How few taps on a mainline?

[wkies]

I have 110 taps on a gravity system. I have two mainlines with roughly 50-60 taps on each. I'm thinking about splitting one of the mainline into two due to some long lateral runs. One line will run up a stream bed and the other will connect to it using a Y. The mainline is 3/4 in. How few taps can a mainline have? Not much slope.

[waysidemaple]

There is no minimum for number of taps for a mainline. If your running vacuum the fewer the better and cutting those long laterals in half will help out alot. Make sure you have slope and you will be fine.

Scott

[wkies]

Is that a general rule - no minimum taps for a gravity mainline?

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

There is no minimum you could call that a general rule i guess. But there is an accepted maximum. My leader catalog says less than 250 for half inch but the NAMPM says less than 400 when under a 5% slope. When over a 10% slope it says 300-600. and leader claims 50 taps for half inch. NAMPM has no reccomendation for mainline that small. but if you will have less than 50 taps go for half inch.

[jasonl6]

but if you will have less than 50 taps go for half inch.

Unless you are going to run vacuum, 1/2" and vacuum doesn't work so great. If vacuum is a possibility in the next 5 years go with 3/4"

Jason

[Russell Lampron]

With a gravity set up smaller mainlines and longer laterals with a lot of taps on them work best. A natural vacuum is created when there is enough sap to fill the diameter of the tubing and mainline. You want as much slope as possible too.