-road vehicles can be driven to it.And be sure to have an all-weather roador drive because it will be necessary totruck production equipment in and the fin­ished product out. Consider the advan­tages of accessibility to visitors, potentialcustomers, and suppliers. Sugarhouseslocated along main highways will retailmore maple products than those locatedoff the road and out of sight.

Utilities

Is electric power and running waterreadily available at the site? Electricityis a necessity in larger operations withsugar kitchens for processing maple prod­ucts, and a convenience for even the small­est operations, if for no other reason thanlighting. Also, although it may not seemnecessary at first, some future expansionor change in operation may call for elec­tricity. Feeder lines of over 500 feetfrom a meter. can be very expensive andanything over 1,000 feet is out of thequestion. ill such a case, you would haveto use a power supplier's service drop oran alternative power source. Bottled gascan be used for finishing and packingsyrup, and for lighting. An alternative

1

for lights and other electrical equipment isa portable standby generator operated by agasoline or diesel fuel engine.

Another fact to consider is fuel sup­ply. Whether the fuel is wood, fuel oil, orsome other type, its availability for boilingsap must be assured. Wood storage shouldbe sufficient for one season's run. Fueloil tanks must be large enough to hold oilfor at least 1 day's operation; larger tanksmay lower delivery costs.

A supply of clean, running water isnecessary for washing filters, strainers,and equipment. Hot water is convenientfor cleaning up the more sticky jobs. Keeptwo things in mind when disposing of thedirty wash water and other waste water:First, this water should not be dumped di­rectly into a watercourse and secondly,concentrated discharges of water can causeerosion if not properly handled.

A toilet is necessary for larger opera­tions with several employees and workersand for year-round site retailing, remotefrom other buildings. Human waste fromtoilets must be disposed of in a manneracceptable to health officials. Septic tanksand leach fields are the best methods, butcheck soil surveys and soil permeabilitybefore installing these systems. For sea­sonal use, a privy may be satisfactory ifprecautions are taken in its location withrespect to the sugarhouse. New compost­ing toilet systems may be acceptable tohealth officials in the near future. To avoidcontamination, locate any system at least50 feet from the water supply, downwindfrom the house, and out of sight from theroad.

Draft and air drainage

Important to the operation of the sugar­house is proper draft to draw off the va-

2

pors and steam from the pan surface andto support combustion in the firebox.Therefore, avoid locating the house di­rectly under a knoll or hill, since the windmight blow down on the stack and affect thedraft. And keep away from tall evergreentrees because they may affect the draft ifclose enough to the sugarhouse (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Sugarhouse located for gooddraft and air drainage.

Air drainage away from the sugar­house will improve sanitation. A sugar­house located in a pocket where cold airtends to settle and stagnate will increasethe chance of humid conditions. And sur­faces constantly moist encourage moldgrowth. A sugarhouse located on the sideof a hill will have good air drainage aswill a house located in the open. Both willremain dryer.

Space

As you study various sites, have inmind the approximate size of house youare considering and the amount of clearspace around the house required for ac-

cess, ease of operation, and possible fu­ture expansion. Pace off the rough dimen­sions at the site to get an idea of how thebuildings and access drives will fit. As arough measure of total space needed, adda minimum of 20 feet to the building di­mensions and allow an additional 40 squarefeet per vehicle for parking and turning.The access drive should be at least 12 feetwide.

other factors

Other factors may play an importantpart in site selection. A building con­structed on a sloping site can be designedto make use of gravity for dumping sapinto holding tanks and for running sap fromholding tanks to the evaporator.

A location central to the sugarbush cansave time gathering sap and tubing for vac­uum systems. But this savings has to bebalanced against the convenience of locatingclose to an all-weather road and the ad­vantages of locating close to your home,which encourages full family participationand reduces time-consuming travel. Also,consider visibility; a sugarhouse clearlyvisible from a well-traveled road canattract visitors and potential customersand will discourage vandalism during theoff-season.

Remember, select a site to allowroom for possible future expansion.Don't box yourself in.

SANITATION

A primary concern in location, design,and construction of the sugarhouse is sani­tation. The inside of the house and itsimmediate surroundings must be clean,dry, and free of contamination.

• The house design must allow forease of cleaning.

• A dry house will reduce chances ofmold growth. Choose a well­drained site-sloped and graded­to take care of the disposal of sur­face water. And insure proper airdrainage to keep the house dryer.

