Arch. The part of an evaporator that produces heat, sometimes referred to as the firebox. The arch sits under the pans.
Barometric pressure. A measurement of atmospheric air pressure by a barometer.
Baume. A system of measurement that compares the density of maple syrup to that of a salt concentration of the same density. Sap has turned into syrup when it reaches 32 Baume.
Brix. A system of measurement that compares the density of maple syrup to that of a sugar solution with a known percentage of sugar. Sap has turned into syrup when it reaches 66 Brix.
Ceramic blanket. A high-temperature sheet insulation made from man-made vitreous fibers, used to line an evaporator arch.
Collection area. The open space in a drilled taphole once the spout is inserted. The collection area allows for sap to come to the surface through open wood grain. It also allows for sap to gather and create a small amount of pressure to push the sap through the spout.
Defoamer. A vegetable-based oil used to break the surface tension of boiling sap, thus reducing the amount of foam produced.
Drop flue pan. A pan used for cooking sap that has corrugated channels that drop down into the arch.
Drop line. Tubing that takes sap from the spout in the tree to the lateral line.
Evaporator. A unit used to boil maple sap; it includes a stainless steel pan or pans over a heat source called an arch. It was first made in the mid-1800s.
Filter press. A device with a series of metal plates lined with filter papers used to remove sugar sand and other impurities and particles from syrup.
Firebrick. A brick that will withstand high temperatures. It is used to line the inside of an evaporator arch.
Flat pan. A pan used for cooking sap that has a flat bottom.
Float box. A device that keeps the sap level in a cooking pan steady.
Flue pan. See drop flue pan and raised flue pan.
Gravity flow. A tubing system using natural gravity to draw sap to a collection point.
Hooked spout. A spout with a hook on the bottom side that holds a sap bucket.
Hookless spout. A spout without a hook on the bottom side. The sap bucket hangs from the spout itself and is kept in place by a notch on the top of the spout.
Hydrometer. See sap hydrometer and syrup hydrometer.
Lateral line. Tubing that runs no more than 100 feet through a woods. Lateral lines take sap from drop lines to mainlines.
Mainline tubing. Tubing that runs no more than 1,000 feet through a woods. Mainlines take sap from lateral lines to a holding tank.
Mainline wire. A high-tensile wire, either 9 or 12.5 gauge, that holds up the mainline.
Orlon. A wool-like, synthetic acrylic material developed by Dupont in 1941. The syrup industry uses Orlon to filter finished syrup and remove sugar sand.
Paper prefilters. Used with Orlon during the filtering process, paper prefilters remove larger unwanted particles from the syrup.
Preheater. A unit that preheats the sap before it enters the flue pan to prevent cold sap from coming in and slowing the evaporation process.
Raised flue pan. A pan used for cooking sap that has corrugated channels that rise up into the pan.
Refractometer. An instrument that determines the sugar content in syrup by measuring the refractive index of the syrup, or how light bends as it passes through the syrup.
Releaser. Part of a vacuum-flow tubing system, the device makes the connection and transference of sap and vacuum. It takes vacuum pressure from the vacuum pump and puts it into the sap lines while still drawing sap from the lines. It releases sap from the system into a collection tank.
Reverse-osmosis machine. A machine that uses pressure and a semipermeable membrane to separate water from the sugar particles in sap.
Rule of 86. An equation (86 divided by the sugar content of your syrup) that will tell you approximately how long it will take you to cook your sap, depending on its sugar content.
Sap hydrometer. A fragile glass instrument that measures the sugar content in sap.
Sap sak holder. An alternative to a sap bucket, it consists of a metal brace that holds a sap bag and hangs from a spout for the purpose of collecting tree sap.
Side wire. Wire that wraps around trees adjacent to the mainline. It is 14- or 16-gauge non-high-tensile wire and is used to keep the mainline straight.
Smokestack. Removes the smoke produced by fuel burning in the arch of an evaporator from the sugarhouse. It also creates a draft to draw air through the arch to help the fuel burn more efficiently.
Spout. A strawlike fitting made of metal or plastic that is inserted into a tree to allow sap to flow from the tree into a collection vessel. Other names for spouts include tap, spile, or spigot.
Steam Away. A preheater manufactured by Leader Evaporator that heats and evaporates water from sap before it enters the flue pan.
Steam hood. A unit that hangs over the top of the evaporator and directs steam out of the cookhouse.
Steam stack. A pipe that comes out the top of a steam hood that hangs over the boiling pans of an evaporator. Its function is to remove the steam produced by boiling sap from the sugarhouse.
Sugar sand. The grainy sediment that is created every time sap or syrup is boiled.
Syrup hydrometer. A fragile glass instrument that measures the sugar content in syrup.
Tree scarring. Vertical striations in a tree caused by a puncture. Sap does not flow freely through tree scarring, and you’ll want to avoid it when tapping a tree.
Tubing system. A system of interconnected, semipliable tubes installed in a woods to collect maple sap.
Vacuum flow. A tubing system using a vacuum pump to draw sap to a collection point.
Vacuum pump. A pump that creates vacuum and transfers it into the lines of a tubing system.
Wire ties. Used to secure the mainline to the mainline wire.