?'s about mainline

[ctjim]

i just got a small nicely sloped "side yard" woods to tap my estimation is about 50-75 taps. the homeowners said i could put up tubing and out of kindness for letting me tap i may build this so it can be taken down so they won't see the tubing all yr. my main ? is a 1/2 in main line sufficient or would 3/4in be better, and the main line would only need to be about 100 to 150ft max run so i am thinking w/ the slope i have and the amount of trees i could probably get away w/out using a wire and just maybe use the chinese fingers at the ends of the main. any thoughts or suggestions would be great, thanks.

[maple flats]

With good slope I'd only run laterals to the uphill end and go down about 100' (lateral length, not beeline). At that point I'd run a short main to your collection point. If you want to remove and install each year try the end hooks that will come apart to take down (Lapierre?). The good slope will give you natural vacuum if you have enough taps. On a slope of 4'/100' or more you should have up to 20 taps/lateral, some say even more. With good slope on gravity systems the 5 taps/lateral doesn't apply. You want the lateral full and then the slope is your friend, creating natural vacuum. As you get to mainline, I'd still run 3/4 only because of the fittings available, mainly the saddles. I'd put a chinese finger on each end, anchor it to the end trees using a ratchet strap (comes down easily). Run the main as straight as you can but with trees on both sides to side tie for tension and to hold slope. Tighten the ratchet straps about as tight as the strap will take (assuming 1" straps, hook both ends hooked to the chinese finger). Connect laterals using a saddle like the record multifitting or any similar type. For that few, make a entrance hole by center punching with an awl and then drill the hole. For a stop, slide a piece of lateral tubing on the drill bit so you don't drill straight thru the main.

[ctjim]

thanks for the suggestion dave, do you ever have open house at your sugarhouse? i enjoy checking out other operations and my inlaws are not too far from oneida. actually my moms side of the family were all born in oneida and lived there most of their lives at 1 point they used to own and run an inn/restaurant on tuscarora lake.