• Locate an adequate distance frompossible sources of contamination.

• Be sure to have good, tight con­struction with easily cleaned floors;concrete is the only kind of floorrecommended.

• Lots of light is necessary for goodvision and improves the psycholog­ical outlook of the workers. Plentyof working room around the evapo­rator is also important. Theseconditions improve the likelihood ofgood sanitation.

• A good supply of fresh water underpressure makes it easier to cleanup around the sugarhouse process­ing room.

Sanitation is the key to making qualitymaple syrup and is increasingly becomingan important criterion for the sale of ma­ple syrup to the public.

SIZING THE SUGARHOUSE

The sugarhouse should be large enoughso that all operations planned, present andfuture, can be carried on without conges­tion. Provide plenty of working room,especially around the evaporator-theheart of the operation. Lots of room en­hances order, and order encourages aclean, sanitary operation.

The four main components of thesugarhouse and supporting facilities asshown in Fig. 3 are the evaporator room(the basic house), fuel storage, sap stor­age, and syrup processing room (sugarkitchen).

3

N

1.r:

,-------t~(j)

ro

E

StorageTank

va pc ra tor

work bench and additional work area. Ifthere are to be work benches along bothwalls, allow at least 6 feet to each side ofthe evaporator. Allow 6 to 10 feet in frontof the arch for plenty of room to fuel thefirebox and to store some wood inside thehouse if desired. Typical sugarhouse di­mensions are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Recommended SugarhouseDimensions

Figure 3. Basic sugarhouse layout.

Basic house

The size of the basic sugarhouse de­pends on the size of the evaporator se­lected, which in turn is based on the numberof taps (or trees) in the sugarbush or thenumber of gallons of sap to be processedeach day, and the number of hours the rigwill be operated on an average day.

To estimate the size of the buildingrequired, determine the exact size andshape of the evaporator selected. (Themanufacturer will have this informationalong with the rated capacity of the rig.)Pick an evaporator with a slightly largercapacity than you think you need. No doubtthe number of taps in the bush will increasein only a few years operation.

The basic building should include roomfor the evaporator, a minimum of 4 feet ofwork room around the evaporator, and al­lowance for 4 feet along one wall for a

14' x 16'16' x 20'18' x 24'

Minimum sizehouse recommended

Work benches along the wall should beabout 36 inches high and they can be from2 to 2-1 feet wide.

Fuel storage

Heat is required to evaporate thewater from the sap to produce syrup. Theamount of water to be evaporated variesfrom as much as 86 to less than 20 gallonsper gallon of syrup, depending on the sugarcontent of the sap.

Wood: The size of your woodshed willdepend upon the size of your operation.

An open evaporator pan should be lo­cated near the center of the building, di­rectly beneath the ventilator doors in theroof or cupola overhead. Hooded evapo­rators remove the steam through speciallydesigned stacks and, therefore, can belocated to one side of the building.

If your future plans call for a sugaring­off arch or finishing pan, allow space bysetting the syrup arch a little to one sideof the building, leaving room for the sugararch at some future date.

Number of taps

150 or lessup to 1,500over 1,500\1

Slid I ngIDoor__ II

Storage

Wood

Evaporator

Room

o~

I

IIa _

Sugar

Kitchen

(optional)

Ii

4

Usually 1 cord of dry hardwood is neededfor every 75 to 100 taps. A shed 8 by 16feet stacked with wood to a depth of 5 feetcontains 5 cords-enough for 400 to 500taps; or if stacked 8 feet deep, 8 cords­enough for about 600 to 800 taps. SeeTable 2 for expected syrup production fromspecific species of wood.

Wood should be air dried about 1 yearto be considered dry. Protect your woodfrom the elements by a good roof. But besure the sides and end are not too tightbecause good air circulation is necessaryto dry wood properly. Many woodsheds donot have any sides at all (Fig. 4). If youare in a windy location, board up one ortwo sides to keep the snow from blowing in.

The woodshed is generally located atthe end of the sugarhouse nearest the fire­chamber of the arch. Doors are construc-

ted between the sugarhouse and woodshedfor ease in obtaining the wood for the fire­box and to help maintain the draft neededfor the fire in the arch.

Figure 4. Open-sided wood storage.

