Want to try tubing this year- really basic questions

[MapleME]

I have no experience with sap collection and using tubing, gravity feeds or mainline. Just wanted to put that up front.

I have been sugaring for years with 5 gallon buckets on the ground, and a plastic tap with about 3 feet of tubing running in to the bucket. New baby has shortened the time I will have to collect, so bucket by bucket seems less time consuming vs running some tubing to a collection tank I can pump out with a small sap pump I own.

To explain what I would like to do... I have a straight row of 10 trees, each that will accept 4 taps. What I would like to do is stick a 100 gallon tank in the middle and run tubing in to this.

For my drops to date, I have been using the blue flexible tubing from my local sugar supplier. Can I use this tubing (I still have a huge role) as my "mainline" and just attach my drops to it this way? In the middle of the line, where I will have some tension to create the gravity, I would put a "T" connector and have a straight drop in to my collection tank.

It seems simple in my mind, but as I stated up front, I am just thinking it out on paper. Seems simple enough, but don't want to waste my time when you guys all have probably "been there, done that".

Mucho thanks.

[MapleME]

4879

thought maybe my 4th grade drawing ability may lend some help, but Im pretty bad.

[jasonl6]

LOL I LOVE THE DRAWLING! OK yes what your trying to do it fine. Your looking at approx 20 taps from each direction. This should be fine with 5/16" line on gravity. I would ask how big the maples are that you can get 4 taps per tree. I have one huge maple that 2 grown men cannot reach around and only have 3 taps on it.

Congrats on the little one ;-) future sugarmaker. Start them early before they get there brains burned out on electronics.

Jason

[MapleME]

haha glad someone can appreciate my [lack of] artistic ability!

Well, most of these trees are along the road and have been there for years. Probably 4 feet in diameter I would guess. Some are smaller that get 2 and 3.

So a few f/u questions..

at what point do I need to go to a bigger "main" line?

When I wrap the tubing around the two end trees of the row, do I just double it back and connect it in to itself with a Y connector?

Thanks also on the little one comment. He is great, been a real joy. I finally will have a syrup buddy this season :)

[talahi maple products]

I have a similar set up in one area and I was able to anchor one end of a wire on a scrub tree and the other end at the collection drum. It allows me to wire tie the main line (5/16)nice & straight and have a steady pitch to the drum. Then I just cut in the drops.(some drops are 3' long to reach around the tree)
In another site, similar to this, I use a starter fitting on the 1st tree and then zig zag around everyother tree and pull tight as you go. But some where at or near the drum you'll have to anchor off to hold the tension, you don't want any sags. Hope this helps a little.

[jasonl6]

Try an end tree ring, you go around the tree and connect it then connect your drop to the other side. Also Lapierre has a new Slide fitting, would work nice for you if you are taking the lines down every year.

http://www.sugaringequipment.elapierre.com/produits_en.asp?id_categorie=54&id_groupeproduit=464&page=1

Jason

[MapleME]

yes, Jason...def have to take it down. How does that end ring work?

[jasonl6]

watch this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y3KPIvlyZc

[MapleME]

oh this is excellent....!! thx for sharing that Jason

[adk1]

yup, I ahve watched that 1/2 dozen times or more. learn something each time that you missed the first!

[MapleME]

So this is all making sense to me...now comes to a technical question. Looking at connectors in to the 5/16th tubing...I see an inline connector or "Y" that looks like it would allow you to connect 2 drops in to the tubing. BUT many of my HUGE trees have 4 taps with drops coming off off them...do they make one with four ports that go in to the main tubing or do I have to splice in 2 of the Y connectors. Well, I call them "Y"'s but they have one port on one side and three on the other.

Thanks!

[500592]

They make 4 way stars that go on the mainline but unless your mainline is right next to the trees it won't work good.

[Maplebrook]

Good morning maple ME,
Here's my suggestion after reading your ideas and studying your cartoon. Use 5/16" for the mainline, that size should be OK for less than 20 taps.
Stretch this "main" tight between the trees from your collection tank out to the end on the last tree. (This should be 1/2 of the trees, since the tank's in the middle) You can use D&G's anchor fork on either end or try one of the new end slider fittings. I started a few years ago with anchor forks, they work well for me. An anchor fork uses a short length of tubing to wrap around the tree, plus gives you a port to attach a dropline from the same tree.

As for your droplines, rather than "y" more "y's" together, make up a dropline harness using tees. For a 4 tap drop, use 3 tees if it's running into an anchor fork, 4 tees if it gets spliced into the mainline at one of the middle trees. I'll give explaining it a go, may have to resort to a cartoon myself!

The last tee on the harness gets a dropline on one long side of the tee and the short side of the tee. The remaining long side of the tee gets a short piece of tubing to attach the next tee. This next tee only attaches one dropline to the harness( on the short side of the tee), the long sides of the tee carrying the sap from the previous drops. Continue with another short piece of tubing, add the 3rd tee(for a total of 4 drops now) and run this harness into the anchor fork (if it's the first or last tree on the line) or tee it into your main. I wish I could just hold up the piece of paper I sketched this on to show you!

It would be best to lay this out and assemble it at the trees once your mainline is up. That way you can adjust the lengths of all the pieces of tubing to suit the tree. Keep in mind to use at least a 24" dropline so you can reach new tap holes each year.

I have several red maple coppice growth trees (where several stump suckers have matured into tappable trees in a circle around the old stump) and use the harness I described to tap these into one bucket. One I have is 7 tapper!

I hope this helps, and makes sense.

The little one will be helping in no time!
Darren

[Maple Hobo]

I've never seen the star fittings into a 5/16" SAP line before. The smallest ive seen is into the 1/2" line.

Personally I would not use the slip or end ring fittings on the end trees. The loop will hold sap on half of its loop that it has to spill over all the time and it gets held in there the rest of the time. If your gravity system doesn't drain dry its not right.

I would say go ahead and use a 3 way drop and use one nail for the top most tap... then spiral around the large tree down to the main line. They have a little cap you put on the end tap's 3-way. Only drive the nail in a little, the tap should be able to slide forward and get your fingers behind it.
I DO NOT like nails, but in this application it seems to work best.

Try to not let the sap lines (or main line) swag or it will hold sap too.

How far appart are the large trees? I wouldn't go over 75-100 lineal feet with them too.