general vacuum question

[sapaddict]

I just have 60 taps on a very severe slope, close to 45 degree, hard to walk up standing up. MY question is with such an incline would vacumm really increase my yield at all? Its on a pure open southern face too, so when it runs , it runs.

[maplehound]

I don't know how much natural vaccuume helps, someone else may know that better, but I do know that a good vaccuume pump will pull 18-20 inches of vaccuume and I don't think you can get that from natural vaccuume. On your system I am sure it will work and the sap will make it back to your collection tank. (mine does when the vaccuume is off and I don't have that much fall) Just remember that vaccuume isn't for moving the sap through the lines but to alow the sap to flow more freely from the tree into the lines.
Ron

[brookledge]

Sapaddict
Yes it would. While you may have some natural vacuum being created it would only be on the highest taps and the taps at the bottom may acually have pressure in them which is not productive. Try pulling a tap near the bottom or 1/3 of the way up and see if sap comes gushing out. that will tell you if you have pressure. Test show with a good vacuum setup you sould get 1/2gallon of syrup per tap. Since I have gone all vacuum two years ago the best I have done is .41 gal/tap.
But is alot more than the qt. per tap that I used to get.
Keith