Wood carrier: To decrease theamount of labor involved in getting thewood from the shed to the arch, a track

Table 2. Approximate Syrup Production from Wood-fired Evaporators

Gallons of syrup expected from 1 cord ofd d dbair- rie woo ly percent sugar III san

Species of Wood 1.5% 2.0% 2.5% 3.0% 4.0%

Apple, American Beech, Rock Elm,Hickory, Ironwood, Black Locust, 25 33 1/3 42 1/2 50 66 2/3White Oak

White Ash, Birch, Sugar Maple,Red Oak, Black Walnut 21 28 353/4 42 1/4 56 1/4

Black Ash, Green Ash, Black Cherry,American Elm, Red Maple, Silver

17 1/3 23 291/3 343/4 46 1/4Maple, Pitch Pine, Red (Norway) Pine,Tamarack (Larch)

Aspen (Poplar), Basswood, Butternut,Balsam Fir, Hemlock, White Pine, 13 1/3 173/4 223/4 26 3/4 353/4Spruce, Willow

•

Assumptions: 1 cord = 128 cubic feet wood and air or 80 cubic feet of solid wood at 20%moisture content. Heating value of one pound of dry wood is 7, 700 Btu. Efficiency ofthe burning unit is 50%.

5

\..

can be mounted under the roof of the shed. extending through the doors to the end ofthe arch. A platform is then hung from anoverhead track (Fig. 5). The platform canbe loaded with wood, pushed to the arch,and used as needed. A four-wheeled cartmounted on rails running through the shedand up to the arch is another way of doingthe same thing. An example of this isshown in the perspective view of thesugarhouse on the first page in AppendixB. Hardwood timbers can be used for therails, anchored in place with short posts.

Figure 5. Wood carrier mounted onoverhead track.

Woodchips, sawdust, wood residue:The heat value of these materials variesconsiderably because of their variation inmoisture content and differences in theirmakeup. Heat utilization ranges from2,800 to 5,000 Btu per pound. Storagerequirements will range from 4 to 8 tonsper 100 taps-or on basis of volume, 150to 350 cubic feet per 100 taps. Wood resi­due wetter than 60 percent requires moreheat to drive off the free water than it willgive off when it burns. Thus, extremelywet residue needs some kind of predryingor aging in a pile or windrow for it to drysufficiently for use.

Fuel oil: If you are considering fueloil, Table 3 will be helpful. It takes about

6

1 gallon of No.2 fuel oil burned at 70 per­cent efficiency to evaporate 10 gallons ofwater. Using 2i percent as average sugarcontent, 3.3 gallons of fuel oil are re­quired per gallon of syrup produced-or inother words, 3. 3 gallons for every treetapped. This is a seasonal requirement.

Table 3. Fuel Oil Requirements

Gal. of oil to% sugar Gal. of sap/ remove excess

in the sap gal. of syrup water from sap

1.0 86.0 8.51.5 57.3 5.62.0 43.0 4.22.5 34.4 3.33.0 28.7 2.83.5 34.6 2.44.0 21.5 2.14.5 19.1 1.9

Assumption: Fuel oil heating value of140,000 Btu per gallon burned at ap­prOXimately 70% efficiency

As a minimum, size the fuel tank onthe basis of 1 gallon per 10 taps if fuelsupply is dependable and delivery quick;otherwise use a figure of 3 to 5 gallonsper 10 taps.

An evaporator furnace designed touse a combination of fuels, such as oiland woodchips, can save considerably onfuel oil. The fire is started and..main­tained with fuel oil; woodchips are thenburned to supply much of the heat requiredfor evaporation.

Sap storage tanks

Location of the storage tank for sapwill depend to a certain extent upon theterrain around the sugarhouse. Becausethe storage tank should be located in a

cool area, the north side of the house isdesirable (Fig. 6). The east side of thehouse is an alternative location. If theshed is placed on the north side, keep inmind that some provision should be madefor cleaning the arch from that end as wellas the ash pit end. One way is to set thetank on a platform high enough above theground to permit clean-out below the plat­form. This will probably be done anywayfor gravity feed from the storage tank tothe evaporator. The roof of the shedshould be designed to keep water out ofand off the tank.

Figure 6. Sap storage located on northend of sugarhouse. Notegravity feed line.

