I have had volunteer help available the past 3 Saturdays, but I cancelled each. The main thing we are doing is checking for mostly squirrel chews, and changing all of the drops. A drop is a length of tubing (34″ in my case) with a tap on one end and a Tee on the other. In use a 5/16″ hole about 1.5″ deep and sloped very slightly upward into the tree and the Tee is how that drop is attached into the lateral line (the line going from tree to tree and then into a mainline which ultimately goes to the collection tank)
To find the leaks we need to use a bare hand to slide along the tubing, anything that feels rough is checked to determine if there is a chew mark deep enough to be a leak, if it is, a repair in made. The last 3 Saturdays have been wind chills in the low teens and some even below zero. Too hard to get any production that way, thus I cancelled.
Hopefully next Saturday will be at least 20F or warmer wind chill. Unfortunately the forecast as of now calls for 15 for a high and a wind chill in the single digits. Maybe Sunday afternoon, then the forecast calls for 37F , that can work.
In many years past I was all tapped by Jan. 20 or 21. The weather however has not been sap weather and it will not be in the next 10 days.
Meanwhile, syrup sales have been good for a January, usually my slowest month, but so far it has been my best Jan ever, (not great but still the best ever)
I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is getting ready for spring. This cold weather will end sooner or later. I have 1000 drops ready to install (counting the ones already done) and I’m getting antsy.