Y's and T's as alternative to PVC manifold in WET/DRY SYS.

[sugarstone]

Here's a sketch...

-Sap diverted to bottom wet line. Air to the top dry line.
-My "air-line loop" is 3-4ft above "sap only line".
-Valves at the X (depends on cleaning method).
-Stainless Y's would be best but expensive (>$20).
-Some producers put a fitting in to check vac pressure up-stream of valve but I didn't bother...too many fittings. I walk everything anyways.
-Separate anchor tree (separate wire) at each mainline intersection.

With this setup you are not locked into having wet/dry lines exactly over-top of one another.

Last season was my first season with wet/dry and this setup worked for me. My setups don't look fancy as I'am scrounging with existing tubing/mains for now. Planning on harvesting bush soon and expanding.
Some sap travels down Dryline only on big runs or when wetline is frozen.

[MilesTeg]

This is how we are setting our system up which will he our first year on vacuum but we used y's for the three fittings. Farther down the main line about a foot or so we are putting in a shutoff valve and a vacuum gauge for trouble shooting leaks. Well see how well it works after this season.

[maplwrks]

This is the way that Leader designs their manifolds

[mrnorthshore]

I am looking at setting up my system this way also, has any one had any luck with this kind of set up? thanks

[sapman]

Anyone using all tees on these setups instead of y's on the lateral main feeding the wet line?

[Sunday Rock Maple]

We are doing a new set up that way after looking at Jason Grossman's pictures.

[Amber Gold]

I use this setup and like it a lot. I do put a valve w/ vac. gauge upstream....saves a lot of walking. I use all wye's because they promoto better sap flow, although I would recommend against using the plastic wye's. The barbed fittings don't have a big enough O.D. (mainline almost slides over w/out much effort) and plastic can break if a tree falls on the fitting. With how it's hanging out there, it's a weak connection and I don't think it'd take much to break it. I used plastic last season, but have swapped them out to the s/s. These will never break and the OD of the barbs make it a bear to put on so you know they're never coming apart and/or leaking.

[ennismaple]

Anyone using all tees on these setups instead of y's on the lateral main feeding the wet line?

We tee into the dryline and Y into the wet line. Tees in the wet line will cause turbulence and reduce sap flow.

[vtmapleman]

I know some folks say that if you use T's it will increase turbulance and reduce flow - maybe so then again maybe not. My thought is once the sap moves from the laterals to the branch lines whether there is turbulance or not where the branch lines connect to the wet line that sap is all going to come down the wet line. Then again I might be wrong.

[mrnorthshore]

Josh where did you find the stainless steel Y's I have looked all over and cant find anything, thanks paul

[tuckermtn]

most of the maple dealers sell the stainless "y"s. they are pricey ($22-23 each) but worth it in my opinion. I had two of the blue lamb Y's pull apart on my last season and probably 40-50 gallons of sap on the ground for each one. that is between $80-$100 I lost. I use stainless y's wherever possible especially in the wet lines, but use plastic T's in the dry line.

[ennismaple]

I took a picture of the dry line we added to one section of our woods. The wet line is quite flat and vacuum transfer past the poly tees was an issue - when the poly tees weren't broken! We replaced the poly tees with SS Y's, added a dryline and did a "whip" connection from the dryline to each wet line using poly tees on the dry line and a SS tee to connect the dry to the wet. This should increase our vacuum out into the woods and if my math is right will pay for itself the first year.

6305

[markcasper]

it looks like the dry line is the same diameter as the wet line, is that so? it also looks like the dry and wet line are on the same wire?

[GeneralStark]

Here are some photos from my woods and from another in Eastern Addison.

63086309

[wiam]

it looks like the dry line is the same diameter as the wet line, is that so? it also looks like the dry and wet line are on the same wire?

I am not Mark but,

My dry and wet are both 1". I have been told the wet should be 3/4. I already had the 1". I have seen no down side.

Using the "whip" system it makes sense to me to put them on the same wire. I had not thought about it before but I see no reason to have them separate other than having room for a manifold.

[DrTimPerkins]

...some folks say that if you use T's it will increase turbulance and reduce flow - maybe so then again maybe not.

We replaced some of the mainline with clear tubing to see and video (tens of hours at many different stages of flow) what happened at junctions. There is no question there is some level of turbulance that occurs at any type of junction, even straight mainline connectors. It is also quite clear that SS causes considerably less turbulance than grey PVC does. Whether or not this is enough to cause any type of restriction, or has much of an influence on vacuum is unknown.

You can view some of the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TimPerk0610?feature=watch