Storage tanks should be large enoughto store at least 1 day's run, preferably 2,in case of equipment breakdown, rest days,or simply a very good run. On days whensap flows well, 100 to 400 gallons of sapmay be produced per 100 tapholes. Planon a minimum of 1 gallon of storage pertap if buckets are used to collect the sap,1! gallons for gravity systems, and 2 gal­lons for vacuum systems with temporarycontainers handy for extra-good runs. Allholding or storage tanks do not have to benext to the sugarhouse, but they should becovered. Storage periods greater than 2days greatly increase the chances of sapspoilage.

For gravity feed, the bottom of thestorage tank should be at least 3 inchesabove the top of the evaporator. (Evapo­rator pans are usually 4 feet above thefloor.) If sufficient elevation is available,the collecting and hauling tank can be un­loaded by gravity into the storage tank.This can be accomplished on building siteswith average grades of 20 to 25 percent(1:5 to 1:4) or greater. Flatter gradesrequire excessively long transfer hosesor troughs. Roadways can be built up toachieve gravity transfer. Where gravitytransfer cannot be achieved, pumps willbe required.

Tanks must have easy access forcleaning and repair. Metal or glass-linedtanks, such as surplus bulk milk tanks,are ideal since their walls are nonpourousand easy to clean. If you choose these in­sulated tanks, make provisions to precoolor sterilize the sap before it enters thetank because an insulated tank not only willkeep cool sa.p cool, it will keep warm sapwarm. Large storage tanks should alsobe provided with an agitator and germici­dal, ultraviolet lamps to prevent microbialgrowth. Germicidal lamps should also beused over any open troughs used for sap

7

r

Figure 7. Sugarhouse processing salesroom.

.. 12' ..

Q-Indicates lighting fixtures. Approximate scaie: 1"equals 6'

using a piece of equipment or working atthe counter. Leave 3 feet between islandwork centers and side counters or walls.standard counter height is 36 inches andcounter width is usually no more than 24inches. Allow 36 inches of counter front­age for each work station.

Toi let

ispla

o G""HU Fan

Self-ReturningDoor

floor0drain

a b I e

0000

0- Sales 0

0,0-ater

heater

Packa ingTable

(Evaporator

Room)

17'

A 12- by 12-foot packaging room/sugar kitchen will probably be sufficientin most operations without retailing. Re­tailing calls for additional counter spaceto separate work area from sales area.As a minimum, an additional 6- by 6-footarea for retailing is recommended.

A ventilation fan with a rated capacityof 300 to 500 cubic feet per minute (cfm)will remove vapors and odors given offin the packaging room. The fan should belocated over the stove exhausting air to theoutside. (This assumes a closed door be-

transfer. (Take care never to exposeeyes to ultraviolet lamps.)

Syrup processing room (sugar kitchen)

Attractive packaging and quality con­trol help build your image thereby in­creasing sales. If the evaporator house isto be a single room, you must providespace for filtering the syrup and for pack­aging it. It is better to process the syrupin a second room built as a wing to theevaporator room. (See Cornell SugarhousePlan, Appendix B). This arrangement doesnot add appreciably to the cost of construc­tion, and it allows the syrup to be processedunder better working and sanitary condi­tions.

A processing room houses such oper­ations as heating, filtering, and packagingthe syrup, and making maple confections.The equipment can consist of a filter rack,a stove for boiling the syrup, a maplecream beater, and sugar stirrers amongother things. There should be a sink fordish washing, a hot water heater, and atrough with cold running water in whichsyrup that has been cooked for makingmaple cream or sugar candy can be cooledrapidly. Storage space should be pro­vided for cooking utensils and containers.

If the sugar kitchen is to serve as aretail sales outlet, allow space for storingand displaying the products attractively.An outside door should be provided and aself-closing door between the evaporatorroom and the processing room is recom­mended (Fig. 7).

The easiest way to develop plans forthis room is to use cross-section paperand scale cutouts representing the variouscomponents, equipment, and work centers.Leave 4 feet between counters to allowspace for one person to walk past another

8

..

tween the main evaporator room and thepackaging kitchen.) Provide drains forhandling waste water from all processingoperations.

Auxiliary storage

Sealed containers of syrup will keepyears without deterioration. You can storecontainers in the sugarhouse before theyare marketed, but store sJrup at tempera­tures as close to 35

0F (2 C) as possible

until time of sale. Temperatures aboveo 0 •

60 F (15 C) may cause darkemng of syr-up and development of caramel flavor.

The sugarhouse may also be used forstoring tanks, buckets, and other equip­ment during the off-season. Special fea­tures may be designed, such as wide doorsand drive-through areas, to make it easyto store these items. If you intend to dothis, work appropriate dimensions into thesugarhouse design.

