markcasper
12-02-2005, 03:26 AM
I was visiting with a large producer about 20 miles from me a few years ago. He has 12000+ taps and has all 3 and 4", possibly larger mainlines. I have no idea how many are going into 1 line. He told me that the wet line dry line thing was a bunch of hooey and started getting techinical as far as how many 1 inch lines you'd have to have to equal the same as his 3 inch ones. His thinking was that yes, it was more work to install all of these solid sewer pipes, but that in the long run it was better and more cost effective due to the fact that he has no vacumn boosters, plumbing with that etc.... I have seen his woods and it is impressive! He has sturdy supports every 8-10 feet under these lines.
The other comment I have is the thing with the colored tubing. All of my mainlines have been painted white (this experience is too long to get into)The tubing was all black poly. On my 5/16 laterals, I have used all Lamb rigid, without the dye and are white. I cannot get over the number of people that believe the tubing must be colored to get it thawed. I noticed years back when I was just tinkering with tubing that just because its colored does not mean you won't have a frozen spot. On roughly 1/4 to 1/2 of the laterals, the tubing passes by on the north side of the tree. What good does the color have when the sun can't reach it? In my opinion, all the purple and blue and green does is warm up the sap. In one small pasture area I have 200 taps with the old purple lamb tubing. This is mostly all north and northeast slope and there is not one tap farther than 300 feet from the tank. This sap is almost always 10 degrees warmer than the rest of my trees which are all south slope and sap coming from as much as 1500 feet away. Buttt, I have everything on the south slope white. Does this make any sense??
One last question I have is in reguard to fittings and tubing. When I first tried tubing in 1989, I bought the purple Lamb with the light blue tees. To my knowledge these tees are still made and I have ever since condemned them. They are the cause of a lot of swearing!! They simply break in half if you look at them. Does anyone know what I am talking about?? I have replaced almost all of them! The spouts are even worse. I in recent years have went to the 5/16 spile reducers. They work very fine on the US Maple 7/16 spouts, but the Lamb ones.. :x :x :x . When you try to take the reducer off at the end of the season, you end up twisting the sap outlet off. Talk about having to have a pliers on one end and a vice grip on the other! Does anyone know why these products are still being sold to unsuspecting people??
I have told my dealer about this and he still has the crap on hand every year that I go up there. So a word of caution to any new comers. In my opinion, do not by any Lamb purple vinyl tubing, Lamb light blue tees and Lamb light blue spouts. As far as the tubing goes...Has anyone ever pulled a 3-foot long ice cicle off a roof eve and tried to hold it straight out without falling apart. This is what happens with the Lamb purple tubing after a year or two. It gets just like glass.
The other comment I have is the thing with the colored tubing. All of my mainlines have been painted white (this experience is too long to get into)The tubing was all black poly. On my 5/16 laterals, I have used all Lamb rigid, without the dye and are white. I cannot get over the number of people that believe the tubing must be colored to get it thawed. I noticed years back when I was just tinkering with tubing that just because its colored does not mean you won't have a frozen spot. On roughly 1/4 to 1/2 of the laterals, the tubing passes by on the north side of the tree. What good does the color have when the sun can't reach it? In my opinion, all the purple and blue and green does is warm up the sap. In one small pasture area I have 200 taps with the old purple lamb tubing. This is mostly all north and northeast slope and there is not one tap farther than 300 feet from the tank. This sap is almost always 10 degrees warmer than the rest of my trees which are all south slope and sap coming from as much as 1500 feet away. Buttt, I have everything on the south slope white. Does this make any sense??
One last question I have is in reguard to fittings and tubing. When I first tried tubing in 1989, I bought the purple Lamb with the light blue tees. To my knowledge these tees are still made and I have ever since condemned them. They are the cause of a lot of swearing!! They simply break in half if you look at them. Does anyone know what I am talking about?? I have replaced almost all of them! The spouts are even worse. I in recent years have went to the 5/16 spile reducers. They work very fine on the US Maple 7/16 spouts, but the Lamb ones.. :x :x :x . When you try to take the reducer off at the end of the season, you end up twisting the sap outlet off. Talk about having to have a pliers on one end and a vice grip on the other! Does anyone know why these products are still being sold to unsuspecting people??
I have told my dealer about this and he still has the crap on hand every year that I go up there. So a word of caution to any new comers. In my opinion, do not by any Lamb purple vinyl tubing, Lamb light blue tees and Lamb light blue spouts. As far as the tubing goes...Has anyone ever pulled a 3-foot long ice cicle off a roof eve and tried to hold it straight out without falling apart. This is what happens with the Lamb purple tubing after a year or two. It gets just like glass.