Cleaning of sap collection lines

[DrTimPerkins]

Hi All,

I am conducting a quick survey of how maple producers clean their sap collection tubing systems. Please complete this survey ONLY if you use tubing systems (not buckets or bags). The information will be used to develop a research project on cleaning maple tubing systems. Thank you in advance for participating. If you have any questions, contact Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

P.S. If you drain the system under gravity or with the vacuum pump on, please answer "Nothing".

[maple flats]

I have used hydrogen peroxide solution + air pumped thru the system from the bottom. Did not seem to be offered as an option. However, Now that I have vacuum, it will be sucked in thru the spouts.

[Haynes Forest Products]

With nothing as the only option I could answer Thats how I voted. What we do is pull taps under vacuum. Plug the tap and move on. I have increased my production every year with new pumps better taping practice and system improvment without increasing my tap count. Releasers, sap ladders and higher consistant vacuum has been the reasons. Now if I can only quit wasting finished Syrup through stupid mistakes:mad:

[ctjim]

i answered other since i have to pull all my current gravity lines, i bring them to the house and use a funnel to add a bleach/water solution then flush them w/ clean water and air compressor. very time consuming even w/ only 100 taps on gravity, but they stay clean. after they're dried out completly i store them rolled up in 55gal. food grade drums.

[ToadHill]

I have some questions for those who are using the system of sucking water into the system for cleaning;

1. How much water does this process consume and how do you carry the water through the woods? My simplistic impression is that carrying buckets of water on steep slopes to a large number of taps could be a real pain.

2. How effective is this and how does it compare to the method of pumping air and water back through the system?

Thanks.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Well I am a low budget, so I fill my 225gal gathering tank with turkey fryer bottles of propane and a pesticide sprayer. Drive the truck as close to top of hill heat the water up poor into the bug sprayer and off I go. Made an adapter from trigger handle of sprayer to spouts. I clean every one that way. Then with what water left I fire up the pump and wash out the main line.
I only have 125 taps so not to big deal. Keeping the ticks off of me is more work than anything else.

[DrTimPerkins]

I wanted to express my gratitude to all of those who participated in this survey. The information was quite helpful, and reinforced some earlier results we had.

We have decided to submit a grant proposal on cleaning of maple sap collection lines. What does that mean? First we write up the proposal, submit it, wait 6 months for review, it gets rejected (first time it is submitted it almost always gets rejected). Wait 6 more months until we can submit again, resumit revised proposal, wait 6 months for second review, hopefully accepted, wait 3 months to get $ and then start work. Our proposal is for a 5 yrs time period....so we should have final results for you somewhere around the fall/winter of 2017 (if it is funded in the second round). Sorry....that's often the way science works....we plan WAY ahead on some of these things.

Again, our thanks.