Security may be a problem if the houseis located away from living quarters. Thebest that can be done in this case is toleave the building as tight as possible­locked-taking the most easily transportedequipment to a safer place.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

There is no substitute for a good, de­tailed set of plans to aid in construction.You can avoid costly mistakes if such plansare at hand and used. However, sugar­houses not wider than 20 feet can be builtusing nothing other than rough sketches onpaper by persons with experience and skillin construction. Sometimes it is difficultto get detailed plans exactly right to meetyour needs, especially when smaller struc­tures are called for. But draw or purchasethe best possible plans to avoid mistakes.

Factors to consider in the design of

your sugarhouse include:

• orientation• construction• foundation• floors• arch foundation• drains• walls• roof• ventilators• stacks• lighting• entrances• maintenance• expansion

Orientation

The firebox-end of the arch shouldeither face downhill or toward the prevail­ing wind. This will result in greater easeof "firing" the rig. If the house is to beout in the open on fairly level land, try toface it toward the south.

Construction

Since the sugarhouse is used only 4 to6 weeks each year, its cost must be keptlow; otherwise, the interest on your capi­tal investment is out of proportion to use.You can keep the investment low by usingnative, home-grown lumber and familylabor. Just be sure to construct the build­ing strong enough to resist wind and snowloads, and tight enough for good, cleanoperation and appearance.

A low-cost method often used forsmall, single-story buildings is pole con­struction. Not only is it usually lesscostly, but the building can be erectedfaster and the strength equals that offrame construction. Construction tech­niques are a little different; pressure­treated poles must be used to assure

9

Foundation

Figure 8. Grain slope.

Table 4. Maximum Allowable Knot Size

Arch foundation

It is important that the evaporatorpans remain level. For this reason, allarches 3 feet by 8 feet or larger shouldhave a foundation. You can use shims tomake minor leveling adjustments but theywill not take care of major shifts in thefloor caused by frost heaving.

Foundation construction may be ofcinder block, poured concrete, or a slabof concrete resting on separate pillarsplaced at the four corners of the arch.The space between the foundation wallscan be filled in with gravel and stones.To support the evaporator pan, thereshould be a pillar or foundation wall undereach corner and/or leg extending belowthe frost line.

Floors

walls 18 to 24 inches deep or setting thebuilding on a concrete slab over a well­drained soil can safely reduce constructioncosts. You can use concrete blocks forthe foundation wall.

Four-inch concrete is sufficient forthe floors if placed on 6 inches of well­compacted gravel fill and the subsurfacesoil is well drained. Before placing thegravel fill, the topsoil should be strippedremoving all vegetative growth. The floorshould slope 1/8 inch per foot towarddrains located such that water spilled any­where on the floor will not pool. It isrecommended that the floor in front of thearch be recessed 8 to 12 inches for con­venience for firing the box and for ashremoval. In pole buildings without con­crete foundation walls, the floor shouldbe thickened to 8 inches around the edges,especially where vehicles will be drivingin and out. Concrete floors are inadvis­able in the woodshed.

1"I!"2"

Maximum knot sizeLumber size

2x42x6

2x8, 2xl0, 2x12

Avoid grain slope greater than 1 in 10

Slope of grain in a piece of wood, alsoknown as cross-grain, reduces the strengthof the piece. Careful sawing of the log willreduce the number of pieces discarded forthis reason (Fig. 8).

building life of over 5 years. If the siteyou have chosen has rocky soils, pole con­struction is inadvisable. (See AppendixesB and C for examples of pole construction.)

Rough-cut, native, home-grown lum­ber such as fir, hemlock, or spruce canbe used for construction. Pieces to beused as structural (load carrying) membersmust be air dried at least 1 year. Selectlumber on the basis of its freedom fromknots, splits, cracks, and seasoning de­fects, such as warp and checks (Table 4).Slow, uniform drying will reduce the num­ber of discards due to seasoning.

If water in the soil beneath the founda­tion should freeze, it can lift the buildingout of line. For this reason, the foundationis often placed to depths of 4 to 5 feet­sufficient to reach below the frost line.However, for small buildings, foundation

10

Leave a construction joint between thefloor and the arch foundation. Then if thefloor should crack or shift, it will not af­fect the leveling of the arch.

It is best to do all concrete and brickwork before cold weather sets in becauseconcrete and mortar should not freeze un­til it has cured. Do not use salt or chlorideto prevent freezing where it will come incontact with metal.

Drains

A good drain consists of a 4-inch tilethrough the floor, covered with a screento keep out large particulate matter. Thedrainpipe should slope to where the watercan be safely discharged. A hole throughthe foundation wall at floor level will worksatisfactorily as long as the water drainsaway from the wall. Because the front(firebox) end is usually on the downhill side,the logical spot for the drain would be outthe recessed pit in front of the firebox.

Walls

There is no advantage in building ahigh sugarhouse. The studs for the side ofthe building need not be more than 8 feet,and 7 feet will do just as well if there isenough height for preheaters and the steamstack. A high sugarhouse permits thesteam to condense before it leaves, result­ing in a continuous drip. Board the sidesof the building tight so that no cold draftscan blow across the pan.

Roof

A clear span is necessary for sugar­houses. Buildings up to 20 feet wide caneasily be made with simple rafters andcross-ties at the top of the wall. With widebuildings, construction problems developbecause it is difficult to get lumber longerthan 20 feet. Therefore buildings wider

than 20 feet require trussed rafters forclear span. Cross-ties are 2x4's or2x6'sand the rafters are 2x6's or 2x8's placed24 inches on center.

Minimum roof slopes recommendedare 4:12 (4 feet rise to every 12 feet ofhorizontal run) and roof slopes as steepas 1:1 are often used in heavy snow areas.steeper roof slopes are visually pleasing.

Any good, fireproof roofing materialcan be used for roofing. Metallic mate­rials are corrugated to provide channelsfor controlled drainage and have greaterlengthwise stiffness to permit installationon an "open" roof. The materials arefastened to roof girts or purlins, whichare placed 24 inches on center perpendic­ular to the rafters. Using nails equippedwith a sealing washer, these fasteners areplaced on the top of the corrugations toeliminate leakage through the holes.

Ventilators

Roof ventilators are required for openpan evaporators. You can build the ven­tilator doors as an integral part of thesugarhouse roof or into the side of a cupola.Roof ventilators swing on hinges from thebottom, and one laps over the other atthe ridge. They can be opened or closedwith the use of a rope and pulley systemand must be water-tight when closed(Fig. 9).

Although it is more difficult to build,a cupola ventilator gives more protectionagainst wet weather (Fig. 10). Rope andpulleys are also used to open and close thedoors.

The ventilator should normally beabout half the length of the building (evap­orator room) and at least as long as thepan. The distance between doors in acupola should be a minimum of 3 feet and

11

it will do no harm if the cupola is widerfor the largest evaporators. The height ofthe doors should be 24 inches for smallerrigs to 36 inches or more for the largerones. Make them large enough so that onedoor alone will take care of the steam be­cause very often only one door is used,especially when a strong breeze is prevail­ing in which case the one on the side awayfrom the breeze is opened. As a minimum,a ventilator door should be as wide as one­half the width of the evaporator pan.

Figure 9. Roof ventilator.

It is possible to construct a sugar­house so tight that there is not sufficientair intake to take care of the fire and thesteam draft, too. If the sides are reallytight, a small, hinged door on either sideof the arch just above the foundation wallswill take care of the steam requirements;the door opening to the woodshed will takecare of the fire draft. Hooded evapora­tors do not reqUire extensive roof openings,but they do need one or more steam ventstack openings.

stacks

The stack, or chimney, should extend

12

well above the building to insure a gooddraft. A rule of thumb has been that itshould be approximately as high as thearch is long (for wood, twice as high asthe arch is long). However, a number offactors affect the draft of the stack, in­cluding the temperature of the gases upthe stack as well as the building surround­ings. Make allowance for the possibilitythat stack lengths may need to be changedfor good draft.

Figure 10. Cupola ventilator with sideand top roof doors.

Some sugarmakers build the ventilatorso that the stack comes up through it. Inthis way, the heat from the stack helps tosuck the steam up through the ventilator.

When not in use, the stack should betaken down and stored in a dry place in­side the house. Be sure the hole in theroof for the stack is slightly oversized toallow for stack removal. Then cover thehole during the off-season.

Lighting

Put in plenty of windows as light isessential (Fig. 11). Windows over workbenches facilitate tasks at these areaswhile windows in the gables can be usedto ventilate the building if you use closedhood evaporators.

I,

I,

Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP)panels, shaped to match metal roofingand/or siding panels, can be used fornatural lighting. Available in severalcolors-primarily green, yellow, andwhite-these panels allow interior day­light, but are not clear enough to seethrough.

Figure 11. Large windows for good lighting.

Plastic skylight area should not ex­ceed one-twentieth (5 percent) of the roofarea because FRP panels cost three tofive times more than the steel or alumi­num roofing and often cause high buildingtemperatures in the summer. Use asealant around skylight panels to preventleakage.

Artificial lighting is important forsanitation, a good finished product, andnight operation. lllumination should be oftwo types: General lighting and task light­ing. General lighting consists of one light­ing socket for every 150 to 200 square feetlocated at ceiling height. Task lighting isneeded for individual jobs; 100 watt incan-

descent or 20 watt fluorescent lamps ateach work area will do. Outdoor lightingshould be included for night Visibilityand safety.

Entrances

Doors should be provided for ease ofgetting fuel to the arch and for removingashes and cleaning the arch. You'll needsidedoors, also, to provide access forpeople, and if desired, large doors forstoring eqUipment during the off-season.One set of doors at the end of the building,2 feet wider than the evaporator, will behandy when it comes to installing the newevaporator. For fire safety, the sugar­house should have a minimum of two doors,one located at each end of the building.These doors should always be easily openedand never blocked as long as there arepeople working in the house.

Maintenance

Your sugarhouse will require a min­imum of maintenance. The most impor­tant thing is to keep the roof in good re­pair. Remember, moisture is the chiefvillain of buildings so make sure theventilators are tightly closed after thelast run of the season. And repair anyleaks as soon as they are spotted. Metalroofs need painting every 7 years or sodepending on the quality of the roofing toprevent rusting. Paints, stains, orpreservatives help protect the siding;they need to be renewed every 4 to 5 years.

Leave the inside of the building asclean as possible. Eliminate harbors forrodents and holes where birds can enter.

Expansion

You can expand your sugarhouseoperation in several ways: You can in-

13

(

crease the number of taps or amount ofsap boiled down, or you can add equipmentfor increased efficiency or for furtherprocessing.

Sugarhouses built a little oversized tobegin with can accommodate some expan­sion. Adding rooms to the side of the mainframe will allow more. In some cases,where the size of the evaporator requiredoutgrows the structure, the house can belengthened if there is space.

SUGARMAKER'S RATING SHEET

The following rating sheet on buildingsand grounds is part of a more extensivelist including equipment and operating pro­cedures prepared by the Market Develop­ment Division, Vermont Department ofAgriculture, in cooperation with the Ver­mont Maple Sugarmakers Association, theVermont Extension Service, and the Ver­mont Maple Industry Council.

Rating Sheet: Buildings and Grounds

Satisfactory

Yes NoA. Well-drained site,

sloped and graded fordisposal of surfacewater

B. Location-adequate dis­tance from possiblesource of contamination(manure pile, feedlots,etc. )

C. Outside appearance­neat, clean, free oftrash

D. Construction-goodrepair, tight

14

E. Floor-tight, easilycleaned, properlysloped for draining(concrete recommended) -- --

F. Light-natural or arti-ficial sufficient for goodvision at all times -- --

G. Inside arrangement con-ducive to sanitaryoperation -- --

H. Plenty of workingroom around evaporator(at least 4 feet)

SELECTED REFERENCES

Farmstead Planning Handbook, MWPS-2.1974. Midwest Plan Service, Depart­ment of Agricultural Engineering,University of Iowa, Ames, Iowa50010. $2.00.

Maple Syrup Producers Manual, Agri­culture Handbook No. 134, revisedJune 1965. Superintendent of Docu­ments, U. S. Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D. C. 20402.$2.50. (Also available from Publica­tions, Morrill Hall, University ofVermont, Burlington, Vermont 05401at same price. )

Pole and Post Building Construction,NRAES-1, revised 1977. NortheastAgricultural Engineering Service,Riley-Robb Hall, Cornell University,Ithaca, New York 14853. $1. 25.

Sugarhouse plans from DVM Plan Ser­vice. Order from: Plan Service, Agri­cultural Engineering Building, Univer­sity of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont05401. (Three of these plans are in­cluded in the Appendixes of this bulletin.)